Imitation can be a powerful tool

Tonight I watched en episode from the new season of Better call Saul. Because last Monday I made an extra effort and wrote more articles than I needed, I can take a bit of a break from doing so much and relax after work by doing something I enjoy. This includes watching shows I like.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what I like about Better call Saul, but I can say with no hesitation that two of the characters I love most are Mike and Gus Fring. The reason I love them so much is because they are everything I am not, but want to be. They are calm and calculated. They are smart, and they both have a lot of experience under their belt. They have the discipline to do boring, but important things that must be done.

The list can go on.

I always liked those type of characters and I always admired those type of people. I had a hard time doing boring things since I was young. I can force myself to do what's required for a time, but after too long I get bored and very frustrated. I end up quitting most of the time. I dislike this part of me, and I wish I could change it.

It's why I really love characters like Mike and Gus. They are the exact opposite of what I am and what I'd like to be. And even though they are fictional characters, I get inspired by them, to a point where I try to imitate their behavior in order to become more like them.

It might sound stupid, but imitation, of any kind, can be a really powerful tool, at least if you use it for the right reasons and with a good role model. You can gain a bit of discipline by just trying to be like the person you admire. You can pick up a good habit by simply trying to do what a character you like does. You can end up being a nicer person simply because you really like a character from a show that is also nice.

I can go on.

In my case, I tried to be like both Gus and Mike and do the required things, slowly but right, the way they needed to be done. Doing this I managed to organize my room quite well, to fold my clothes, arrange my books, take all the trash out, even get better at doing my job by doing work in advance and trying to get a hold of myself in stressful situations. It's one of the reasons why I wrote so much on Monday, so I can do other things during the week.

All that, because I imitated a character I like. I just thought of them when being faced with a problem or a particular situation, and tried to act like them. And it worked.

Imitation has been one of the main ways in which people have learned for a very long time. Nowadays, the idea of uniqueness is being promoted so much that imitation is being frowned upon, regardless of you're imitating a real person or a fictional character. But trying to implement the same things that make the person / character you admire does into your own life can result in quite a lot of improvement, which can be a very powerful tool that will help you grow and do better in life, assuming, of course, you imitate the good, not the bad.

So try to not shy away from acting like the person / character you love if that's part of who you are. This imitation can help you learn and do more, grow and improve, and it's much better than trying to be "unique" and stuck.