Sameness: "I want what she is having." This is what made Meg Ryan's scene in the movie When Harry Met Sally become pop culture. It's fascinating how the single most memorable line in Nora Ephron's script is not spoken by Harry or Sally. Instead, it's an unnamed character who reacts to Sally's fake orgasm in Katz's Deli with, "I'll have what she's having."
We are flooded by best practices and formulas that try to make us like everyone else. And yet only you have the answers for you. You may go searching for it in every place on earth but what you are seeking is seeking you, as Rumi tells us. I realized a few years ago that cookie cutters only work when we are baking. They help us make beautiful gingerbread cookies that all look the same but in business and life, we need to break the culture of sameness so we can come into our own as creators, makers and dreamers.
Why Be the Next Google or Richard Branson?
The unknown is very scary to many people as humans crave comfort and predictability. We have been educated and trained in systems and conditioned by fear. We judge people and want to put them in boxes according to how they dress, what they do and where they live. It makes it easier when we know what box they fit into.
So why do so many people want to be the next Amazon or the next Google or Facebook? Why is it that we think replication is the answer in a world filled with opportunity? I recently spoke to someone who told me he wants to be the next Louise Hays. I wondered why he couldn't just say, I want to create an amazing spiritual publishing house that nourishes the soul. Our opportunity is to create something magical in the world and create what we imagine. It's possible when our purpose is clear.
It's great to respect other people who have walked a similar path and yet, each one of us is here to walk our own path. It is scary for many people to even imagine that they can make their dreams happen in their own way. But do we really want to take someone else's dreams and stories and make that the blueprint of our own lives? It's time to break the tyranny of being like everyone else and remember our unique and beautiful voice that our soul whispers to us when we dream.
There are many paths and many destinations. They can be overwhelming. We live in a world of abundance that convinces us every day that we are not enough and we don't have enough. In this century, there are many opportunities and many possibilities as we live in an open and connected world.
You Matter on the Journey
On this journey called life, you matter. You don't need to have the latest hottest luggage or sunglasses with you. There is no need to seek the best practices and formulas for a successful journey. Leave all that baggage at home. This is your own, individual opportunity to explore what's possible in the 21st century and create a path for your own journey. And since bringing your imagination is a must, you may find some fellow journeyers on this voyage of exploration and co-creation.
The lines are blurring between life and work. Who put them up in the first place? It doesn't matter. What matters is you. You can decide to be part of the increasing culture of sameness, where there is a journey to the top and being the best, or go inside yourself and figure out what you want in your precious life as you LIFEwork.
Ask yourself, what's my story? What role can I play in re-imagining and reinventing myself in the 21st century? What is my soul whispering? Where is your magic and joy?