We all love to think we’re unique. That the way we dress, the music we vibe with, the captions we post on Instagram—it’s all 100% us. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: a lot of what we call “originality” is borrowed, influenced, or outright copied.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Myth of Being One-of-a-Kind
Think about it: how many times have you discovered a “new” trend on TikTok only to realize millions of others are doing the exact same thing? Or bought a shirt you thought was so “different,” only to bump into someone wearing the same style at a café?
We’re constantly influenced—by friends, by culture, by what we binge-watch, even by algorithms that decide what shows up on our feeds. What feels like an individual choice is often a collective wave we’re just surfing.
The Patterns We Don’t Notice
Humans are wired for patterns. We copy what we admire, follow what feels safe, and repeat what gets approval. Even rebellion has a pattern—notice how every “anti-trend” eventually becomes… a trend.
So maybe originality isn’t about inventing something completely new. Maybe it’s about how we take what’s already out there and spin it into our own version.
Where the Real You Shows Up
Here’s the magic: even if we’re all pulling from the same pool of influences, no two people will remix them in the exact same way.
You and I might listen to the same song—but the lyric that sticks, the memory it triggers, the meaning we take from it… that’s deeply personal. That’s where individuality actually lives. Not in escaping influence, but in what we do with it.
The Sweet Spot Between Shared and Unique
Maybe the goal isn’t to be so original that nobody can relate to us. Maybe the beauty is in the overlap—the way we’re connected by shared tastes, yet separated by the small details that make us us.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be original. You just have to leave your fingerprints on it.
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