You Are Already What You Want To Become

 "You are already what you want to become."
- Thich Nhat Hanh

These days, I've been reading only Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. It's so packed with insights that I feel like I don't need to read any other book.

For those who don't know, Zen simply means to meditate; and to meditate is not just to sit and breathe, but to do anything and be aware of what you're doing. 

So, I've been meditating quite a lot when reading this book. In fact, you must be silent to assimilate the teachings, and to see the truth yourself.

Without slowing down, I wouldn't have understood the quote above.

His following passage elaborates on it:

"Everything is already here. Everything you're looking for, whether it's peace, well-being, happiness. or love - they are all already here. There's no need to keep searching. [...] In Buddhism, the means and the ends should be identical. There is no path leading to happiness; the path is happiness itself. There is no practice that leads to healing and transformation; the practice should be healing and transformation itself. You have a deep aspiration, but you can also practice aimlessness. It's perfectly possible."

Know that whatever you want is already in you. All you need is to bring it out. Let it emerge. Help it grow.

Do you want to speak another language? Just practice speaking the language is already speaking it.

Do you want to be a painter? Just paint and aren't you a painter, a person who paints, already? You can be a cook, dancer, weather reporter, researcher, anything, right now.

Are you an immigrant that desperately wants a job to be accepted and welcomed? Just contribute to their society. In any way you can. Aren't you a valuable member already?

Are you training to lift super heavy weights? Even if you're on Day 1 and manage to lift only 5 kg, you know you have some strength already, and it can increase.

You're undeniably capable of anything. You can find peace right now, even just a little, through one deep breath. You can speak a new language right now, even just a few words.

Excellence or mastery is a different story; you don't get them instantly like that.

But isn't it empowering to know that you already have everything necessary to start and get there?