“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”~Judy Garland

I haven’t been able to get this quote out of my mind since I saw it on twitter a few days ago. I posted it as my status on facebook and someone made the comment, “did‘t she die from a drug overdose?”. I did some fact checking (well, I looked at wikipedia) to find out how exactly Judy Garland died. And she died accidently from a drug overdose that was a result of many many many years of taking pills. The article referenced that Judy had been told from since she was a kid that she was not thin enough, not pretty enough, not good enough, etc. And I thought, wow. What a great quote from someone who really was first rate, but maybe thought of themselves as second rate.

A few years back I listened to a woman who was top in her field, one of 400 leaders in a company of over 2 million, talk about how for 10 years she had tried to be just like her mentor. It had taken her ten years to figure out that same concept that Judy Garland knew. This woman had said that when she stopped trying to act like her mentor and just be herself and be the best that she could be, that is when she was able to rise to the top in her company.

I think a lot of people, including myself, try and be like other people. That whole “keeping up with the Jones” attitude. “If I could just be like so and so, my life would be better.” And it makes me sad. Mary Kay Ash said “God didn’t have time to create a nobody – just a somebody. I believe that each of us has God-given talents within us waiting to be brought to fruition…Each person is unique and special.” I would like to add that God also did not make clones of people for a reason. We are all supposed to that first rate version of ourselves. Be the best that we can be. I know I am trying. And I can not wait to see YOU being the best you you can be too.