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The things you do create the things you believe…

For many things, your attitudes came from actions that led to observations that led to explanations that led to beliefs. Your actions tend to chisel away at the raw marble of your persona, carving into being the self you experience from day to day. It doesn’t feel that way, though. To conscious experience, it feels as if you were the one holding the chisel, motivated by existing thoughts and beliefs. It feels as though the person wearing your pants performed actions consistent with your established character, yet there is plenty of research suggesting otherwise. The things you do often create the things you believe.

— Benjamin Franklin

Ikigai is a Japanese word that can be roughly translated into English as “a reason for being.”

It hits a note with me as I’ve been struggling to nail mine in recent weeks. Perhaps the prompts in this graphic could help.

My daughter’s school hosted a US Citizenship Ceremony this morning. The whole middle school were in attendance to watch 126 people become citizens of our country. A reminder that, regardless of our current events, people still want to be part of this experiment.