Who do you want to be when you “grow up”? That might seem like a foolish question, but in growing up in an alcoholic/dysfunctional family, often we took on roles to get us through the hard times.

Maybe we were the joker, the responsible one, distant, or checked out and tried to hide away from all the pain and suffering.

Now, as adults, we have the opportunity to look at our lives and decide if we want our past to define who we are or not.

Exploration and growth takes time. We might have grown up fast in an alcoholic family and just learned as we went along. But now, we can take the time to self-parent and take care of yourself.

It doesn’t matter if we’re 20 or 100 years old as we all can keep on learning about ourselves.

Some simple tools are to open new doors for yourself:

• Go volunteer.

• Take a class at a local college.

• Read books on self-growth.

  • I’m reading Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within

• Start a new hobby.

• Get a new job.

• Travel somewhere new.

When I’m overwhelmed, I find that when I take the time to relax and be still that an answer comes to me.

Over the last decade, I’ve slowly worked to change my life to take on new identities. Yes, I’m still me. But I am also a runner, author, and activist. I added those new roles because I wanted to grow and use my time in ways that was more fulfilling for me.

I was tired of thinking that I either couldn’t do something or of others telling me that writing wasn’t a good career.

I do not wish to come to the end of my life and have regrets that I never tried to embrace life and live it to the fullest.

What about you?

Who do you want to be?

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.