Just be yourself

Here are two reminders of how important it is not to try to be somebody else. First this simple poem:

SO WHAT IS THERE TO REALIZE?
Peonies bloom on peony trees.
A cat doesn't become a chicken.
Tulips are tulips, not roses.
Why can't we realize this true fact?
That to be me is great.
I don't have to be anyone but me.
I am blooming as I am in my life, just as
a peony blooms on a peony tree.
Further, a beautiful peony flower does not
worry about when it will wilt and fall to the ground.
It does not compete with the flower next to it;
rather it blooms with its whole self.

-- Sensie Oguifrom "Zen Shin Talks"

And now a simple observation:

The privilege of a lifetime is to be yourself.

-- Joseph Campbell

How happy we will be if we choose not to compete with others but rather rejoice in who and what we are!