Who you are today started in your childhood. Try this simple comparison...

When you were growing up there were people you liked, kind, generous, laughing, fun people... children are drawn to naturally.  There were scary people you shied away from, angry, loud, punishing, guilting, bullying people, and as adults we look and see who got things done according to their wants and desires.

Think deeply a few minutes about this.  When something had to be done who got it done and how did they do it?  The one positive personality may have been nice but the child saw this person as someone who got run over and never achieved anything.  The other more powerful personality, although negative in presentation, got results, got answers, got what was set out to achieve.

Children.  Watch and think as they get older.  The same goals and achievements may be obtained by two very different means.  One achieves through caring about others outside of self, and the other achieves by stepping on everyone that got in their way, thinking of the self only.  How each accomplishes the goals is subjective to outside perspective of each of us.

We grow into adults.  We decide what we want out of life.  We decide what road to travel to get it. We begin to incorporate the personality traits of the people we saw growing up.

In the same vein of thought. Children meet people they like, really like.  Children who have no preset thermometer of good and bad people are easily fooled by a kind adult with bad intentions.  Children have no baggage, no  bitterness, much like animals when it comes to the present moment, a child will accept unknowingly the bad consequences a bad person presents because of the child's innocence.

Then there are people who are successful and positive and upbeat and kind and trustworthy.  Children want to be around them and as time passes and they grow up, they want to be like them.

Who we are today is a compilation of who we liked and disliked as a child.  So do this simple chart to see where your loyalties, gifts, and talents are.  On one side put the names of people you liked growing up and the things they accomplished that made you like them.  On the other side put the names of people you disliked and the things they did to make you dislike them.  In this exercise you will discover your core values.

When you discover these, you can live life according to your values not someone else's.  You can include anyone that truly changed your life in a positive way, living or dead.  (History figures count) Then to further see these favored people and the life they overcame, endured, survived, study them in depth. In time you will see these people made themselves.  These people achieved their goals because they had a cause bigger than themselves, they helped the world become a better place simply because they followed their  own path.

Some of us will find we need to wipe the slate clean and totally start over because the environment we were raised in is so negative, there has to be a new beginning to accomplish anything and establish inner peace.  Easy to spot these, these families usually toss you out into the world with no prior wisdom or support, you kind of have to sink or swim on your own. It is trial by fire.  Those of us who experience this are the lucky ones.  Without this rug being ripped out from under you, you never learn to find happiness on your own. You never appreciate accomplishing anything on your own.  Some might say to be given everything is to clip your wings.  You believe you cannot fly without help.  Truth is we all have enough to follow our own path and by being true essence, you will make the world a better place by being here. Namaste.