The Ethical Theft of Greatness

Tony Robbins talks about modeling a lot.

But then, I remember a story from one of his books, where a former employee was using some of his material, without authorization.

Initially, this made him mad.

Modeling vs. Theft, what’s the difference?

If you become a carbon copy of someone, saying exactly what they say, doing exactly what they do, adding no unique flavor, style or voice – It’s not super beneficial.

Your mentor feels a bit ripped off, and your audience feels like they’re getting something they could probably better get elsewhere.

There are however, things you can steal, that really can’t be stolen.

No one cares if you copy their style, consistency or stamina.

No one minds if you embody the essence of their greatness without wearing the same shirt as them.

I was telling a friend & subscriber LT the other day that I’ve been impressed with Seth Godin’s blog.

In fact, I’ve been modeling him.

I don’t say what he says, but I model his consistency (daily), his brevity (short but punchy content), and his service first mentality.

When we model others we find the pieces of them that we can fit into our puzzle, while completing our OWN picture..

And in the end we seem to become a composite of our mentors and ourselves… not a carbon copy but instead, a special creation…

Modeling, the ethical theft of greatness.