No One Can Do It Better Than You

by | Nov 11, 2015 | Throwback | 14 comments

Okay.  Here we go.
Do you ever feel like everyone is competing for everything?  Everything has to be something.  Nothing can ever just…be.
Hold on, I don’t think I’m making any sense.  Let me back up.
I took my Fitbit off.  I love the thing, don’t get me wrong.  But at least right now, things can’t be a competition.  I’m hurt.  My foot needs to heal.  And the only things the Fitbit was doing was 1) reminding me that I wasn’t measuring up to others and 2) showcasing how much I’m really on my feet during the work week.  Neither were making me feel very good about myself.  So I took it off.
I withdrew from the competition.
That’s just one very obvious example, but bear with me here.  I might be the only one who feels this way, but lately I’ve just gotten the sense that so many people are trying too hard.
There’s a big difference between working hard and trying too hard.  I’m all for working hard.  But when you’re working hard, you usually have a central mission.  You know who you are, what you want, what your end game is.  But when you’re trying too hard?  Well, that’s a different story.
Stop being afraid to just be yourself.  Stop trying so hard to find an angle that makes you different.  Not to sound cliche, but you’re the only you out there.  Just be yourself, and that alone makes you different.  That alone sets you apart.  And no one can do that, be you, better than you can.  You might have similarities to others, awesome!  Great!  We all love finding people who are like us. But you don’t need to stand on your head or fart fire (please don’t fart fire) to get the world to pay attention to you.
The right people will find you, and they’ll stay because quite simply, they like you.  You don’t have to be better than anyone else.  And no one else has to be better than you.
I’ve felt paralyzed a little bit this week.  I’ve stared at a blank blogger screen over and over, willing the words to come, but they wouldn’t.  That isn’t like me.  I love writing.  I love blogging.  But when I’m not saying what’s on my mind, what’s on my heart, the words stop in my throat.  Because what’s the point then?  And that’s when I realized why the words wouldn’t come.  Because whatever I wrote wouldn’t have been real.
What happened to real life?  What happened to commiserating over our likenesses instead of competing over them?
I’m not going to tell you what to do.  That’s not my place.  But if I can, let me encourage you to take the pressure off.  Let yourself be authentic.  Find your voice and use it.
Okay.  So there it is.
Real life, people.
Real life.

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14 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness, I love this so much! We live in a time that everything has to be a competition and it is becoming increasingly difficult to just be yourself. There are so many pressures and it's frustrating.

    Reply
  2. Amen, gush! All the unncessary competition and trying so hard to be like others is something that I try so hard to stay away from. It might mean that I'm not getting SO much attention in everything I do, but I'd rather it be that way than ever come across as trying too hard.

    Take it easy on that foot!! xo

    Reply
  3. That's why I quit Facebook! I'm so much happier without it. Even though I never posted anything or really participated, just seeing a stream of people competing was very disheartening. When it comes to competing I just think, I'm the best at being me! And that's all that matters.

    P.S. I'm all for real life in blogging. Anything else just doesn't interest me.

    Reply
  4. All the hand raise emojis here! I love how real you are on here and I love reading these posts from you because they always have me giddy saying "ME TOO! ME TOO! I think that too!" xo, Champagne&Suburbs

    Reply
  5. You have knocked it out of the park again girl!!! Just in this past week I have had conversations with different people about this. People just need to keep it real and just be themselves. Oh and not worry about what other people think or what they're doing. I'm just getting too old to care haha. Sorry about your foot too, I hope that you feel better soon. I also hope that you are having a great week!! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Love this! I was actually thinking about this very topic just the other night. It seems like people are always trying to compete with one another instead of just living life and enjoying being themselves. I can remember in high school constantly worrying about what others thought of me and whether or not I was living up to their "standards", and that is no way to live. Thankfully I've slowly learned to just be me and if people don't like the real me, then it's just as well. As a blogger and a person, these are the posts I love to read. Because they are real and you can tell it comes from the heart. Great post!

    Reply
  7. Ugh, this is so true. Sometimes the constant competition (conscious or not) is so darn draining. I love those honest conversations where I can just unload, without feeling like someone's trying to one-up me. Love this post, as always!

    xoxo
    Kat

    Reply
  8. This is so true, because waaaaay too often the competition stems straight from caring way too much about what other people thing.

    Reply
  9. I agree with you, I feel like there are so many people out there competing against each other and not even realizing it. I dont understand what is wrong with just real life? I like real life. Every time I open instagram I see staged photos. They all look the damn same. A vase of flowers on a table with items set just so. So boring. Then I open blogger and see post after post about what I am doing wrong on social media, what this person is trying to offer to make money, I just want to read something. Anything. lol

    Reply
  10. Ah yes. I so feel like that sometimes in this blogging world. Instead of building each other up we're busy competing. And it's all not real. It's all staged. I love that you keep it real on here girl!

    Reply
  11. ….wait…you're totally talking about blogging, IG, FB, Snapchat, Twitter…and everything else that we can filter in order to alter how the world sees us. Right? 🙂

    Could not agree with you more, friend! Well said.

    Reply
  12. I could not love this post more! Good for you for taking off your fitbit and for not blogging just because. I always feel I'm not adequate enough because my pictures aren't 100% crisp or staged perfectly. But who cares? I don't have the time to stage or edit pictures, and I'd rather come off as me and not something I'm not. *hugs* gurlie and keep doing your thing 🙂

    Reply
  13. Agreed. Competition is a huge component at my job and it constantly has me on my toes. I think it helps drive me. However, I'm also a hardworker so mostly it is me being me. Life outside of work is a challenge though. I constantly compare myself to others. With age comes wisdom, right?

    Reply
  14. wonderfully said girl. a little competition is healthy, but when everything – even the smallest things – start to feel like a competition, it's so draining. i laughed so hard at farting fire.

    Reply

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