Who Do You Think You Are?

No, seriously, who do YOU think you are?

Photo by Alexei Maridashvili on Unsplash

It’s all too easy to worry about what others think of you. Hell, whole industries exist to address this.

Almost every single advertisement sells you on the idea that if you don’t buy this product or service, you won’t get laid, everyone will think less of you, you’ll miss out, and so on. Be the envy of your friends and family by buying “X” rather than the butt of the joke or the least among others.

It also doesn’t help that over the last decade or so, many people have become celebrities and influencers only because of how they go out of their way to make an impression on other people. Look at all the reality TV featuring horrid, obnoxious, self-absorbed examples of people.

It’s all too easy to lose sight of yourself when you feel as if you must compete. Except, truth be told, for the most part, we are not in competition.

True competition

Professional sports and athletics are competitions. Football games, races between runners, drivers, or jockeys on horses, spelling bees, numerous cooking shows on Food Network, and the like. These are all competitions.

Unless you’re participating in something of this nature, you are not in competition with anyone else. Yet social norms…