Thursday, October 28, 2010

On Pretending

There's no use pretending to be something you're not—unless you honestly and truly want to become that person who you are pretending to be. I'm in full support of "faking it till you make it," as you are "faking" for the sake of yourself (to give yourself more confidence in a situation where you may be lacking in confidence). In that case, pretending is actually a manifestation of positive thinking.

On the other hand, being pretentious is a different matter. In this case, you are pretending to be a different person for the sake of others. Instead of channeling your insecurity into happy thoughts and actions, you block the possibility of genuinely making yourself feel more secure and confident by pretending to be (your perception of) some other "perfect" person. The grass is always greener on the other side. Trying to manipulate how others see you will only make you look desperate and uncool, two things which most people do not wish to be.

In short, playing pretend can work both ways. Only you can judge for yourself which will make you happiest.

3 Adjectives

There are no 3 adjectives that describe a person completely and fully. When asked to pick 3 and only 3 to encapsulate your entire being, the answer given is always in the here and now - what seems most applicable and appropriate at this very moment in your life.

Knowing that the top 3 adjectives for me can and will change as time passes, what strikes me as most relevant now are:

honest. resilient. impulsive.

It will be an interesting self-discovery to see where the trajectory of my 3 adjectives goes at different stages of life. i.e. I remember when I first moved to LA, they were: happy, energetic, and impulsive. These adjectives still describe me well, but over a year later, what's now at the forefront is a different set of 3.

It's always been my belief that to strive to know oneself more deeply is essential to making oneself happier in the long-run. And this 3-adj. assessment is a good litmus indicator of self-discovery and in the journey toward self-improvement.