10 Ways To Deal With A Copycat

So there’s that girl or guy or whoever who does exactly what you do EVERY SINGLE TIME. My initial reaction is always “WTF? Is she serious? Why is she doing EVERYTHING that I’m doing?

Seriously, if you’re going to copy someone at least try to hide it!

Let’s say you Instagram a picture wearing a jumper and lo and behold, she gets on the next day and snaps the exact picture. Or maybe she enrolled in the same class as you, tried to copy your pattern of school activities, because a Buddhist when you did and got a ferret one month after you got yours. If you’re suffering from the above then here’s how to deal with a clone:

1. Take a deep breath. Before you make irrational decisions like getting so angry and making your head explode, just take a deep breath.

2. Understand why you are getting angry. We all value our individuality and if someone else is trying to be your clone, it is natural to feel threatened because we are so desperately afraid of not being unique or of blending in with everyone else.

3. Understand that it’s a free world. Although you are angry that someone is trying to mimic your every move, you have to realize that you may think you have a claim on being a yoga-junkie or having a half shaven pixie cut but that claim is also someone else’s to have unfortunately. Unless the person is taking your picture to a plastic surgeon and asking to look like you then that’s a different story. That claim is yours!

4. Channel the flattery. If someone wants to be just like you, consider it a HUGE compliment. It means that you’re a trendsetter and you’re a leader and you should be flattered that you are THAT awesome. Use that feel-good-flattery and use it to do even bigger and better things.

5. Bite your tongue. If you are not too bothered by it you can bite your tongue. The copy-cats are not all bad people they just can’t think on their own sometimes. I’m pretty sure that we all look up to someone so it’s not entirely a bad thing but if it’s really overwhelming then you can try the step below.

6. Confront the person. There’s always the one on one conversation with the person. You can mention it in the most subtle ways like take them shopping and suggesting other styles or just saying hey, why don’t you try this instead? If you’re brave enough you can even ask them why they’re trying to follow you and explain that you are honored that they admire you but you think it’s important for everyone to be their own person.

7. There are two types of clones; the admirer and the jealous type. For the admirer, I don’t recommend anything too drastic because that person probably looks up to you as a role model. But for the jealous type i.e. the person who is so jealous he or she knowingly tries to steal tidbits of your life and act like it was their idea and be shady about it- Cut those people out of your life because you shouldn’t allow any room for negativity.

8. If you know you are going to do something big and you really want it to be your idea, then be the dominant one. Announce to your friends and family or whoever matters that you have decided to become a Hippie and if the clone follows suit, at least you would’ve set it in stone that the idea was yours.

9. Find something else to do. I know this may be extremely hard because you know deep down that it was originally your style or your way of life but sometimes you just have to move on. Having someone copy you can be a memo for you to find something new. This can be a good thing if you pride yourself on being a trendsetter because your clone is indirectly pushing you to greater heights.

10. Try keeping some things to yourself. For the copy-cat who comes over and literally steals the exact template of your room design and buys the same accessories, just find ways to hide certain aspects of your life like the books you’re currently reading or the cute little clothing outlet you found on a corner street. Even though these are petty things, it feels good to have something that’s your own!