Wanting to Be Someone Else

I meet with a lot of ambitious founders, many of whom are into the idea of improving themselves. They think that if they become better, they are more likely to build a successful company and achieve whatever other goals they have.

This is of course correct.

But the part where they are wrong is that they tend to — consciously or subconsciously — act a little too much like their heroes.

It is wise to learn from successful people who have had a life arc that you admire, but the part that feels unhealthy to me is to see people adopt entire personalities that are not really theirs. Pretend to have certain skills and interests, while also suffocating other parts of their character that might actually be unique and end up being competitive advantages.

In other words, while trying to be just like your hero, you lose your own unique heroic traits.

I don’t feel the need to dwell on this point too long because it is linked to another thought I have shared:

The universe rewards authenticity.

There are a lot of cheap clones running around, but the people I see thrive in their professional and personal lives are those who are most aggressively themselves.