I happened to be in the right place at the right time recently and got to be present for a talk where we were asked who we were. I answered (in my head of course as I’m sure the several rows behind me didn’t want to know who I was!) initially by saying “is it a trick question? It’s too simple, I’m me and you are you”. And then immediately afterwards the penny dropped, it dropped so far down that you could almost hear it land in the silence. Those same depths to which the penny dropped made me realise just how deep the question actually was, simple it was not!

Don’t get me wrong I know who I am, after all I’ve had 39 years practice at being me, but I quickly realised that an onion hasn’t got a patch on me with all the layers I still have to discover. It’s a never ending question because we are continuously learning and evolving. I could be asked again in a month, a year, a decade “who am I” and answer differently each time. Yes there would be some deeply rooted foundations of my being that will stay the same but if you think of it in terms of a layered salad (maybe I’m hungry seeing as I’ve mentioned food twice in the last couple of lines!) my base layer of cheese will always be the same because it’s who I am but what I choose to layer and layer it with all the way to the top will change as I evolve.

I started to ask myself some more questions, ones that you might find yourself asking as you read;

Why do I do what I do? Do I do it because I want to, because I love it and choose to or because I have to? These questions can be applied to any area of our lives.

Am I happy? If not, do I know why and what can I do about it?

Do I really need everything I have, do I want more things or can I live without something I already have?

How can I be the best possible version of myself? Am I doing everything from a place of love?

Will carrots go with cheese on my salad or am I too afraid to find out incase they are awful together?

And even if worst case scenario happens and they are awful, so what, remove them. Realise we always have the power to change things we don’t like. Allow yourself discover new experiences, even ones that frighten you. Dive into the depths of your soul’s ocean and find what works for you and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to add or remove layers until it tastes right. Once you are living from a place of love and pure intention you can’t go wrong.

So with all that in mind I now suggest you mix and match your layered salad and as you are eating it ask yourself “Who am I. Really, Who am I”?