I am, with or without your approval. Are you?

"We can choose to live from our identity for others, or we can choose to live for our identity from others." -  Jeff Cloeter/Robert Millar

"I am" 

Jesus Christ

My name is Robert John Millar and I am merely "me" when I achieve amazing things, and I am still merely "me" when achieve only failure. For much of my life I sought acceptance for who I wanted to be and affirmation for who I should be from those around me. But for the last two years I've been comfortable seeking affirmation and confirmation only from myself. I decided that if others find me wonderful or woeful I still remain solidly me. From this place of self-acceptance and self-affirmation I have been able to live for others rather than seeking life from others. And I found that being authentically myself while being mostly focused on those around me and for their needs helps me discover even more self-realization.

I am ok with simply being who I am, and if being who I am is helpful to those others around me then it makes me glad. But if being me is unhelpful to others then I simply look elsewhere to be helpfully me. 

My world-view teaches me that God (the supreme being who is the source of everything) intentionally created me as an individual being with a unique combination of personality traits, talents and tendencies. That "God" knew me before I existed and that it was intended that I always remain the same person who I was original intended to be. That being I was created to be was considered very good by it's creator. While this is theoretically the Christian world-view in practice I find that performance based acceptance of self is sadly the norm in our modern society and especially so in my religious world-view. We seek permission to be ourselves from the throng of human beings that surrounds us despite the fact that they are no more self-aware or self-accepting than we are. We are like the customer in a clothes store who asks the blind person to determine if what we are wearing looks ok. 

I am, I have always been thus, and I will always be thus, for I am who I was meant to be. Who are you and are you really ok with being that person?