Have you ever wondered how you would like to be remembered when you are no longer here? Do you think you will be remembered by your impactful work? Or, do you hope to be remembered by your character and your actions?
As we grow up, we spend a lot of time and energy attempting to figure out how exactly we fit into the world. A large part of our personalities is shaped around the need to conform and to form bonds with the people around us. This quality of trying to ‘fit in’ is human nature, and it can be quite important in the process of building social relationships. For example, no matter where we are born, we are required to learn the local language in order to communicate effectively with the people around us. This simple act of learning a common language is evidence of the importance of conformity and compromise.
We spend a large part of our adolescence attempting to fit in. We follow trends, mimic others and even suppress parts of ourselves just so we can blend in with everyone else. Then, when we grow up, we realise that ‘fitting in’ is one of the least important parts of life. In fact, becoming a person who is just like everyone else might be a curse rather than a gift.
After all, how would you feel if you found that when you are gone, your name and legacy will simply blend in with that of everyone else?
Your identity is like a key. It is extremely unique and made specially to unlock a very specific door. This door is your purpose. The path that leads to our respective doors can be lonely and confusing, but if we change who we are before we arrive at our destination, then we will reach a locked door that can never be opened again. When we lose our identity, we lose our ability to find a purpose and a place in life, as it will become infinitely more difficult for us to decide what we want when we do not even know who we are. Similarly if more than one key has the same shape, then the door itself loses its value.
Coco Chanel once said that “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”
These words are a reminder that the act of being different begins when we accept ourselves for who we are, even when we do not mesh perfectly well with everyone else. The only form of change that must occur in our character should be growth, which is natural.
Somewhere deep inside us, we all have dreams of change and hopes for making an impact that will remain on earth long after our own lives. The magnitude of such aspirations means that there is very little room for us to focus on changing ourselves to fit in. We all wish to be remembered by our personalities and our actions. Most importantly, we want to be remembered as individual human beings who are unique.
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