B is for Become, Becoming, and Buffy

Buds becoming flowers (Source)

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you BECOME by achieving your goals" ~ Henry David Thoreau 

I just discovered this quote while looking for material for the challenge and it really spoke to me. It's not an exaggeration to say that I've become a different person since I started blogging and writing regularly. The whole experience has enriched my life in ways that mean more than any monetary reward ever could, and I would never want to go back to who I was in the past. 

When I decided to do this challenge with favorite quotes I didn't intend to use more than one quote per letter or to include things like favorite lyrics or tv quotes, but when I set out to write this post it reminded me so much of one of my favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes that I couldn't help expanding the post a bit. 

I've mentioned before that I absolutely loved Buffy and it's the reason I fell in love with the mythology of vampires and wanted to write a vampire novel myself. So how does that fit in with this post? 

I think some of the best episodes of the series, and honestly some of the best episodes of tv I've ever seen, were the second season's final two hours, entitled Becoming Part 1 and Part 2. The episodes also have some of my favorite quotes, which both relate to the theme of this post. 

Whistler: The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.

Angelus: No weapons... no friends... no hope. Take all that away and what's left? 

Buffy: Me. 

That last one is one of the best "you go, girl" scenes that I've ever seen. :D 

Have you experienced defining moments or achieved goals that have helped you become who you are?