Came across this Judy Garland quote:
Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.
Do you wish you were like someone else? Does it spur you on to do better, or make you miserable and insecure?
undiscovered countries
I don’t wish I was like someone else but I am inspired by certain other writers. It definitely spurs me on to do better!
This is the good–and healthy–side to admiring someone else. But we can fall into the danger of constantly comparing ourselves to others. It’s a fine line to walk.
I wouldn’t dare try to be like someone else. I’m far enough away from “typical” that even trying to to fit another’s standards on a single subject hurts terribly. I’d be afraid to try more, as well as terribly frustrated with all the limits in the wrong places. Between the limits I couldn’t hope to reach and the limits I couldn’t bear to live within, being someone else would be a mess from start to finish. {lop-sided smile}
Anne Elizabeh Baldwin
Well put!
Definitely, seeing others’ success spurs me on to do better.
I’ve long since given up wanting what other people have, and as a result learned to appreciate what is mine all the more. But when I see someone doing well, I ask myself what they are doing that I could do too. If so, I use what suits me. If not, I’m happy for their success. I think the world can always use more people reaching their fullest potential–the first-rate versions of themselves.
Great quote, and one I haven’t seen before!
You’re at a good place, Kirsten. 🙂