Today’s quote comes from Judy Garland: “Be a first-class version of yourself, not a second-class version of someone else.”
Being true to oneself is, in my opinion, one of the most important things in life. Yet, this can be a challenging endeavor. Our experiences shape us, and each of us interprets situations based on what we’ve learned and experienced—both passively and actively. These events define us.
For instance, you might have a twin who looks just like you, but the way you perceive the world and interpret events can be entirely different. Years later, discussing a shared experience can reveal how divergent your memories are, making it feel as though you were in completely different situations.
This uniqueness can make it difficult to be a first-class version of ourselves. When you’re truly being yourself, others might not understand you. They may struggle to empathize or recognize aspects of you that they themselves have never acknowledged.
In the business world, showing emotions or fully sharing your knowledge can sometimes trigger fear in others. A person who dares to be authentic may be seen as a threat, as they embrace their true selves rather than conforming to what others expect. This can create discomfort for those who suppress their own individuality to blend in with the crowd. If someone cannot or will not allow him/herself to be authentic, he/she may feel the need for others to stay away from the authentic person, otherwise they might recognise his/her own learning fields. The authetic person is otherwise a mirror where the unauthentic persons sees the own development fields. This is projection, which means, a „mental process by which people attribute to others what is in their own minds.“ (https://www.britannica.com/science/projection-psychology)
Being a first-class version of yourself requires courage, self-reflection, and the acceptance that you might not be universally liked and could be labeled as „different.“ The advantage is that you can look in the mirror every day and know that you are exactly who you are—human and yet unique.
Have the courage to be yourself. Diversity makes the world more colorful and lovable, not uniformity.
