“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation” – Oscar Wilde
It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? So if you stop and reflect on what you are doing, what you are saying and what you are passionate about who or what are you mimicking and why? Are the thoughts you are expressing really yours?
To borrow the words of a Bruce Springsteen song intro “blind faith in your leaders or in anything will get you killed” (or at the very least damage your reputation!)
It does not mean that someone else’s opinion is not valuable, it does not mean their life is not worthy of mimicry or that their passion is not worth being passionate about.
What it does mean is that without deep reflection, and analysis about why you repeat someone else’s opinion, or why you mimic their behaviour, or why you are sold on their passion you may be selling yourself short, and being someone else instead of being yourself, and the best you could be.
Truly evaluating why you say, do or believe something might lead to a light bulb moment! It may lead you into a deeper conviction about what you do or say or it might lead you to a dawning realization that some things are or have been on autopilot, and really need some fresh thinking.
This process might lead to some fear, fear caused by the prospect of change….. but what is it that you are afraid of… being authentic?
Johnathon Field of Awake at the Wheel, provides some great insight in his post “The neutral fallacy: There is no sideways in life” where he says “you wanna be afraid, really afraid, take a look at what your life’ll look like not if you try and fail… but if you keep on keeping on for decades. That’s the real nightmare scenario for most people”
So what beliefs, opinions, actions etc are you holding on to without thinking about them? And for those willing to do the thinking what are the best tools you have found for helping you examine your thoughts/beliefs?