Learn From Others, But Be Yourself!
Published on November 19, 2019
Published on Wealthy Affiliate — a platform for building real online businesses with modern training and AI.
There is a tendency in the online world for people to find a successful personality, and then try to duplicate it. This, in my opinion, is a mistake.
Certainly we can learn from other people, but when you are trying to copy their style and their voice into your own work (or just copying their work), that is taking things too far.
Each of us has different talents and gifts that we bring into the world. And, I have found that to be truly successful, you need to make use of what makes you uniquely you and run with it.
When it comes to learning a new skill, it helps to learn the basics from an experienced teacher and get good at practicing the basics and doing the basics. After that, more advanced training can be had, right along with the process of practicing what we learn and implementing it...but each in our own way.
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We take things too far when we do more than just learn from other people. When we seek to duplicate their style, their work, their personality...we are then stealing in my opinion, not learning.
An example of this might be one of my favorite comedians Steven Wright. I love his comedy style and jokes, and I share some of his jokes with proper attribution. But I never try to BE Steven Wright. That would be seeking to rob him of his unique style and it would be robbing me of my unique personhood as well but not using it. Plus, I'm sure it would create other problems as well. You see, my family thinks I'm strange enough as it is. :-)
So, in learning new skills, I encourage you to learn the basics of your craft and implement what you learn, but in your own way not anothers. Also learn the more advanced lessons and implement them. Again in your own way; finding your own unique voice and style.
Be the best possible YOU you can be in the world. And when you get good at being you and offering value to others, you should go far. But never try to be somebody else. Then you trade in your own uniqueness to be just another cheap knock off. Don't under value yourself like that.
Just My Thoughts,
Ralph
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