There’s something humbling—and oddly thrilling—about watching yourself become someone you never quite imagined… and yet deeply recognize. “I love who I am becoming” isn’t a declaration of arrival; it’s an appreciation of the messy, meaningful evolution midlife invites.
In earlier chapters of my life, I was driven by ambition, by urgency, by the illusion that success might deliver some permanent peace. But becoming isn’t about adding more. It’s about peeling back. It’s the slow grace of unbecoming who I thought I had to be so I could return to who I truly am.
I love who I’m becoming because I’m finally listening more than proving. I’m less concerned with being right and more curious about being real. It’s not about showing off – it’s about showing up! I’ve traded answers for questions, certainty for wonder, and status for stillness. I’m learning to let go of the script and trust the improvisation. At times, I’m not very good at this, but I feel like I’m getting better. You too?
Sure, there are days when I miss the old armor—the predictability, the metrics, the external applause. But what I’ve gained is softer and stronger: integrity, intuition, and a sense that my soul is steering now.
Midlife isn’t a crisis—it’s a chrysalis. A chance to become more inwardly aligned, more open-hearted, more spacious. I’m no longer building a life. I’m letting my presence radiate.
And that presence—flawed, forgiving, fiercely human—is someone I genuinely enjoy spending time with. I love my own company.
I love who I’m becoming not because I’m perfect, but because I’m finally paying attention to what matters. I’m asking better questions. I’m dancing with time instead of racing against it. I’m letting my soul lead the dance and my ego is having to learn how to go backwards in heels and have a sense of humor about it.
I’m becoming… me. I hope you are, too.
-Chip
P.S. I’m a little buzzed today as I’m in our MIDLIFE CHRYSALIS recording studio in Santa Fe most of the day interviewing three remarkable writers for three separate upcoming podcast episodes: Liz Gilbert, Martha Beck, and Anne Lamott, all of them MEA guest faculty members.