I Want To Be Like Them - Grasshopper

Much of advertising is built on a pretty simple idea:
You’re not enough.

Look at the guy with the perfectly chiseled body demonstrating the latest exercise doohickey.

Or the beautiful actress showing you her glowing skin in a makeup commercial.

The message is subtle, but it’s there:

You could be like them.

And if you buy this . . . or use that . . . or change this one thing about yourself . . . maybe you will.

But there’s something underneath that message that’s even more interesting.

It’s not just that you want to be like them.

It’s that, somewhere along the way, you decided you don’t really want to be you.

But who is this “you” you don’t want to be?

Well, take a closer look.

It’s probably not the real you.

It’s the you you’ve created in your head.

The you who isn’t attractive enough.
Successful enough.
Smart enough.
Interesting enough.
Good enough.

In other words, you’ve come to believe that you are your thoughts about you.

But are you?

Think about it.

Your thoughts are largely a script that was written a long time ago.

Some of it came from your parents.
Some from teachers.
Some from friends.
Some from experiences that didn’t go the way you wanted them to.

And you’ve been reading from that script for years.

Then, every time the story reaches the same conclusion—I’m not enough – you believe it.

So you go looking for somebody else to be.

Anybody but me.

And that’s where the irony comes in.

Because when you quiet all of that mental chatter – even for a little while – you may discover something very different.

There’s a you underneath all those thoughts.

A you that doesn’t need to compare itself to anybody.

A you that doesn’t need to be more attractive, more successful, smarter, younger, richer, or more interesting.

A you that doesn’t need to be them.

It just gets to be you.

So how do you make that transition?

Quiet your mind.

Find a way to step away from your thoughts, even if it’s only for a moment or two.

Meditation can help.

So can taking a walk without your phone, sitting quietly, listening to music, spending time in nature – whatever gives your mind a chance to stop talking long enough for you to notice what’s underneath all that noise.

Because in that quiet space, you may discover something you’ve been looking for everywhere else.

You.

And when you find that you . . . you may discover you don’t want to be anybody else.

You just want to be you.

And maybe that’s the real secret:

Not one of them is as good at being you as you are.

All the best,