WHO DO PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WANT TO BE?

The Person Issa Ibrahim Wants to Be:

I want to be more empathetic and compassionate.

I want to be more forgiving of others and myself.

I want to continue to shed the emptiness of earthly wants and desires.

I want to be more loving and patient with my partner.

I want to try to formulate a better relationship with my traumatized rescue cat Cray Cray.

I want to continue and do better to provide for my family.

The Person James Kerr Wants to Be:

Kind

considerate

empathetic all the time

patient

funny when appropriate

humble all the time

Wears deodorant all the time

The Person Kane Balser Wants to Be:

Happy and enjoying life

Hard Working towards my goals

Making people happy

Connecting with people

And achieving great things

The Person Fred Tenzer Wants to Be:

I want to be considerate of children, teenagers, and adults with physical disabilities, mental illness, and all other disabilities.

I want to have diversity in my circle of friends and thus, I want to include (1) people without disabilities and (2) people with physical disabilities, people with mental illness, and people with all other forms of disabilities among my friends.

I refuse to harm poor people and I refuse to make anyone poor.

I want to be enabled to afford to live in a neighborhood where someone is willing to be friends with me, that I have diversity in my circle of friends, as previously mentioned, and want my home to have at least one bedroom.

I want to live in a world where nothing that a person does (including answering the call of nature) is anything to be embarrassed about.

I want to be a good husband, father, and grandfather.

I want to be an activist and an advocate.

I want to create fully inclusive schools and to cause, encourage, and promote friendships between children and teenagers with disabilities and children and teenagers without disabilities, the same for adults, and to also create inter-generational friendships and friendships within one’s own age too.

I want to create a society where compassion is the foundation of this society and where it is not cool to tease a child, a teenager, or an adult with a disability.

The Person Greg Parnell Wants to Be:

Funny…because I always wanted to be like everyone else…Now I wouldn’t want to be anyone but who I am.

I am Funny – (at least I think so)

Compassionate

Kind

Intrepid – google it

Fearless

Inspiring

Supportive

Hopeful

Takes Personal Responsibility

Occasionally Fun to be around

The Person Robert Roberts Wants to Be:

I want to be a person who is able to reach everyone I try to help thru support groups I help run.

I wish I could sing, so I could enjoy Karaoke.

I would like to solve some of my health issues, so I can attend events like I used to.

The Person Eva Tortora Wants to Be:

organized

more loving

more open

more compassion

more creative

better cook!

better with social situations

more fun!!!!!

The Person Jenny Chan Wants to Be:

An artist

A better writer

Be a better cook

More friendly

More courageous

The Person Harvey Newman Wants to Be:

I want to be my evolving authentic self.

The Person Antonio Matta Wants to Be:

I want to be the fullest and most impeccable incarnation of the divine spark within me and continue to be a caregiver for humanity.

The Person Dan Frey Wants to Be:

Someone who always acts and talks from a place of Love rather than Fear

Someone who is always Joyful

The Person Hung Le Wants to Be:

A Role Model: Someone who exemplifies discipline, continuous learning, and the pursuit of diverse passions.
A Problem-Solver: A professional equipped to tackle challenges in legal, medical, and social contexts.
A Community Builder: Through peer-support initiatives and legal services, I foster resilience and empowerment.

Professional Development

Expand Impact: Use my legal, medical, and public health expertise to influence policy or systems that help marginalized communities.
Thought Leadership: Publish articles or speak on platforms about integrating law, healthcare, and peer support to address systemic challenges.

Personal Branding

Mission Statement: Develop a personal mission statement based on my guiding phrase. For example: “I strive to be a resourceful leader who inspires others to achieve their full potential by setting an example of service, continuous growth, and resilience.”
Networking: Align with organizations that reflect my multidisciplinary background to amplify my influence.

Mentorship

Inspire Others: Create workshops or mentorship programs in fields like peer support, professional development, or navigating complex career paths.
Lead by Example: Share stories of overcoming challenges, balancing diverse roles, and pursuing purpose-driven goals.

The Person Noelle Maria Pollet Wants to Be:

I am destined to become clear water, and I will flow wherever, and however, God decrees.

I will become ever more willing and able to allow God’s expression through me.

I will achieve this by continuing to divest myself of obstacles to love through using liberating breakthrough processes, spending time intimately connected to God, standing aside so Love flows through, and any other means that appear.

I will joyfully serve whoever God puts in my way, in whatever way I am Guided to.

I will be remembered as a woman who became clear water that helped cleanse this planet at a time it was necessary

The legacy I leave for my children, my grandchildren and all the children of Heaven on earth is my contribution to bringing Heaven to earth. And so it is… amen.

The Person Liza Beckerman Wants to Be:

Kind

Helpful

Financially independent so I can help my parents

No more anger or feeling like a victim

Disability advocate & peer

Using art therapy to help people

A great cook and host dinner parties

Fit and help others learn how to be healthy through weight training, swimming

Learn ballroom dancing

All around, I want to be happy and healthy and helpful!

The Person Christopher Huber Wants to Be:

Committed to seeking truth and justice in all matters

Learn how to play an instrument and share ideas through creative expression (songwriting?)

Become a doctor (not a medical doctor though)

Become a professor at a university

Start a non-profit agency to help peers accomplish their goals

Learn how to live well and develop a lifestyle that I don’t have to cope from

Initiate innovative mental health research that focuses on solving root causes

Highlight the reality of circumstances that some people don’t want to talk about

Meet my dream girl somewhere convenient and develop a plan together to change the world for the better

Learn how to focus on my own health, wellbeing, and priorities rather than always devoting my energy to helping others

Eliminate ancillary responsibilities that are not serving my personal interests or values

Become someone that I am proud to be

Become a leader of an accredited Clubhouse in the state of Illinois (we don’t have one!), which may require me to just start one with other colleagues

Become a published author

Become a musical sensation

Become famous enough to be invited to VIP events across the globe

Do something useful with my existing written content (mostly journals about life and the dreams I have had)

Learn how to paint so I can recreate visions from my dreams and share them with others

Finish writing the mental health counseling and rehabilitation script(s) I started (school assignment) and consider if I could turn them into a play or movie

Continue striving to be a minimalist and reduce physical and psychological clutter in my life

Further develop the concept of Financial Trauma and write a book about it

Solve riddles that Batman would be proud of

Become my own version of Joker and share truth through comedy

Become an atypical hero in the lives of the downtrodden

Fix the state’s dysfunctional systems of care and rampant corruption

Create a life that people strive to emulate

Become a galactic explorer and develop a cool uniform for the job

Learn how to “make time” because I don’t have enough to accomplish all these goals

The Person Lashanda Woods Wants to Be:

I would like to be a Humanitarian

I would like to be a person who is spoken about long after I’m gone

I want to be a better listener

I want to be less critical of myself and others

I want to be a better wife

I want to be a better provider

I want to be better financially

I want to be a happier

The Person Frank Qu Wants to Be:

able to cook the best mashed potatoes

Cured of mental illness and stigma

able to provide hope for the hopeless

able to tell my story

Creative

a good family man

empathetic

a kind person

addiction free

able to be understood by people

Able to invent new things

able to heal from trauma

forgiven for mistakes

a humorous person

a high IQ man

Optimistic

Caring

Alive

Liked

Craig R. Bayer is content being himself, but he tries to emulate:

MLK

JFK

Shimon Peres

All his favorite writers, including Hemingway and DH Lawrence

Kurt Sass Wants to be a Person:

Who is a blessing to others.

Who doesn’t gossip and only speaks good of others.

Who makes mistakes. But forgives himself.

Has compassion and forgives others.

Enjoys life even while going through problems.

Protects his peace.

Enjoys his journey.

Appreciates life.

Let’s his emotions subside before he decides.

Let’s his son be his teacher.

Avoids social media.

Knows he has the right not to voice his opinion.

Has spiritual maturity.

The Person Max Guttman Aspires to Be:

I strive to be a person who embodies empathy and intellectual curiosity, fostering connections that challenge assumptions and deepen understanding.

I aim to cultivate forgiveness—both for myself and others—by embracing imperfection as an essential part of growth and progress.

I seek to transcend the distractions of external validation, focusing instead on meaningful contributions to the mental health field and beyond.

I aspire to lead with patience and humility, recognizing that effective leadership emerges from collaboration and mutual respect.

I am committed to refining my creative and academic voice, shaping narratives that inspire critical thinking and drive innovation.

I endeavor to balance the demands of professional responsibility with personal reflection, creating a life that is both impactful and deeply fulfilling.

I aspire to cultivate a life marked by equilibrium, balancing the demands of leadership and advocacy with personal fulfillment and well-being.

I dedicate myself to being a transformative force, uplifting my community and contributing meaningfully to the discourse surrounding mental health and recovery.

I aspire to be a steadfast advocate for change, challenging systemic barriers and advancing equity and dignity for all.

The Person Michelle Hammer Wants to Be:

I just want to be me

Charles Feldman Wants to Be:

making progress in my spiritual path

content with not analyzing things all the time

relying on meaningful faith rather than persistent doubt

more sure of my direction in life

more confident in myself and not trying to always please others

more in a state of contentment and equanimity

more relaxed

more able to pay attention to what is important to me instead of endless distractions

all-embracing

devoted to God and attaining liberation

able to pay more attention to what is going on in the moment without losing sight of where I am going

Peter Murphy Wants to Be:

someone who is flexible, but fair.

Finding purpose without excessive attachment.

Staying true to myself and being kind to others.

Seeking connection over fear while also finding peace in solitude.

Finding balance between work, relationships, and personal time.

Not asking a lot, but being treated fairly for what I contribute.

Faithful in a higher power

Connected to nature, good food, & adequate rest

Curious about the world

With a healthy sense of gratitude

Beka Kavtaradze Wants to Be:

I want to be someone with the lovingness of a dog, offering unconditional support and warmth to everyone I meet.
I also want the confidence of a cat, knowing my worth and never settling for less than I deserve.