Your Unicorn WayPattern · 07 / 08
The Copying Follower
“You do what others do because it seems to work. You copy structures, formats, words, and still the result lags. It does not feel right, because it is not yours either. And deep down you have known that for a while.”
What keeps you small
The pattern
You try to move by someone else’s system. But a strategy that does not fit you does not work, no matter how good it looks on paper. You lose yourself in someone else’s mould.
The shift
What moves you forward
Stop copying and start owning. Look at what others do, learn from it, but apply it your way. From your strength, your mission, your voice.
A quote
“It is over with doing what everyone else does.”
Your strength
You learn fast, you recognise quality, you know what works. That sharpness is a gift. It only becomes a trap when you forget that you yourself also have something new to add.
The question for you
Which part of you is too much your own to copy from someone else?
How this pattern shows up
In your ordinary week
- 01You read how someone else did it and almost copy it whole.
- 02You went to a webinar yesterday and try the same style now.
- 03You catch yourself speaking someone else’s words in a conversation.
Three first steps
To do today
- 1Write one page without reading or checking anything first.
- 2Take one line that isn’t yours and rewrite it entirely.
- 3Ask yourself: ‘what would I say if I forgot what they said?’
What you might ask about this pattern
The Copying Follower
What’s wrong with learning from others?
Nothing, on the first layer. The pattern is in the second layer, when you take their words without putting them through yourself.
How do I find my own voice?
By first being quiet from others. Two weeks of not reading what colleagues post, and listening to what remains.
Why do I feel like a fraud when I do my own thing?
Because it feels unusual. The pattern calls that ‘not legitimate’. It is the first time you actually are.
Can I follow no one at all?
Sure. But as input, not as blueprint. Read, and always rewrite yourself.
But is this really your pattern?
Seven questions expose it. Plus a workbook written for your specific type.