July's Thought for the Month was about how precious our own individuality is. I have been thinking a lot about this. I am seeing more and more how our own sense of individuality is being eroded by the pressures of our day to day lives - encouraging us to conform and be the same as everyone else. During my time as a teacher, I noticed this happening at times with parents, or carers, or colleagues or children. I am now observing this more and more on social media and in my everyday life where people are repetitively comparing themselves to others, copying the exact same thing everyone else is doing, including what they are wearing, what they are saying and wherever I look I worry that people are so invested in this that they move further and further away from their own likes and wants, spending their time being someone else. Is imagination and creativity being lost? Do we really want to be clones of everyone else? How is self-esteem going to be robust if we are constantly trying to be someone who we aren’t? Does this bring happiness? And thinking further, how will AI affect this – support us in individuality or collude in making us into clones?

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Being true to yourself allows you to grow towards being the best version of yourself. It allows you to connect with people honestly and develop your best relationships – the relationships you trust and revel in. In these relationships, people see the real you and you find joy. Let’s stop hiding our individuality and stop letting other people’s opinions and expectations dictate how we live our lives. Let’s be proud of who we are, regardless our imperfections. When we choose to stop living by other’s expectations and start living our lives truly, I wonder, will we feel happier, more confident, less uncertain and less anxious?

Let’s aim to live our live as an unique individual, to never lose sight that we all matter, we all have opinions and we all have value. Let’s live with compassion for ourselves and for others.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” (Dr Seuss)