I’ve realised through these daily reflections that a key component of my happiness is learning, and having the opportunity to put that learning into practice.
Much of the dialogue on self-improvement is on becoming a better person. This could be building better habits, growing in confidence, or identifying lessons learned from experiences.
It also occurred to me that we spend little time and effort on removing the unhelpful habits in our lives. What would happen if we invested time in getting rid of ideas and practices that no longer serve us? This can be viewed as the process of unbecoming.
A house plant provides a good analogy. Unrestrained growth can get unwieldy and stifling. Often, we need to prune and get rid of the dead matter. This allows the plant to continue growing.
Becoming and unbecoming, to add and to remove, go well together.