Throughout life we should all be asking the question—  Who am I now? But we don’t. We casually continue to go to work, drink, play, have relationships, end relationships, and start new ones. As if simply by rote or ecstatic event.

       We celebrate new birth, commemorate special occasions, mourn loss, cry, laugh, go flat. It’s just all a part of life on earth.

       Unless we are cognizant of it, we may miss that our world is changing. Likewise, we need to keep track of ourselves— that we are changing as well.

       So who are you? What are the components that go into you, being you? Now. Not what used to define you, but what defines you now?

       Erik Erikson, an American/German Psychologist, has set forth this classification—

·       Infancy	·       Toddlerhood
·       Preschool years	·       Early School Years
·       Adolescence	·       Young Adulthood
·       Middle Adulthood	·       Late Adulthood

       If (and I do mean if) you mature just a little more in each phase you will give up your earlier toys, develop new friendships, set goals, deepen relationships (& give up others), figure out who you are, change, grow a family, learn it’s not-all-about-you, and pass along what you have learned to the next generation. Admittedly, this is a very simplistic progression.

       But not all of us are aware of these phases and transitions. We know that graduating school, at whatever level, is a milestone. So is marrying. So is that big promotion or salary increase. And having children changes EVERYTHING. Still, the changes that happen around us could blind us to the changes we need to face.

       Busy lives.

       It’s so easy to get lost in life. In our work. In ourselves.

       So what are you doing to keep track of yourself? Here are some guidelines.

1.      If you set goals in life, how are you doing at completing them?

2.      Areas where you are weak— what are you doing to strengthen them?

3.      Places where you shine. How can you keep on shining and be humble about it?

4.      What kind of support team will you need next in your life?

5.      Can you admit wrong? What do you do about it?

       To move into the next (healthier) phase of your life, you will need a safe place for refreshment. What is it? Truly, God will provide one it you ask. Ask.

Gary

Next – Wearing Out