Sometimes, I am grateful for having a blog. It disguises as an outlet for me to vent out my frustration. But this is a thought for another post. For now, there is a burning issue at hand.
For those who get copied
They say 'imitation is the best form of flattery'. I disagree! Because you get nothing in the bargain. My work style, thoughts and ideas have been copied by competition so many times. And nine times out of ten, wait, make that ten times out of ten, there is nothing I can do about it. And guess what, I am not getting the fluttery 'flattery' feeling at all. I am irritated. I am not an idea machine. I work hard to think of how I can make my work interesting and separate myself from competition and clutter every single day. And it is not easy. More often than not, in the process, the idea-originator gets no credit. No courtesy. That is not decency.
To those who copy
Why? That is my first question to your lot. I know it is easy to imitate. Work couldn't get any easier than that! But it shows how much you really care about what you are doing. Do you not like to challenge yourself when you get to work everyday? Are you happy stealing someone's thoughts and ideas? Is that the best you can do? Be a trend-setter. Innovate. If you are not creative, you should not be doing what you currently are to begin with. Do some soul-searching!
Something to chew on
I know ideas should not be silo-ed within one person. They need to be shared and let go off after you've done something with them. Collaboration accounts for success too. I confess, I too have been so very inspired by someone else's idea, but I do not ever imitate - I take that idea, spice it up with a spin and make it my own, and maybe make it even better. We live in a world where aggressive competition is the name of the game, and the only thing that can work is if you start thinking originally. I encourage everyone to think about this. Scratch your head a little...just because!
For those who get copied
They say 'imitation is the best form of flattery'. I disagree! Because you get nothing in the bargain. My work style, thoughts and ideas have been copied by competition so many times. And nine times out of ten, wait, make that ten times out of ten, there is nothing I can do about it. And guess what, I am not getting the fluttery 'flattery' feeling at all. I am irritated. I am not an idea machine. I work hard to think of how I can make my work interesting and separate myself from competition and clutter every single day. And it is not easy. More often than not, in the process, the idea-originator gets no credit. No courtesy. That is not decency.
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| There was one instance when I found out that competition had copied something of mine verbatim. My boss tried consoling me with this image...well if not for anything else, at least I let a laugh slip out. |
Why? That is my first question to your lot. I know it is easy to imitate. Work couldn't get any easier than that! But it shows how much you really care about what you are doing. Do you not like to challenge yourself when you get to work everyday? Are you happy stealing someone's thoughts and ideas? Is that the best you can do? Be a trend-setter. Innovate. If you are not creative, you should not be doing what you currently are to begin with. Do some soul-searching!
Something to chew on
I know ideas should not be silo-ed within one person. They need to be shared and let go off after you've done something with them. Collaboration accounts for success too. I confess, I too have been so very inspired by someone else's idea, but I do not ever imitate - I take that idea, spice it up with a spin and make it my own, and maybe make it even better. We live in a world where aggressive competition is the name of the game, and the only thing that can work is if you start thinking originally. I encourage everyone to think about this. Scratch your head a little...just because!
Couldn't agree more. The saddest part is that people don't need to copy. If we think enough, maybe just enough, our minds can conjure beautiful symphonies. People lack the confidence, I guess. :(
ReplyDeleteI think people don't lack confidence, they are just plain lazy. In fact, people copy with confidence! Sometimes, the most confident ones are ones who have the least idea what they're talking about...but may be I'm divulging from the point here :)
ReplyDelete