In order to blend in or in order to pull out a better version of ourselves, we often set our idols. We often idolise people around us, who we think are superior to us in some or the other way. And being influenced by others is normal. Influence is powerful, more powerful than we often realise. It can shape opinions, build beliefs, and sadly, distort reality.
Influence drives a person astray from their own reality.
If we set our idols, we often let go of our originality and start to embody their traits, for it makes us think that we can be better if we change and moreover, be like our idols.
What we often don't realise is that when we embody someone else's trait, we often lose our own. And that's how we slowly lose ourselves.
In the pursuit of becoming someone better, we must not forget who we are. Influence isn’t always harmful, it can also inspire, uplift, and guide. But the moment it starts to blur the edges of our own identity, it becomes a danger we don’t always notice until it’s too late. Growth should feel like evolution, not imitation. So admire, learn, be inspired but never at the cost of losing the parts of yourself that make you, you.
Thank you
-Kritika