Fearlessly Be Yourself...

There is only one you for all time, fearlessly be yourself. ~Anthony Rapp

April Meservy, a super and amazing singer/songwriter posted that quote on Facebook today. I love it. I absolutely adore it. I want to apply it to my life and hold tight to it for all eternity. I want to share it with the world. I want to live it. It is my new life motto.

Now, let us dive into it. How many of us live our lives with the intention of "being unique, just like everyone else"? Why? Why do we pressure ourselves into thinking that we are inferior to another unless we are just like them? Aren't we created to be individuals? Aren't we blessed with unique qualities that no one else can ever possess?

Of course we are. That is exactly what makes the world go round.

One of my favorite stories of all time is one that my dear friend shared with me. My paraphrased version goes something like this:

Suzy was a simple, yet beautiful girl. She was very talented, very smart, very happy and inspiring. But Suzy wanted to be just like Bessie. Suzy tried her best to always mimic Bessie: she talked like her, she dressed like her, she walked like her, she ate like her, she wrote like her, she did her hair like her, she wanted to be her. Bessie wanted to be like Sally: she talked like her, she dressed like her, she walked like her and so on and so forth. Well, Sally wanted to be just like Mary. And Mary wanted to be just like Lucy. But, Lucy wanted to be just like Darla and Darla wanted to be just like Nancy. Everyone wanted to be just like everyone else, copying them, mimicking them, watching them following them. It was a nearly invisible chain effect.

One day, Suzy discovered this chain by accident. She had talked to all the girls and through conversation, they all revealed who they wanted to be like. She was thinking of the enormity of this discovery when she overheard a conversation between Nancy and a friend. The friend asked, "Of all the girls around, who do YOU want to be most like?" Nancy simply replied, "Oh, that's easy. I'd love nothing more than to be like Suzy."

It's only been a year or so since I was told this story. It was told in such a rushed way that there was no time to contemplate it immediately. But in the months since, I have given it MUCH thought and MUCH notice. It holds such strong meanings that it has completely changed my self-image. Here are the truths I have discovered within the story:

1. Be careful of what you say and what you do. You never, EVER know who might be watching you, searching for something they want to become. There is always someone looking to you to be their leader. Choose wisely.

2. We are ALL trying to become someone else when in all actuality, it will always lead us back to becoming ourselves. So just be yourself to begin with. Never fall prey to the thought that you could be better if you were someone else. As the genie on the Disney movie "Aladdin" says: Beeeeeeeeeeeee yourself!