newmexico.jpgEverywhere you go, there you are.

Who you are follows you. Sure, a change of scenery may bring out different parts of your personality. And, a location change may be an important part of “re-potting” yourself. But in and of itself, changing your external environment without doing the hard work of changing inside is an exercise in futility.

There is a story about an old man who ran a gas station on the outskirts of a major city. Within an hour, two station wagons pulling U-Haul trailers pulled up. Each asked the old man what kind of people lived in the city and would they find their new neighbors to their liking. Each time, before he answered, the old man asked how they found their former town, how they liked their old neighbors.

One family said they were very sad to leave because their neighbors were the best: friendly, helpful, and outgoing. The old man told them that they were in luck, this city was full of people just like that. The other family grimaced and said they were happy to be moving, that they were escaping some grouchy neighbors who were standoffish and not very friendly. The old man regretfully informed them that they were likely to find the same in their new neighborhood.

The moral is obvious: To a large degree, we create the world we experience. We find what we expect, and things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out.

Become the change you seek. How can you expect to change the world if you cannot change yourself? How can you expect others to change if you cannot?

Note: The illustration is from postsecrets.com, a site where people mail their secrets anonymously, usually on postcards that creatively relate to them or to their situation.