Within each of us is the power to become.
While much about life seems beyond our control, the opportunity to improve is within reach. We each have the capacity to become a fuller version of ourselves. To become more effective. To become more engaged. To become more joyful, more reasonable, more informed, compassionate, skilled, inspired, helpful … to become all we aspire to be.
And when we pursue becoming the best version of ourselves, we not only feel a greater sense of individual satisfaction but our communities improve. Our relationships and families grow stronger. Our workforce becomes more effective, efficient and innovative, providing greater opportunities and improving our economy. Our schools transform into launchpads for curious, passionate learning leaders. Our nonprofit organizations are able to fulfill their critical missions and inspire us all to greater service.
In short, when we enrich ourselves, we enrich our community. And, when we enrich our community, we enrich ourselves.
So, how do we go about becoming the best version of ourselves?
We learn.
Learning is not a stage of life; it’s a way of life.
Education brings to mind the formal systems established by our society. We think of elementary, middle school, high school and college. We think about diplomas and degrees. It is linear with a defined beginning and end. First day of school to last day of school. Freshman year to senior year. Orientation to graduation.
However, as we have each experienced, there is much more to learn after “graduation.” Upon completing our formal education, each of us quickly enrolls in the school of hard knocks.
Realizing how difficult it is to be an adult often hits like a wave, slowly at first, then all at once. It’s the moment you recognize that life’s responsibilities are unyielding—bills need paying, work demands your best and relationships require constant nurturing. The carefree days of youth feel distant, replaced by the weight of future-defining decisions. It’s a profound understanding that adulthood isn’t just about freedom; it’s about carrying the burden of that freedom with grace, resilience and an ever-growing to-do list.
For some, this realization is a lifelong stumbling block, but then there are those who seem to transform stumbling blocks into stepping stones. By and large, the differentiator is the latter learns to overcome each obstacle as it comes, stacking lessons on lessons and victories upon victories. Knowledge and experience are the building blocks used to construct the life they aspire to and to become the person they wish to be. Instead of lamenting difficulty and change, the “becomers” learn more in order to experience more and thereby progress professionally and personally. They are lifelong learners in steady pursuit of becoming the best version of themselves. Completing is no longer the goal; it’s the process that becomers relish.
These individuals are not human “beings;” they are human becomers always in pursuit of knowing and experiencing more. And becoming is woven into the DNA of each of us. We just have to unlock it by taking a chance on ourselves. It’s surprising how one small step can quickly stack up to a giant leap.
Who do you want to become?
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
We’ve all answered this question at some point in our early lives, and our answer was likely accompanied by a crayon depiction of ourselves in the aspired role. Thinking back recalls classroom walls plastered with images of astronauts, athletes and ballet dancers.
Often what was missing from this childhood activity, however, were two valuable lessons:
- No one simply gets to be an astronaut, athlete or ballet dancer without becoming one.
- What you will be is not nearly as important as who you will become.
Accordingly, the question we should be asking is not “What do you want to be?” but “Who do you want to become?” Further, it is a question that should not be relegated to just kindergarten classrooms but should be a driving force every day of our lives.
Being
Be·ing | ˈbē(-i)ŋ
: the quality or state of having existence
Becoming
Be·com·ing | bi-ˈkə-miŋ
: any process of change
One is standing still. The other is moving forward. Which defines you?
When we consistently pursue becoming our best selves, the work of learning transforms into the joy of becoming. Each lesson learned and skill mastered helps us evolve into the person we’ve always wanted to be and helps us create the life to which we always aspired. We no longer see learning as a stage of life. It becomes a way of life—a source of joy, fulfillment, purpose and gratitude.
In this process of becoming, we also transform our perspective. We no longer compartmentalize our life into work vs. play. We no longer live for Fridays and dread Mondays. As becomers, work-life balance does not mean a separation of who you are professionally and personally. On the contrary, the skills and disciplines learned to help you excel at work can be equally beneficial to your personal life. Finance, project management, communication skills, leadership—these things so important during your 9-5 can be just as valuable from 5-9.
Conversely, those things you are passionate about doing on the weekend can transform your weekdays. Whether you enjoy reading about philosophy, watching history documentaries, reading and writing about science fiction, or getting creative through drawing, painting and photography—these things help develop you into the imaginative, outside-the-box, critical thinker and problem solver every organization needs.
As we transform from passive beings into active becomers, we no longer define ourselves by our careers or our hobbies or our family roles. We stop thinking in terms of what we do and begin thinking of who we want to become. Our days are no longer filled with responsibilities but are instead exploding with opportunities to enrich ourselves. And when we enrich ourselves, we enrich our communities. And when we enrich our communities, we enrich ourselves.
So, where do we begin? How do we become a becomer?
It begins with a decision. We must decide that there is more to experience, more to learn and more to become. That tomorrow can be better than today. That the life and future we want for ourselves and for the world is obtainable. We must decide that our story is not complete. That there are chapters yet to be written and adventures yet to unfold.
Our story is “to be continued.”
We believe in becoming.
Becoming who we are is a lifelong pursuit. The journey and destination may look different for each of us, but the fuel is the same: learning. At Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, becomers of all kinds find the building blocks of knowledge and experience used to shape the life each aspires to live. From learning a language to becoming an educator, from exploring Mars to building investments, from leveling up a career to shaping a nonprofit’s future, it all starts here.
We’re Rice Continuing Studies, and we’re building communities one piece at a time — starting with you. Wherever you are on your journey of becoming, whether taking the first step or the next step, we are here to help. We are a community of becomers eager to learn and progress together, and we’ll go further faster when you join in.
Rice Continuing Studies: For the lifelong pursuit of becoming.