Definition of Self

I used to judge those who defined themselves by what they owned. Filled their lives with possessions. Materialists. I have now learned I am no better, than them.

You know the guy that makes over $500K a year, owns a million dollar home and has two corvettes sitting in his garage? I used to think I was better; a bigger person, for not needing such an overabundance of 'things'. I didn't need that house or that car to feel whole. It did not make me a better, more respectable person to own these things. I was not concerned about where I lived, how much I made, or what I owned. What mattered to me was doing what I loved to do; being passionate about my life.

Then one day, as I was thinking about my career and what I wanted to do next, I realized: I measured my self worth on my accomplishments. Everything I've done, everything I didn't do, wished I had done, defined (to me) who I was to the world. I was constantly measuring my accomplishments against others, comparing my life to theirs. 'By this stage in my life I should have achieved...'. And this in itself made me no better than the man comparing his sports car to his neighbors.

Whether it's our goals and accomplishments, house or car, friends and family, we are constantly trying to fill ourselves up 'things'. We have lost what it is to just BE. We were born with nothing, we will end with nothing. What we own, make, or do, does not define who we are. It is all a mere reflection of ourselves. To find our true self, minus all the attachments, we need to learn to just BE.