MENTAL HEALTH | LIFE LESSONS | SELF IMPROVEMENT
You Were Born an Original, Don’t Waste It
Instead, Become the Best Version of Yourself.
“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” Kurt Cobain
Once again slowly: “… is a waste of the person you are.” This part of the statement is incredibly important!
Worth to remember — write it down if necessary.
The Matter With the Original
I’ll get straight to the point: You will never be truly happy as a mere imitation of another person.
In 2021, a copy of the Mona Lisa painting fetched almost 3 million euros at an auction in Paris.
A decent price!
Compared with the original, however, no more than dust in the wind. Because that one is displayed in the Louvre with an insurance value that today would correspond to the amount of about 900 million dollars.
Basically, the original painting is priceless.
But how do these huge differences in value come about, even though the objects are so similar?
With the appropriate talent, it has always been possible to make imitations of a work of art. And this will also be possible in the future. Thus, the number of potential copies is limitless, even if they may differ in quality.
🤍 The original Mona Lisa exists only once.
🤍 Van Gogh’s The Starry Night exists only once.
🤍 Munch’s The Scream exists only once.
❤️ YOU exist only once.
“You’re Born an Original, Don’t Die a Copy.”
Wise words from best-selling author John Mason.
It may be tempting at first to take on the role of someone else.
💖 A person who is apparently more attractive. 💝 A person who is apparently more successful. 💕 A person who is apparently popular and loved.
It would be the easy way — or so it seems. And yet, this is an illusion.
Would it really make you happy if you were only loved because you imitated another person?
Wouldn’t you rather be loved authentically? For the person you really are?
And more importantly: Don’t you want to look in the mirror and see the real you?
As a living imitation, you will only ever strive for perfection. A goal that is doomed to failure from the start.
Because with time you will only move further and further away from yourself, but you will never come close to the original — just because it is the original.
And even the original, the person you admire so much that you would like to be like them, is always striving to be the best version of themselves.
So you can assume that your role model will also always evolve as a person. And thus, there’s nothing left to do but constantly chase that ideal.
This is exhausting and frustrating!
But you are already an original yourself and that is an incredible gift! Don’t throw it away, but cherish it.
Get clear about who you actually are, what your talents and dreams are, and which characteristics make YOU unique!
Learn to love yourself.
And then prove your love to yourself and do something good for yourself. Support your dreams and work on them. And reward yourself for your efforts.
Don’t die as a simple copy of another person, but leave your own legacy.
💬 Is there a famous person you particularly admire? And why?
💬 Have you ever wanted to be someone else?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
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