Imitators...Let's Chat!
We all have seen it and heard it, right! The imitator, the copycat, the plagiarist, and the story goes on! I can remember being in grade school and seeing some of my classmates receive zeros for cheating & copying the work of others. Fast forwarding to now, as a college instructor, I’ve unfortunately had to give out a few zeros to students for plagiarism/completely stealing the work of someone else. I often speak to creators & innovators, but this my friends is for those who struggle to do the deep work of creating and being you. 😉
Firstly, if you wait 2 weeks—or 2 years...imitating others is never a good look. Granted, being inspired and motivated by someone is totally acceptable—and a different topic! However, duplicating and mimicking others is not ok. It’s not integral...and it just isn’t classy. And it’s also not God’s plan for you! 💕
And here’s the thing: It’s not a secret. It’s pretty visible. And it’s just not how you want to go down in history. You have greatness; thus, do the “deep work” of tapping into your God-given creativity & originality. Your gift is needed. The world 🌎 doesn’t need another carbon copy of someone else’s calling & gifting. We need YOU! We need YOUR gift—and we need YOUR talent!
Secondly, keeping up with a lie will eventually get taxing. Meaning, when your entire career, life, ministry, movement, etc., is built solely on the momentum, calling, and creativity of another...at some point you will find yourself on the hamster wheel of trying to keep up. Being inspired by someone should push you deeper into YOUR purpose...not into duplicating theirs. 😉💕
And let’s be honest: perhaps there are some deep issues of trauma, insecurity, and other underlying issues that keeps you in the cycle of not feeling adequate with yourself; with your uniqueness & your handcrafted God given talents/abilities. Trauma and un-dealt-with inner insecurities will have you thinking that you are hiding, when in reality, you are digging yourself into a deeper hole 🕳 —and sinking further into your rejection. It will have you viewing yourself and others in a negative light. In his book Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure and Other Everyday Hurts, Psychology Today blogger Guy Winch states that rejection inevitably leads us to see both ourselves and other people more negatively, at least for a time ( but that’s another topic as well...and perhaps I will chat 💬 about this someday as well).
Moral of the story: It’s not hidden. Many can see it. They can see your pain. They can see you lurking behind your unofficial titles, positions and the like. And if we’re honest, we’ve all had our moments at some time in our journey of self-discovery. Tapping into our inner God-given greatness is a process. It's an often difficult journey! But the return and payback will literally BLOW your MIND! Therefore...there is hope. In fact, the day you truly embrace ALL of who you really are, will be the day that you really set yourself FREE to BE (to be YOU). Life will have more depth, more meaning, and your sleep and path will bring peace beyond human comprehension!
It’s so liberating! It’s so refreshing! And being EXACTLY who you were created to be will catapult you into the next level of your calling/journey!
Thus, to those struggling to BE... I pray that you let go and truly BE FREE!🙏🏽💕 Do the “deep” work—and step into the uncharted territory of YOUR God given path! Get help if you need it, but living out your days in the shadow of someone else is not your portion! Heal and Rise up! Be inspired by others...but never abort your journey, your uniqueness, your creativity, your originality, your "flavor", etc., to plagiarize someone else's!
You are powerful! You are UNIQUE! It’s truly time to Be YOU!
Blessings!
Canena Adams, LLBSW, MA, SRAS
Wife | Mother | Writer | Author | Public Speaker | Social Worker | Business Owner | Nonprofit Founder & Director | Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist | Healthy Family & Relationship Advocate | Adjunct College Prof. | PhD Student (Public & Social Policies)