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Who You Are is a Work in Progress
If there is one thing I’ve learned over the past few years and especially since attending Stanstead, is that figuring out who you are isn’t something you just wake up one day and suddenly know. And sometimes, it feels like everyone else has it all figured out, except you.
We spend so much time trying to figure out who we’re supposed to be, what people expect from us, what’s cool, what’s acceptable, that sometimes we forget to just be ourselves.
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And here is the truth: no one really has it all figured out. Not me, not the people who seem the most confident, not even the adults who act like they have all the answers.
We’re all works in progress, and that is not a bad thing. It’s actually kind of exciting.
When I first came to this school, I was a pretty quiet kid. Coming from Mistissini, a small Indigenous town where everybody knows everybody, I was used to being seen a certain way. And for a while, I thought that’s who I was supposed to be, the quiet kid from a small town. I thought if I could just fit into the right friend group, say the right things, act the right way, then everything would eventually fall into place.
But the harder I tried to be the person I thought I should be, the more I felt like I was losing parts of myself.
What I didn’t expect was that this school, and the people I’ve met here, would actually help bring me out of my shell. Bit by bit, I stopped worrying about being who I was supposed to be and started getting a glimpse of who I am truly meant to become. And the truth is, I’m still not sure who that is.
What I do know is this: the people I admire the most, the ones who stand out for the right reasons, they’re not perfect. They’re not following some script. They’re just themselves. imperfections and all.
One thing I do know about myself, is that I love being the oldest brother. My siblings mean everything to me and maybe that Is why this message means so much to me, because if there is one thing I hope they learn from me it's that you don’t have to be anyone but yourself. That’s enough. That’s always enough.
So, if you ever feel like you’re falling behind, like you’re supposed to have your whole personality, future and identity all figured out, let that go.
And the best part is no one else gets to decide who you become. That’s yours to figure out, piece by piece.
So, whether your loud or quiet, confident or still finding your voice, whether you’ve got five-year plan or no clue what comes next. You’re exactly where your supposed to be. A work in progress.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a quote I just recently found:
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment” - Ralph Waldo Emmerson
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