Finding vs. Creating

I recently saw a sign in a bathroom that read, “Life is not about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.”  This blog nearly wrote itself in my head before I could read it a second time.  Initially, I found a bit on irony in the sign, considering it was in a bathroom at The Foundry’s car sales lot.  The Foundry is a drug rehab program in Bessemer, AL.  The folks who enter this program are committing a year of their life to it.  The irony, as I initially saw it, was the presence of that sign at a place where people go to “find a new life” away from the drugs that have inflicted so much damage on their bodies, minds, souls, and relationships.

The true irony revealed itself only moments later when I realized the residents at The Foundry had a better understanding of the importance of that philosophy than the non-resident reading it.  There are a couple principles buried in that sign that immediately struck me.

Finding is passive. Creating is active.
The first and most obvious is the passivity of finding versus the activity of creating.  When I think of finding, I think of the person on the beach with the metal detector aimlessly walking the beach, stopping to check out whatever little piece of worthlessness the equipment in their hand happens to tell them is buried just below the surface.  There’s not really any thought that goes into it.  You leisurely stroll through life waiting for something interesting to come along that may or may not be worth breaking your stride.

Creating isn’t something that happens by chance.  It is an intentional act of will.  Sure, there are artists who stare at a canvas and begin to paint without having a clear direction what the finished product will be – but there is still that engagement in the creative process to take active steps towards a goal (a finished painting), even if the goal isn’t as clearly defined as some might prefer it to be.

Finding embraces victim status. Creating refuses victim status.
The idea of “finding oneself” is the romanticized process of achieving the singular goal of hopefully making you feel better about who you are.  Enormous amount of time and energy can be spent as the past, family lineage, personal upbringing, personal tastes, skill sets are all placed under the microscope.  All of these things from the past are scrutinized to create a picture that brings clarity to the present.  What happens if the majority of what you see leads you to the realization that you are broken beyond repair?  Based on the data points, you’re a victim, stuck with all this baggage.

Creators use the past for one thing and one thing only, education.  The past is not their identity.  They are not slaves to it.  Their identity is being made, intentionally, each and every moment.  What happened moments ago is who you were, not who you are. You cannot change what happened, whether you made specific choices or whether they happened to you – it’s been done.  Creators focus their attention on what is to come, not what was.

Finding reaches in. Creating reaches out.
Once you’ve found yourself, what do you have?  I’ll tell you exactly what you have – more questions.  The search never ends.  The perpetual analyzation allocates the bulk of your time, attention, and resources in you.  After all, the whole point of finding yourself is about you finding you.

Creating is not an exercise engaged in for the sole purpose of self-love/understanding/empowerment.  Whenever something is created, it immediately begins impacting those who come into contact with it.  It gives others something to participate in.  Outside resources/relationships are required in the creation process.  A created identity is one designed for the purpose of engaging – reaching out.

It is so much easier to sit around and let other people, past circumstances, etc. define you.  It’s much more difficult to fight, to engage, to refuse to settle.  Apathy is just as contagious as inspiration.  Every one of us has a choice to ride the wave of self-serving apathy or engage in the fight of creative inspiration.  Don’t settle.  Victimhood doesn’t suit you.