You Become Who You Are Little By Little

You become who you are little by little. Here’s what I mean: In most areas of life, change happens slowly. Our daily actions and behaviors form our habits—our consistent patterns of behavior. Our habits in turn form our personality and character. Our environment plays an important role in shaping who we are as well. But again, the effect of one’s environment doesn’t happen overnight. The effect is little by little, like a slow, consistent drip of water. You don’t notice the impact each day. But look back a year from now, and you might be in a completely different place.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

So, what can we learn from this truth? First, most people overestimate their ability to change over the short run (say, a week), but underestimate their ability to change over the long run (say, a year). If you want to change something in your life, the key is consistent effort over a long period of time. Slow and steady wins the race.

Pay Attention to Your Environment

Also, pay attention to the impact your environment has on you. You may not notice the effect of your environment in the short run, but the impact is incredibly powerful in the long run. Surround yourself with people who are similar to who you want to become. I heard someone say that we become the sum of the five people we spend the most time with. I think there’s something to that. Make your environment work for you, not against you.

Discussion

What do you think of this idea that you become who you are little by little? Is there something in your own life that changed, but you didn’t realize it because it happened so slowly? How might you change your environment so that it is more conducive to helping you become the person you want to be?