There are almost eight billion different people on planet Earth, each with their own characteristics and features. During one’s life, they might tend to go off track and follow in the footsteps of someone else’s life. Although exactly copying the life of a successful person seems positive, it comes with many consequences. The short story The Moustache by Robert Cormier is about a boy named Mike who wants to look grown-up. When he visits his mentally ill grandma with his mustache on, his grandma mistakes her grandson as her husband. Mike ended up having to experience a very uncomfortable conversation. One should not try to be someone else because it is not why they were put into the world, and it can lead up to consequences.
Each and every human was born for a purpose, and that was to make a change. The life of someone should not be to hide in the shadow of another person but to live life fully as oneself. A TedTalk spoken by Caroline McHugh highlighted the importance of being oneself and not comparing oneself to others. She stated how being oneself is the thing many people fail to achieve in life. Successful people are those who realized who they truly are, not those who followed in the footsteps of other successors. As for Mike, he wanted to look mature, hence him wearing the mustache. His mustache hid who he truly was, which in turn made him “someone else”. His faulty choice to not be himself lead him into a pit of trouble. Everyone on planet Earth was born different and unique, but some turn the wrong way in order to become someone else.
Not only does being someone else limit one’s potential of life, but it also comes with a handful of consequences. When Mike visited his grandma’s nursing home, she mistakens him as her husband. This was because Mike’s grandpa also had a mustache and was named Mike. Since the grandma was mentally ill and her time was coming, Mike’s only choice was to go along faking to be someone else. This is just one of many dangers of being someone else. As previously stated, being someone else can also erase the success from oneself. Being someone else is like losing confidence. When one thinks they do not have the ability to succeed, they often tend to copy another person. This is the mistake millions make, which in return robs their lives.
The greatest achievement of life is to truly be oneself. Being oneself is the sole reason one was born into Earth and can bring one success. The many who hide in the shadows of others end up living lives far worse than they could have if they were themselves. Alfred Hitchcock, an influential film maker once asked himself, “If I won’t be myself, who will?”