The Odyssey Online: Why Being You Rocks

"How often have you seen the same “successful” person in the news 100+ times? They’re in Time magazine on the list of the most influential/beautiful/cool people. They’re the “rockstar,” bestselling/best-winning/best-dressed. Wherever they go, they’re relentlessly pushed through the camera-wielding paparazzi. They’re on Facebook with 2.5 million+ fans even though they never update their page — it seems like they even have a fan page for their dog that has more friends than you do. They always tweet about the most mundane, lame things (e.g., “I’m off to Hawaii for the third time. Hoping 2 catch a nice wave…“). And try as you might, you can’t delete them from your mind. Everywhere you turn, they’re there, packaged and sold as the embodiment of “success.” It gets annoying. It gets old. “How can I ever become that successful?” you ask, looking at your life that consists of a nine-to-five churn, bills that (like money-hungry vampires) suck the life out of your paycheck, and a future that is as yet: unknown.

So how do you achieve your full potential if when you think of success you’re constantly haunted by that pervasive “rockstar”?

At one point in my life, I was stuck in the mad pursuit of “success,” pushing to become someone I wasn’t. I obsessed about the definition of success for others, rather than defining it for myself. But something happened that changed everything: While driving on a road trip, I had a conversation with someone about my goals, and who I wanted to become. And I’ll be forever grateful that they had the courage to challenge all of it. All of it. They told me to stop trying to be someone else, and to be myself. For years, I had obsessed over imitating “successful” people rather than innovating my own life. As soon as I shifted my focus to becoming the best version of myself, I was able to level up my life in a dramatic way.

Here’s what I’ve learned: Stop comparing yourself to others, because Being You Rocks.

You have infinite potential and you are more powerful than you can possibly imagine. No one has ever lived who’s like you. You have superior gifts and talents that can change peoples’ lives, and maybe even change the world. With humble confidence you will make the difference, since you know the best is yet to come, and that great things come to those who work.

If you believe that life is more than nine to five, and that your faith, family and friends are your core, you won’t be as interested in being the smartest or most famous person in the room, instead you will become the most inspired with a powerful vision, focused on touching peoples’ lives. Don’t ever think less of yourself, just think less about yourself and more about powering others around you. If you choose to make your mark in the universe, you’ll see life itself is your platform."

*I think learning to not compare yourself is a process that each of us has to go through on our own. It's so hard to not compare yourself to those around us, especially with social media being a part of our everyday lives. Everything always looks better online because we only see everyone's good parts of their lives. I want you all to remember that everyone has weaknesses and bad days. Money and fame doesn't make a person's life better. No matter the color of someone's skin, the size of their body, how much money they have, or their home life, people will always have a struggle. We never know what goes on behind closed doors, so it's important to be kind and to remember everyone is struggling. We are each our own person, so don't compare yourself to others. Smile a little bigger and remember that you are always unique!*

#Individuality #EveryoneStruggles #MentalHealth

Do you struggle with comparing yourself to others? What are some coping skills you use to help keep things in perspective?

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