There is little doubt that it can sometimes be infuriating to find someone has copied or imitated your new clothing style, nail colour, haircut, or worse again, your choice of car or living room sofa; it feels like they are piggybacking your valuable, discerning sense of style, the unique image you take time to nurture for your own best self and the research that may have been expended to come to your decision after weeks or even months of careful deliberation; the larger the outlay, then generally the higher the level of what we label "Imitation Upset" caused by an "Imitation Nation"! 😆
It can be enough to make you fizzworthy - see our post entitled ""Fizzworthy" - a new entrant to our StressBusting™ vocabulary".
Alas, however, our own freedoms of choice and expression are rightly no broader than anyone else's, so this is something that, however irksome, we have to all live with at some point or another.
A good, modern definition of "imitation" reads as follows:-
"the action of using someone or something as a model"
Now being seen as a "model" surely can't be a bad thing, and here are some more tips as to how to StressBust™ the perfectly natural instinctive reaction that is "Imitation Upset":-
● some people are more creative than others; that is a simple fact - so celebrate that other people are following your lead and you are helping them along their own decision making journey as a valuable social endeavour!
● appreciate that imitation in this respect is a validation of your decisions, not a dilution of them
● to use a business analogy, regardless of imitation you will always be seen to have had "first mover advantage" in the marketplace and be consequently seen as a trailblazer (even if nobody ever tells you this!)
● such trailblazers invariably have the ability to reinvent themselves and their styles more quickly and seamlessly than others, a fabulous life skill you can derive comfort from - see our post entitled "Learn to Expect (and Accept) the Unexpected to Stressbust™ More Effectively"
● because your choices are often distinctly individual, they will probably not suit others as well as they suit you, so "Keep "Walking the Walk""!
● remember your decisions were made for you but you equally have the opportunity to take tips from, or (perhaps as importantly) learn lessons from, others to avoid your own fashion "faut pas" - see our post entitled "Break Time Quickie: StressBust™ by learning from the mistakes of others as well as your own" for further context
● appreciate that any "Imitation Upset" is far preferable to being jealous of others who are trailblazing or being the subject matter of jealously ourselves - see our post entitled "Maintain a Positive Stressbusting™ Frequency by avoiding Jealousy"
● there is nothing to say that your decisions were entirely correct for you in the first place, so utilise imitation as a constant motivation to improve and enhance yourself - see "Break Time Quickie : Open the Door to Imperfection – it can be Liberating as well as Stressbusting™" .
● ultimately, use the experience as an exercise in not taking yourself too seriously and ""Relax into the Dance of Life"".
And remember - no two flowers are ever exactly the same!! 😁
We hope that helps, as always!
BigLoveBiggerLove, LouLoU™&