Each morning I wake up and think about “who I am today.” It does not always happen as a conscious thought, but I am aware it happens on some level. As I go through my morning routines, I reinforce who I am through my actions, environment, thoughts, etc. My personality gets “put on”, and when the process is automated, who I am becomes shaped by how the world has defined me and how I have defined myself in the past. It operates like clockwork until the moment I am willing to interrupt these dominant structures.

When the process is automated, it feels like much of this happens behind my back. Who is responsible for defining who I am in a particular moment if it’s not (consciously) me? I imagine that’s the only logical reason to explain why I would choose to be the same person today that I was yesterday.

It takes intentional direction, radical action and uncharted willingness to let go of even a day old personality. But, it’s the only way for me to truly establish who I am today.