Trying something new is often the path to becoming someone new

​Seth Godin says, "All of us struggle when our identity doesn’t match the reality of the world around us. In the face of that confusion, it’s tempting to abandon possibility and to walk away from an opportunity simply because it doesn’t resonate with the person we are in this moment."

Godin's words made me think of my running journey.

Years ago, I hesitated to take up running. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see a runner. I wasn't built like one. I didn't feel like one. And really, looking at the guy in the mirror - nothing about him seemed the least bit interested in becoming one.

But still, because a lot of friends were doing it - as well as people who I thought could become my friends - I gave it a try. When I did, I ultimately became someone new.

I figure there's two ways of looking at life. One is to believe we can ultimately become who we are made to be. The other is to believe life is always about exploring who we can become.

More and more these days, I believe the latter. Because the moment we start believing it's possible to become some ultimate picture of ourselves, it's possible to believe we're already there.

And that's the day we stop trying new things.

That's the day we stop believing in the possibility of new activities or hobbies.

We stop believing in the possibility of a new job.

We stop believing in the possibility of new people in our lives.

Don't get me wrong, I believe anything can become a fixture in our lives - some things we NEED as fixtures to our identities. I just don't believe anything should become such a fixture to our identities that we stop considering the possibility of becoming someone new.

I'm no longer a big believer in "this is who I am."

I'm a much bigger believer in "I'm fired up to discover who I can become."

Beth Moore says, "if God put you there, that soil is fertile."

I think I've spent a lot of time in my life examining the soil. Often, I decided this isn't the right soil to try something new in - I'm just going to sit here in the middle of this field and wait and pray that God puts me in a new field. A new field with more fertile soil.

I guess lately I've been hearing God say, this IS your field, and trust me, that soil IS fertile. So get up and start growing.

We're not always in a field that matches our picture of life. That doesn't always mean it's time to abandon the field. Sometimes it means it's time to try something new.