Since I’ve been involved in the paranormal and spiritualism I hear a lot of comments about “wannabe’s.” I must admit I’ve used that term more than once myself. Exactly what is a wannabe? By definition, a wannabe is somebody who tries to be like somebody else or to belong to a specific group.
If you look at the definition aren’t we all wannabe’s? Don’t we all want to belong or be accepted in whatever it is we choose to involve ourselves in?
Didn’t we all have someone who inspired us? Someone we wanted to emulate; a Sports hero or public figure, for example? Didn’t you have a parent, teacher or friend who you considered a mentor that encouraged and supported you? Who still encourage and support you? When and where did the term “wannabe” become a negative?
When did a “wannabe” become a term for those who are trying to achieve their goals by emulating another? Not copying, but emulating. There’s a difference. Is it now a term used by those who are jealous of what they are not, or have not yet achieved and who they really wannabe? Is it a term of distain where people view others as less than what one wants to strive for or attempt to achieve?
When we were young we all had dreams. We all had aspirations and desires. It’s all about wanting to be. Be something or someone. It doesn’t matter who it is you want to be or what it is you want to achieve. It’s about being. It’s about being accepted by our peers and society.
Some of us wanted to be firemen, nurses, astronauts or policemen. Others may have wanted to be a farmer or own a ranch in Montana. I wanted to be a mother and housewife, a school teacher, or an artist.
How many of us are actually in the profession we dreamed of? If you are, you are one in a million and a true wannabe.
What if Einstein never wanted to pursue his interest in the theory of relativity? What if Martin Luther King never had that dream? They among many, many of our heroes and forefathers all wanted something. They all wanted to prove something, to change something. They were all wannabe’s.
Throughout our lives we hear so often… “You can’t do that. You’ll never make it. You really should look into something different. Be reasonable, be practical.” If they listened to those words they would have never achieved their goals and we as a society would still be trying to figure out that if you rub two sticks together you can create fire. We as a society continuously change, evolve and grow.
A wannabe is a person who strives to be more than what or who they are now. A wannabe is person who sets out to change their world in some way, big or small. It isn’t the big things that make all the difference. It’s the accumulation of the small things working with the big things that make a difference. Each one of us has a responsibility to be the best that we can be. It’s our responsibility to be a “wannabe.”
From what I’ve observed the ones who are calling someone a “wannabe” in the negative context are most likely sitting on their couch playing x-box or doing nothing at all. They are watching everyone around them succeed and wondering, ‘why am I not having that same success?’ You don’t grow sitting on your hands and opening your mouth with negative comments and attack. I’m ashamed to say that I am guilty of falling into that very trap. You succeed by doing and wanting it bad enough to actually take the risk and doing it. No one can do it for you no matter how hard they try. No one can create your success. They can help you build it but you alone have to make it grow and succeed by your own words and actions. Remember you can see through glass and people will see through you if you don’t make it real.
I know now what I don’t wannabe. I don’t want to be someone who judges someone for trying to fulfill their dream of being something more. I don’t wannabe someone who destroys someone else’s dream by my own words or actions. I want to be someone who encourages and supports another’s dreams and desires.
Next time someone calls you a wannabe, thank them and be grateful that you wannabe something at all.
Next time you see someone who is a wannabe; congratulate them for at least trying to be somebody; to fit into a society that in of itself is critical of one’s success.
Stay true to yourself. Don’t lose sight of your core. Stay true to your morals and soul purpose. Stay true to your goals and you will be who you wannabe. But most of all…Be you.
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