I know I’m awesome. And humble. And consistent – sometimes.
But no matter how brilliant I may be, you don’t have to be like me.
It’s Just Like…
We like to compare ourselves to others. It’s just what we do. It’s how we make sure we’re on the right track. Are we as well off as Sue? Are we as happy as Joe? Why does everyone love Bree so much? What’s wrong with me?
We can’t seem to help ourselves. Comparison is part of our lives. “He looks just like Brad Pitt.” “That new coffee shop is awesome. It’s just like Starbucks.” “The prices here are too high. It reminds me of that snooty store we went to in Topeka.” (Are there snooty stores in Topeka? Are there stores in Topeka? I’ve never been.)
No matter what it is, we use what we know as a basis for the way things should be. After all, it makes it easy to communicate. It’s much easier to say “He reminds me of that guy my sister dated” instead of “he’s conceited, but in a way that seems charismatic until you get to know him, but then you wonder if he simply has some personality disorder like narcissism.”
Maybe It Shouldn’t Be Like…
But there’s a certain point we need to stop. There’s a point at which the comparisons become detrimental to our mental health.
I’m a very driven person. This post is somewhere around my 900th. I write every day. I have written 3 books. I do a ton of other stuff. It works for me. It keeps me on track for what I want to accomplish in life.
I do believe everyone should think about what they want in life and set a course to get there. But your course won’t look like my course. It may not be as driven or it may be more driven. We shouldn’t be defined by how driven we are to succeed. Nor do we have to be. We are all different and contribute different things.
One person may be good at schedules, another may be good at planning, another may be good at connecting with and inspiring people. Each one could add a huge amount to any project, even if that project is scheduling a picnic or an event for people to hang out and enjoy themselves. We all can bring our own magic to the world as a whole, much better than we can when we are trying to be someone else.
It’s Okay to Be Like…
It’s okay to be like you are. It’s okay to be who you are. You need to determine what you want your life to look like. You need to do what you need to do to make that happen. But what that is and how you do it – that’s up to you.
You don’t have to be like me (aren’t you lucky!) You don’t have to be like anyone. You simply have to be you. Whatever that is, be the best you that you can be. We could all be the same, but the world will be much more interesting and rewarding if we were all who we really are.
