...who will be like me?

“If I try to be like him, who will be like me?”

This is an old Jewish proverb that basically tells us to be ourselves and to stop trying to be someone else. I think if we follow these words of wisdom we’ll all be much happier for it.

Why do people put so much pressure on themselves? Why does that grass always look greener on the other side? Why is it that people who dislike change are always trying to change into something or someone else? How can you go out with someone for 2 years and then after the honeymoon you start bickering because you discover that the person you married is not the same as the person you dated?

Maybe it’s because we lack self-worth. Maybe we haven’t realized that even with all our warts we’re still very unique individuals and have something that no one else has. I’m not a fan of Kurt Cobain and I don’t much about him, but he’s credited with the following quote, “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”

As you try to become something you’re not, you are wasting all the gifts that God gave to you and you alone. Why do people hate the way they look? Isn’t there a saying that beauty is only skin deep? Why do we want to become what someone else deems as being beautiful? Who is the true judge of beauty? Is being thin beautiful? Whenever my mother saw someone thin she would always comment they were all skin and bones (literally translated from Italian). I like a little meat on the bone. Some of the prettiest women I’ve known have been a little on the so called plump side. Look at some of the famous paintings from the Renaissance and see if you can find any one under hundred and thirty pounds.

Question: What is the advice that you often hear given to someone who is concerned about how they’re going to appear or perform during a presentation?

Answer: BE YOURSELF!

If you’re well grounded, well rooted, and ooze confidence, why would you want to be like someone else? Don’t try to be like him otherwise we will lose YOU and everything that you have to offer.

Lao-Tzu said, “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”