Break The Mold

I look back on my life and think about the heroes I had growing up.

As a kid, it was superheroes. Wolverine, Batman, Duke from GI Joe, or some other super-powered hero. Or my father.

Growing older, I began to realize there were others out there. Michael Hyatt. Dan Miller. My former youth pastor Rick South. An old English teacher Mr. Gibner. And still my father.

All of these guys have been a huge inspiration on my life.

Image by Steve Jurvetson

Why We Try To Fit Into Other’s Molds

So much so that I tried to copy their styles at one point or another. Trying to make my life look like theirs. After all, they are successes.

Amazing products and works have been done because of them. Children have grown into capable adults. Lives have been touched.

You can see why I’d want to follow in their footsteps. Why I’d want to be like these successful men.

Knowing people, I’m sure you’ve got people you look up to in your life. People you’re trying to emulate.

How This Behavior Holds Us Back

Starting off, copying other people and trying to be like them isn’t such a bad idea. This behavior gives us a starting point. Something to shoot for.

However, this becomes a problem when we begin to lose ourselves as we take on the characteristics of these great men and women. We find ourselves wondering who we’ve become.

And where did we lose ourselves?

Eventually, we come to the conclusion that we’re no longer authentic. We’re a cheap copy.

Being a cheap copy doesn’t do anyone any good. We become disposable and replaceable, once the real deal is found.

Breaking The Mold

Today is the day to break the mold. To become your own man. Or your own woman.

Step out on your own. Show the world YOUR talents. Your strengths. Your dreams.

If you’re molding yourself after a specific author, throw your current method out the window. Try writing in a new fashion. Change your wording. Find a different topic to write about. Just change it up.

If you’re molding yourself after a musician, try a new style of music. Switch to a faster tempo. Or maybe slow it down.

If you’re molding you’re after a speaker, change your vocal inflections. Move more. Use different visuals.

You’ve got to break the mold you’ve cast for yourself. Let your real self shine. Find your way to standout.

Until you do, you’ll never truly shine. You’ll never find your place in the world.

Take the hammer, break the mold.

Question: What can you do to step out of the mold you’ve cast yourself in? How could this affect your life? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.