I AM WHAT I AM

"I am the greatest.  I said that even before I knew I was."

-Muhammad Ali

I AM WHAT I AM.

This statement is both the saving grace for mankind and its greatest, misunderstood statement.

So often in life we hear someone say as a means of justification for something, “I am what I am,” but the same people that make this proclamation rarely understand the power that’s found within the words. 

This statement is quite possibly the most powerful combination of words in the English language.  Let’s take a closer look at the implications of such a statement and why this combination of words can either be the downfall of a person or their greatest accomplishment.

Normally when someone says “I am what I am,” they’re saying it as an excuse for not being who someone thinks they should be; this statement is normally reserved for the context of making an excuse for a lack of effort or self-control. 

When I think of the situation that this phrase is most commonly used in I think of someone being questioned for a behavior they’re exhibiting, usually being one of negative connotation.  For example: when someone’s significant other catches them cheating, or catches them doing something that seems very out of character.  This phrase is primarily used at the end of a relationship or at the beginning of what could have been a friendship or meaningful relationship.  “I am what I am” carries a lot of negative residue because people through the ages have lost the knowledge and understanding of the power that can be found within this statement.

Let’s break down the first part of this statement so I can show you what I think it means…

I AM:  This portion of the phrase which makes up the first two words of the statement and the last two words of the statement is the meat of its meaning.  “I AM” carries the bulk of the weight here, it also carries the most residual energy from our past.  When you attack this phrase as something that defines a person because of their past then you've overlooked the underlying meaning of these words.  I AM is an ever-evolving, living and breathing statement of how things are for us, it’s alive in three succinct yet unifying parts… I AM me today, I AM me from yesterday, and I AM me for tomorrow.  In just these two words we see that the statement I AM has a threefold meaning:  past, present, and future.  I AM a product of my past decisions; I AM the product of my current environment, I AM the sum of my future choices… I AM ME.  

In all ways this phrase of “the great I AM” is evolving, fluctuating, and redefining.  Once we come to grips with the living nature of these two words we can begin to see just how powerful the phrase as a whole can be.

The key to understanding the significance of the phrase ‘I am what I am,” is to understand that it is not a final definition of who you are at any given moment, but a phrase that defines who you can be at any given moment.

If you believe this phrase limits the definition of who you are, think again.  This phrase is literally exploding with nothing more than endless possibility.  This phrase at its root level is the embodiment of who we are as a person… limitless.

Let’s take a look at the scenario from the beginning I referred to where someone is caught cheating on their significant other and when approached about it their retort is ‘I am what I am.”  In this case it seems like a cop-out huh?  What needs to come into account here is not after the deed of cheating is done, but the very act of cheating itself.  If this person who cheated thought for any moment that they were indeed not a cheater, then the action of cheating would never take place.  When you don’t know who you are you leave your life open for other people to define it.  If you know what I AM as faithful, if you make this choice to know yourself as faithful then why would you ever cheat?  Knowing who you are can be defined as the choices you make and the motivation behind them.  You are constantly making statements to the universe about who you are by the choices you make, but how often do you reaffirm to yourself the definition of “you?”

The very act of choosing who you are on a constant basis is the limit to which the power of this statement can hold for you.  When you realize that who you are is up to you and always open for rediscovery you can begin to let go of past programming that no longer suits your grandest vision of yourself.  Past heartaches, past trials, past bad decisions, your family, your hometown, they all become just another set of choices for how you NOW choose to define yourself.  Will you in this moment of now allow the sins of your father define you as a man today, or will you choose a definition that better fits who it is you desire to be?  When you see this phrase as the great liberator put into words, you begin to let go of the past issues that haunt your being and you begin to grow into the being that lies dormant inside all of us: a being of limitless potential, capable of moving mountains if need be.

When you believe that you are who you choose to be you see that the statement goes from “I am what I am” to “I am what I choose I am.”  How amazing is that to think about?  How powerful is that thought?…

I guess it’s as powerful as you choose to believe it is right?

This statement is freeing, it’s living, it’s limitless, it’s you at your greatest, or you at your least.  The statement “I am what I am” is your key to success and happiness beyond your wildest dreams. 

Be who you know you can be, be who you want to be, be who you choose to be. 

Think about these words and let them pierce the armor of your soul, for if you don’t you just might be someone else tomorrow who gives up control over your life, or one who gets caught telling someone for the worst possible reason, “I am what I am.”