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The Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Mother Teresa… They were/are amazing people. However, not everyone in the world can be a Dalai or Mother Teresa. Some of us are set to play a different role on the stage of life.
I’ve been trying to become a better person, a more enlightened person and a happier person. I read and learn and try different things to make all of that happen. Unfortunately, I fell into a pit some time back that many others fall into. Luckily, I realized what happened, and I climbed out without being too much worse for wear.
You see, I was looking at these amazing, uplifting people, and I was trying to be them. They were happy and inspiring and incredible, and I wanted that kind of peace and joy and influence in my own life. So I tried to live the way that those kind of people live. Now, on the surface that sounds like a great thing, but there’s a catch. I can’t be them, because I’m me.
We’re not all cut out to be pacifists or vegans or world leaders or spiritual leaders. We’re not all meant to follow the same path. That’s not a bad thing. We all have our part to play, and we can still be amazing. We can’t play someone else’s role. We shouldn’t try to be a second-rate copy of someone else when we could be a first-rate version of ourselves. You can try to learn from and gain knowledge from others, but you still need to be yourself.
In trying to be what I perceived as better, I covered up and ignored parts of myself. The Dalai wouldn’t decorate with skulls! Mother Teresa wouldn’t swear! Gandhi wouldn’t approve of True Blood! But the thing is, I’m not them and they’re not me. I can be who I am and still be amazing. Being me is what has made me as amazing as I am today, so why ruin a good thing?
So I took a step back to find myself again. I was already someone wonderful and amazing. I don’t need to be a different person to be a good one. I just need to be the best of me. I can fix my flaws without changing the core of who I am. Just coming to that realization makes me so much happier, and I see good things coming in the future.
The overall lesson here is that you need to be who you are. Be an individual. Don’t try to be a clone of anyone else. Learn from others, but always be yourself. You were designed to be wonderful, you just have to find everything about yourself that is beautiful and amazing and worthy. Just as it’s a bad idea to try to become just like a negative influence (like a celebrity or rock star) you shouldn’t try to become just like anyone. Be yourself, think for yourself, always try to be your best, and you’ll be a happier, better person in the end.
