You Are More Than Alive

On Becoming in a World Obsessed With Doing

You existed before you had a name. And long after your story ends, you’ll still ripple through time. This is a call to stop living small and start seeing yourself for what you truly are. Becoming, always.

We’re taught to treat life like a checklist. Go to school, get a job, fall in love, save for retirement. But what if that’s only one version of what it means to be here? What if there’s a deeper, more expansive way to experience your time on Earth—one that has nothing to do with status, and everything to do with presence?

This isn’t a spiritual sermon or a five-step productivity hack. It’s a shift in perspective. One that’s been waiting for you to remember.

Life vs. Existence

Here’s what most people skip: life and existence aren’t the same thing.

Life is what you experience on the surface. It’s the job title, the apartment lease, the playlist you put on while making dinner.

Existence is the undercurrent. It’s the essence of you before you were named. It’s the quiet force that kept moving even when you felt stuck. It’s the unseen story running through every life you’ve ever touched, whether you realized it or not.

Most of us live as if life is all there is. We plan, obsess, regret, and try to control everything. But existence doesn’t play by those rules. It’s less about doing, and more about being in motion. You are not a finished product. You are in the works. Still becoming.

Don’t Obsess About the Future

You’ve heard the phrase “the present is all we have,” but let’s be real: it’s hard not to stress about what’s next. I get it. But here's the thing:

The future doesn’t need your obsession. It doesn’t become real just because you overthink it. It will come on its terms, with or without your anxiety.

Planning is fine. Control is an illusion.

Instead of fixating on tomorrow, ask:

What am I radiating right now?

Is it love or fear? Trust or tension?

Because your real power isn’t in your to-do list. It’s in the energy you leave behind in a room. In the calm you carry. In the ripple you start just by showing up as your fullest self.

Becoming the Forest

Imagine your life is a single tree. You grow, branch out, bloom, maybe lose some leaves. You weather storms. But underground, you’re part of something much bigger—a forest network of lives and stories and wisdom, all connected.

That’s what existence is. You’re not just you. You’re a constellation of everyone you’ve impacted. Every boundary you’ve held. Every truth you’ve spoken. Even every kind thought you never said out loud.

You’re not separate. You’re part of a living, breathing ecosystem of becoming.

The Real Work

So what now?

• Master yourself first.
  Not in the self-help hustle way, but in the pause and listen to what you really feel way.

• Choose love over fear, again and again.
  Not the romanticized version, but the courage to stay open when it’s easier to shut down.

• Be intentional with your energy.
  Your thoughts create ripples. Your energy is your legacy.

You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be present, because this moment right here is a seed.

What will you plant?

You’re Already Becoming

You don’t have to become a guru or spend years meditating in a cave to live a meaningful life.

You just have to be willing to wake up. To live wide-eyed instead of sleepwalking. To ask better questions. To treat every breath like a chance to create something softer, freer, truer.

You are not just alive. You are becoming. And that becoming is already divine.

Acknowledgment: This article was inspired and shaped by the thoughtful influence of Daniel Scranton.