Where Do You Take Your Cues?

There's an old truism that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery..." but how true is that, really?

And let's get more specific... if someone imitating you is allegedly flattery to you, what does it say about the person doing the imitating?

I suppose this is really another post about that thing which is very close to my heart: being authentic in how you live life.

Can you even be authentic, if you spend most of your time and energy in the business of imitating others? I suppose many of us have "idols" in life that perhaps we look up to and attempt to emulate because they seem to represent something we think we want and feel like we do not have.

And don't get me wrong: There's nothing wrong with deriving some inspiration from outside ourselves... but let's not forget that we need to add our own "flavor" to the mix, otherwise we're merely living life as eternal copyists!

I don't really want to be a copyist... although I did spend some of my younger life trying to live up to societal norms, rather than figuring out was I was about.

Of course, I also definitely do not want to be a copyist with respect to what I write... hence, I tend to stick to more personal anecdotes and observations.

I am having these thoughts as we draw closer and closer to the end of another year. Where will I take my cues for 2026?

From the past, or from a new direction?

I spent a little time looking around Steemit this afternoon and really recognized just how important it is to stay true to yourself and not be dragged into the more or less generic "word soup" that seems to have grown in our community.

I was trying to find something that seemed like genuine writing, and I have to admit that it took some effort to get past all the standardized crypto reports, AI generated drivel, curation reports and daily game updates.

In a sense, it was a poignant reminder to stick to your own style, rather than trying to replicate what you think others are being successful with!

I'm glad there still are a few genuine bloggers and writers on Steemit who just stick to telling their stories without gimmicks. In about a month, I will make it to my 9th anniversary of being part of this community, and I am glad it's still here, even if not in the same format as when I first found it.

Some things have gotten better with time... and some things have gotten worse. Above all, what I notice is that no matter where you go, you can't really escape from the (darker corners of) the basics of human nature: Greed, deception, manipulation and whatever else.

It's ultimately up to us to support whatever content we believe has value.

And sometimes that can be hard to find, and a small voice inside might tell us that we should just give in and start doing "what's working for everyone else." But is it really working for "everyone else," or is everyone fumbling around in the dark, taking direction from everyone but themselves?

I have no idea what 2026 holds... but I'd like to think it will be better than the debacle that has been 2025!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your weekend!

How about YOU? Where do you get YOUR cues? Do you write YOUR story, or what you hope might be "popular?" Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2025.12.20 23:20 PST
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