On Authenticity - A Little Light No. 20
There’s a fine line between inspiration and imitation.
I look at the people in places where I want to be with a tiny bit of envy.
Wishing I could be there
But I know that some of those spaces require growth for me to reach
Most people took years to get where they are
How can I expect something overnight
Rome wasn’t built in a day
And instant gratification isn’t long-lasting
I had a realization the other day as I was looking through Instagram for something work-related. I started to find small businesses and bloggers in Philly promoting their work. Realistically, most of these people and their businesses started from just an idea. With time and dedication, the idea blossomed into something bigger than themselves. It reminded me of the times where I thought here, with this blog and newsletter, “why would I start this if someone else is already doing and doing it well?” I thought, “but what will people think?”, “Would they assume I’m trying to be someone I’m not?” “Who am I actually?” A spiral of "what am I doing with my life????" quickly arrived, holding hands with the comparison game.
I once heard a quick video saying, “What if the market is saturated?… well the market doesn't have a you!” We’re all unique and bring personal experience to every single thing that we do. I believe half of the people who have an idea are too afraid to do it, worried about what others would think. You’re one step ahead by starting.
Even if I fail, I won by trying.
When I start down the habit hole of “What if…” I can’t even pinpoint who or what specifically I'm comparing myself to. It’s more of an “ideal person”, the “it girl” who does it all and looks good while doing it. It’s a persona I’ve clipped together of a variety of people from images I see on social media where people are modeling their lives off the average lifestyle influencer. Everyone is starting to look the same. Where everything has to be curated and edited. Sometimes I find myself slipping, trying to emulate what I see, framing it as inspiration. My unique creativity is lost if I directly replicate everything that I see. I struggle with this fine line between inspiration and imitation, and this is not the first time I've written about it.
I can’t compare myself to the crowd if that's not where I belong.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to show up as my most authentic self in everything that I do. Simple enough, right? But it means taking the leap to do things that might not be popular or trendy and not comparing myself to others. I’m still learning and that's why we are here together.
Take this with you:
Let’s stop the action of copy & paste. What does your most authentic self look like? What do you do for fun? How do you celebrate? How do you show love? What does your ideal Sunday look like?
Comment below if you have any thoughts or any answers to the questions I've asked. Please share with a friend! If you aren’t already subscribed to receive this message in your email, you can do so using this link!