If You Could Be Anybody, Who Would It Be?
“My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.” – Woody Allen
Do you spend a lot of time wishing you were someone else? Why is that?
You know, the person you wish you were has problems too – just different ones.
But you can learn something from these thoughts…
No one wants little pieces of paper with dead presidents on them. They want what those pieces of paper will bring them. And chances are, you don’t want the life of your ideal person, you want to bring certain qualities that they possess into your life – wealth, fame, freedom, compassion, bravery, etc. This can be an excellent way to identify clues to what you really want out of life.
So think about this – what are those qualities that you want to attract into your life?
Besides, why be someone else, when you have so much experience being you? Start from there and grow. Then soon enough, there will be others wishing they were you…
Wow, Wow and more Wow. Very cool, I like this post a lot. For a good part of my life I wish I was someone else. That’s all tied up with thinking you don’t have the power to direct your own life. Once I understood I am “The captain of MY ship” I started making all the correct decision to thrust MY life(in all its glory) to my liking. I now live my life by design. I do believe heros give us a destination to aspire to. If I had to pick one quality to attract into my life it would be the ability to write well, with good structure. Once again, Thank You for your posting.
Make it a great day, Priscilla
Tony,
I once heard a speaker who said…who has a problem they’d like to get rid of? Of course, everyone raised their hand. He said okay, write down your problem on a slip of paper. You can throw it into this bowl (up by him) and by doing so, your problem is gone.
Everyone wrote down their problem and tossed it into the bowl. Then the speaker said…oh wait, there’s a catch. To rid yourself of your problem, you must reach into the bowl and take someone else’s. Your choice is…take yours back or reach into the bowl and see what you get instead.
It was pretty eye-opening and a great reminder that while we all have problems, odds are the other guy’s are worse.
Who do I wish I could be? Me. A better me, a smarter me, a kinder me. But me.
Drew
Reminds me of a question I ask myself from time to time. “Who are you and why should I care?” which is my way of asking “Who do I want to be when I grow up?”
I am in a constant state of reinventing, improving, and pushing myself for a personal best.
It is the best way I have found to be “me”.
I’m reminded of a story…
If you put all the people on the top of the hill, take everyone’s body, and roll it down the hill, everybody will run for a body of an athlete or a model.
But if you take the brains, everybody will run for his own.
This is an analogy to Drew’s story. We don’t always want to be someone else.
However, I could have little more muscles…
I always wanted to be Woody Allen.
Priscilla – This says it all “I now live my life by design.” That is a powerful statement. It’s wonderful that you’ve made the decision, and now are directing your own life.
Drew – What a terrific story. It’s true – you never know what issues other have to deal with, not matter what’s happening on the outside.
Greg – Great question. Empowering questions yield empowering answers.
Grigor – That’s a cool way of imagining it. There does seem to be a lot of focus on the physical.
Brad – Awesome answer. I was wondering if someone would say that
Even if I had a choice, I want to be myself, Tony. I love myself and the people around me.
While things may not be the BEST and I may not be RICH or SUPER FIT… I’m happy.
Great post. It stopped me in my tracks and instantly gave me a new perspective which as you know leads to change. Thanks. Love the cartoon
Kian Ann – Terrific view-point. Sounds like you’re well grounded.
Peter – Thanks for the kind words, and I’m glad I helped to give you a new perspective. I love doing that
That reminds me of a song… http://play.rhapsody.com/thecu.....cantibeyou
Non-US listeners – excerpt here:http://www.last.fm/music/The+Cure/_/Why+Can’t+I+Be+You%3F
Apparently Robert Smith wrote it after a fan asked him that question.
I don’t find myself wanting to be other people normally. I’m usually more envious of the things they have. All in all, I really can’t complain about anything.
Mark – Thanks for the links. I forgot about that song. It does express the idea well.
John – That’s a great point. Sometimes you may not want to BE another person, but certain things they possess might also be a clue into what you want out of life. The real goal is to get down to what those things actually mean to you. Wealth for example will mean different things to different people (freedom, avoiding lack, security, etc.).
I haven’t even gotten very good at being me, yet. God forbid I should have to start over anytime soon as someone else.
Rick – I know what you mean. Seems like a lot of work to start over with new issues. I like the idea of getting better at being me.
Tony, your cartoons keep me going! Really funny.
Buzz Lightyear, SPACE RANGER!
Oh wait, I’ve been watching too many kids’ movies. I’d probably be myself, but wealthy and self-employed.
BTW – you have an AWESOME blog template. Where did you find it? Or did you create it yourself? If so, wow.
Best,
Anita
Brad – Thanks. The power of funny pictures
Anita – Believe me, I know too many kid’s movies – even before I had kids. Thanks for the kudos on the template. I designed it myself, using some of the basic stuff from the default Kubrik template.
Tony, I want to be the person I want others to see in me. To be that person, only I can shape myself into that vision. Dr. Ellen Weber shared that with me and I find it very powerful.