Are You An Original?

Categories: Blog May 18, 2016

At the Pressing Reset workshops we once gave out a t-shirt that said "be Original." It was a great looking shirt, one of my favorites. I also really like the phrase, "be Original." It is simple, yet it has so much depth in its meaning.

What does it mean to be original? I don't even know where to start. From a movement standpoint, I mean it to mean posses all of your physical ability; have the strength and ability you were created to have. You understand that you were designed to live optimally, right? No one has been born who should live sub-optimally or mediocrely. All of us, all of our bodies, have a physical potential we were meant to meet. It would be tragic to have a body capable of performing anything yet able to do nothing. To say it another way, it would be sad to only watch life and not be able to live it because our bodies don't move the way they should. To be original is to live life as we ought, as we want to, because we are able.

Be original also has other meaning. Yes, we all have bodies capable of incredible strength and grace, but we also have beautiful minds and irreplaceable individuality. Or at least we were meant to. We were all created to think and to be unique. To be original is to embrace this gift of power and limitless potential. Not thinking, allowing others to tell you what to think, or being something you simply aren't is tragic. Our uniqueness of thought and creativity is intended to make this world completely awesome; a place of wonder and a place of hope. To be original is to spend the extra energy and learn how to use thought to make decisions, solve problems, and create. Not using our minds is as tragic as not using our bodies. It, too, leads to mere existence without living.

Lastly, to be original is to be you; who you are. Often times we are different people in different situations or around different company. If we are one way with Jack, and another way with Jill, and yet another way when we are at home, who are we? If we cannot be ourselves in all situations, in all circumstances, are we really authentic? Can we have integrity and still shift like a chameleon? To be original is to own the phrase, "I am." We weren't meant to be who someone else wants us to be, or who we think we need to be for someone else. Often times our own fear of being authentic robs us of the chance to let others see who we really are. Truly it robs others of knowing who we really are, too. If we spend all of our time trying to be someone we believe others need to see or want to see; or worse, if we spend all our time trying to be someone we want others to think we are, how can we be sure who we really are? How can we build true relationships based on trust? How can we live a life of significance if we can't be real?

We were all made to move well, with strength. We were all made to use our minds; to think and create. We were all made to be uniquely genuine. This is being original. It is optimizing your time here to live a life of significance. No one can change the world like you can. No one can be who you were meant to be. But everyone was made to benefit from your originality. The truth is you were made to make the world better. We all were, but not everyone will because they don't move, they won't think and they fear being themselves. But that's not you. Be you, an original.

---