When I first started to think of how I wanted to write this post, the words "sum of it's parts" came to mind. I did some quick googling to see what it really meant and if it conveyed the essence of what I was trying to get across. I realize now that the full phrase is "greater than the sum of its parts!" The power of this statement really shook me. It is a bit layered. We often see our strengths and weaknesses (the parts that make us who we are). When we look at our weaknesses in isolation, we can feel defeated. On the other hand, if we look at our strengths only, we get a false sense of worth. The reality is we are even greater than the sum of all that makes us who we are. Can we just sit with that for a moment! I am notorious for nitpicking my flaws. I never sit and think that it is those very flaws that make me who I am. The flaw in isolation is noxious and bitter. But when combined with the rest of me, it adds something unique. My strengths blend it out. I have grappled a lot this year with what I want 2020 to be. How I want to embrace this new decade. I want to embrace it as a whole me. Not some fractured version of myself always focusing on the parts that make up who I am. I want to be like a master chef perfecting the recipe of who I am. The ingredients of who I am will not change. However, I can refine the measurements a bit. A little less cynicism, worry, fear, and self doubt. We possess greatness. The tragedy is that some people never can truly see this in themselves. I refuse to be one of those people. I am greater than the sum of my parts.