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“Today at least you are you, and that’s enough”

“Be yourself because life is too short to be anybody else”


I don’t remember where I first heard this quote but I do know that it has stuck with me ever since. I think deep down, we are all a little guilty of pointing some element of our life in a different direction to replicate the success of someone else. Whether it is as simple as the way we dress or something as extreme as our career path, it is an innate part of human nature. 

The difficult thing to realise is, what works for someone else may not always work for you. We see this all the time but it doesn’t always seem to sink in as part of a larger message. How many times have you found yourself scrolling through an online shop and have seen a model in a photograph wearing an outfit that looks fantastic? So you find the right size for you and add it to your cart. However when it finally gets delivered, it sits wrong on your body or the colour doesn’t match your skin tone. So now you are stuck with an outfit that looks ridiculous that you will continue to try on over and over again- just in case your body morphs into that of the model you first saw it on- and you are out of pocket the price of it! 

I personally am guilty of doing this over and over again, and it is only recently that I am pulling myself back and saying, think about how that would look on you. We so easily pull ourselves into the fantasy that if we dress like a model we might just look like one too. But the reality is, most average people are not models. Most do not have the body of super models and that is completely ok. With the rise of plus size clothing and the popularity of a healthy body image we are starting to communally feel more comfortable in the skin we are in. Yet on a subconscious level, we are still searching for that thing that might make us look better that we think we currently do. The fact of the matter is, sometimes clothes just don’t suit you! If these models tried on some of our clothes odds are they might look as weird and awkward as we do when we try on the clothes they look great in. This isn’t a reflection of our body image, it is a reflection of our understanding of our own body. 

I think this issue extends way past the realm of clothing. I find myself regularly comparing my successes to those of others. I bring myself down thinking about how many people have read Harry Potter, for example, and how few people have read the things I have put out into the world. So I adapt things I am working on to mimic popular works and overlook the fact that I could have just thrown away the worlds next great story in the pursuit of achievement similar to that of someone else. JK Rowling is a brilliant creative mind, I am obsessed with Harry Potter more than I could ever put into words but that doesn’t mean the stories I write have to be about a magical school. It is ok to write something completely new and completely different to what any one else has done because that is what makes the best stories. Similarly, it does not do to compare your level of success as someone starting out in an industry, or even someone who has been in it for a very long time to someone else. 

Sure other people are more successful than you, that is always going to be the case. Other people will look better that you in a bikini, that’s normal! What those people are not, is you! You are uniquely you and that is more than enough in this crazy world. We live in a society that is filled with rip offs and copy cats, in that world the best thing you can be is the very best version of yourself. 


It’s ok to work toward something, it’s healthy, and essential to helping you get where you need to be in life but it becomes unhealthy when your dreams start to emulate that of someone else who has already made it there. So take the advice of those who are where you want to be but remember that this is your story, your life, you have to get there your own way, make their advice your own and do what feels right for you. Or you will end up with a wardrobe full of regrets when your short stay on this earth finishes up. 

And always remember: “Today is going to be a good day and here’s why, because today at least you are you and that’s enough” - Dear Evan Hansen (Soundtrack) 

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