Do Not Imitate

Categories: Blog Feb 14, 2016

All too often we try to imitate those whom we want to be like. We see people do things or become things and we imitate what they do or try to become who they are. There is nothing wrong with trying to achieve something great or become someone better than you are, if what you are doing is true to who you are and what you were meant to become. But, there is nothing right about trying to copy what someone else is doing or mimicking their lives in order to become like them. What I mean is we should learn from others, but not try to become others.

There is only one you and no one can be you quite as good as you can. Likewise, there is only one Lebron James, only one Peyton Manning, only one Michael Phelps. To imitate them, in order to become like them would lead to a type of death because you simply can't be someone else. You would always fall short of the measure you are using if your measure is imitation.

You know this is true; no one else has your fingerprints or your DNA, and you have no one else's. That means no one else has your story and you cannot have anyone else's story either.
Your story is meant for you to write just like Einstein's story was meant for him. To imitate another in order to live any other story that is not your own would be to not live the life that is meant for you. Again, it would be a type of death, a tragedy.

Who do you want to be? What do you want to become? How do you want to move? How strong do you want to be? How smart do you want to be? All of these things are meant for you to discover and optimize. You are the originator, not the imitator, of your life.

If this is confusing, let me say this quite simply: If your goal is to be like someone else, you will become imprisoned by demands you cannot meat and you will fail. If however, your intent is to maximize and optimize the potential of who you are, you will find freedom and life.

How do you optimize your own potential and write your own story? You incorporate the lessons from others into your life, abilities and talents, but you don't imitate others. For example, don't try to run like Usain Bolt, but understand his ways. How does he train? What does his work ethic look like? Can you learn from his habits and improve the way you run? Can you run faster than Bolt? Someone can. Is it you?

In another overly simple example, there are several ways to get stronger. If I were to imitate the way Arnold Schwarzenegger trained in the 70's, if I were to follow his routine's and methods to a "T", I would break myself. I would be miserable, depressed and injured. If on the other hand, I learned how he used imagery to "see" the body he wanted to build, and if I learned that he was just as adamant about recovery time as he was about training time, I might be able to glean some knowledge that could help me optimize my own strength. Does this make sense?

It is like the story of Highlander: There can only be one....Don't imprison yourself with unrealistic expectations of being like someone else. Don't try to move like someone else. Don't try to copy their 12 steps to success. Don't eat the same foods I eat. Write your own story. Be the best you - because no one else can. Learn from, adapt, weed out, and grow from the lives of others and allow others to learn from, adapt, weed out and grow from the life that you live.

Be Original. Move the World.

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