Be You

We spend a lot of our time comparing ourselves to others, how they dress, what gadgets they have, how good looking they are etc. We can’t help but notice how well they are all doing. These thoughts frequently flood our minds: “She has so many followers.” “Why does his work get so much attention?” “Why can’t I be like them?”

Comparing yourself to others will not help you get further in life or with your skills. It only creates envy and jealousy.

When you constantly compare yourself to others, you will try imitating your way to success. “It worked for them, why wouldn’t it work for me?” I hate to break it to you but you can’t replicate your way to success, nor should you try to. Stop trying to be another version of someone else. Become a better version of yourself instead.

Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.

Judy Garland

And the only way you can do this is by CHOOSING YOURSELF!

What does it mean to choose yourself? It means following what James Altucher calls the “daily practice”, which is being physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy.

When most people think of being healthy, they only think of physical health. But physical health is not enough. Every part of you must work in conjuction to be truly healthy.

When you follow the daily practice, your best self will shine through. Things will start coming together in mysterious ways. Your body will feel great, you will have strong relationships, your mind will work better than ever, and you will be at peace with your life.

When you choose yourself and stop trying to be like everyone else, you become a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of someone else.

The ancient Greek storyteller Aesop is credited with crafting scores of tales with valuable moral lessons. Many of them still resonate today, including the following tales about being yourself.

• The Jackdaw and the Doves. A jackdaw paints his feathers white because he likes the looks of the doves’ food. But they catch on to him and chase him away. When he goes back to eat with the other jackdaws, they don’t recognize his white feathers, so they, too, chase him away. Guess who ends up hungry!

• The Eagle and the Jackdaw. A jackdaw, envious of the eagle, tries to behave like one. But without the eagle’s skills, he gets himself into a sticky situation and ends up as a pet for children, his wings clipped.

• The Raven and the Swan. A raven who wants to be as beautiful as a swan becomes so obsessed with cleansing his feathers that he moves away from his food source and starves to death. Oh, and his feathers stay black.

• The Ass and the Grasshopper. This story is similar to “The Raven and the Swan.” A donkey, hearing some grasshoppers chirping, jumps to the conclusion that their voices must be a result of their diet. He resolves to eat nothing but dew, and consequently starves.