Be All That You Can Be

There are a lot of things you can be. In fact, you can be anything you want in this life.

You can be social, or you can be anti-social. You can be an introvert, be an extrovert, or be an ambivert—which is both.

You can be alone. Or you can be a friend.

You can be cautious, be adventurous, be carefree.

Be exhausted, or be lively. Be wild, be peaceful, or you can be aggressive—be, be, aggressive!

You can always be right. A lot of people like to be this. They prefer to be an authority on every subject. These are probably the same people who were told by their parents to “be smart,” “be a winner,” or “don’t be an embarrassment.”

Meanwhile, some people would rather be quiet. Be in the background.

You can be other things, too. You can be a hard worker, be prepared, be responsible, be on top of things, be ready, or be a doer. Or you can be easy going, be chill, or be as lazy as a house cat.

Then again, you could also be what other people want you to be. You can be a pleaser. You can be obligated. You can be busy, fulfilling everyone else’s needs. Be dutiful. Be committed to all causes but your own.

Or you can just be yourself. You can be free. Be empowered. Be comfortable with who you are. Be invested in your own life.

Likewise, you can be angry. Be upset. Be a victim. Be rageful. You can be crisis-centered. You can be the star of your own life’s movie.

Or you can be selfless. You can be nice. Be humble. Be part of the solution rather than the problem.

Be a helper, instead of a critic. Be a peacemaker instead of a devil's advocate. Believe me, the devil has enough advocates.

You can be inclusive. Be gracious. Be sweet. Be a good listener. Be optimistic. You can always, always, ALWAYS be cheerful.

Or not. You could be negative. You could be constantly looking for how society has wronged you. You can be another casualty in life’s perpetual game of unfairness.

But you could also be hopeful. Be resilient. Be totally, unashamedly, unflinchingly okay.

You can even choose to be sick, physically. “Being sick” is a choice, you know. Even when your body is biologically unwell, even when your physiology is failing you, you can STILL choose what you will be.

This lesson was demonstrated to me by a teenage girl who has a list of maladies longer than a roll of toilet paper. This magnificent redhead has spent more days living in the hospital than she has spent out of it.

Her body has given her nothing but problems. And yet this child will not refer to herself as “sick.” Because she is not. She has obstacles, yes. She has suffering, yes. But illness has done nothing—nothing—to dampen her mood, or dim her outlook on life.

“As long as I am breathing,” Morgan says, “there is more right with me than there is wrong.”

And therefore, she is NOT sick. She is alive. I once asked this impressive child how she remains so upbeat in the midst of sorrow.

She just shrugged. “You can be anything you want to be in this life,” she said. “I choose to be grateful.”

What a great thing to be.