I've got a style and you can't cheat it

Being copied is not flattering.
In theory it should be - someone's looked at what you have & thought they want that for themselves, they've aspired to be like you. But in reality it's just silly. The copier loses all sense of their own identity whilst the copy-ee struggles with having their every move & choice cloned. It's hard when dealing with this idea not to imagine young teenage girls copying each other's fluffy pink pencil cases & sparkly hairbands. It's that childish.

The worst kind of copying though is when someone is almost trying to steal your life. That by sharing your dreams you've inadvertantly inspired their new life plan. They've seen what you aspire to & where you're headed, & decided they'd like some of that for themselves. Are they really incapable of coming up with their own direction?

As you may have gathered from the tone of this post, I am currently the victim to some, very subtle but very real, life copying. The influence I have had on this person has been clear from day one &, though they'd deny it 'til the day they die, I know they were inspired by me. They want what I have. And what I will have. This person is so fickle that they see a trend, an idea, a style (usually on someone else I might add) that they like & they just have to have it. And it has to take over their life. No half measures. I could just let this wash over me & think that this is just another fad & that by next week they'll be onto something new but I can't help worrying that somehow, this will be the one that sticks.

I'm pissed off at what they're doing. And how blatantly they're rubbing it in my face. Boasting about their new amazing life. MY LIFE! But mainly the reason I'm annoyed is because I don't want them to be better than me. I don't want them to get there before I do. I don't even want them in the same league. The thought of them achieving my goals makes me sick to my stomach. I'm fed up of feeling crappy when things slow down just because I feel I have to keep up with someone else. It's ridiculous. I want to be able to fantasize about my future again without constantly thinking 'will I be better off than them?'.

Moral of the story: find your own life & leave mine the fuck alone.