Celebrities, rock stars, sportsmen and the list is never ending. These people have had a profound impact on my life. The moment I go to a theatre to watch a movie, I crave to become a movie star. Fascinated by their persona, fame and wealth, my mind begins to think…if only could I be like one of the actors. The yearning persists for some days and the evanescent desire fades away thereafter.

Life becomes normal until again I’m watching the concert of my favourite band, Iron Maiden. Even their grotesque presentation is so appealing and the uninterrupted lead so pleasing to ears that it stimulates my desire to be a rock star. I fantasise playing my guitar live on stage with thousands of my fans hysterically banging their heads. Within no time, the resonance of music fades away and so does my desire to be a rock star.

Yet another desire springs up. As I lie on my couch lethargically flipping channels of my idiot box, I pause at one instance. It’s the live broadcast of a soccer match. I enthusiastically anticipate the victory of my favourite team, The Blues. Ninety minutes just pass away in an instant. Dumbfounded by the manoeuvre of players, another craving lurks within me.

Just when my desires are about to take shape, Joey McIntyre’s hit single Stay the same catches my attention on VH1. The first few lines are too catchy to resist: Don’t you ever wish you were someone else, You were meant to be the way you are exactly, Don’t you ever say you don’t like the way you are, When you learn to love yourself, you’re better off by far, And I hope you always stay the same...

These enlightening words linger in my memory and have taught me to be content the way I am. Soon I realised, all this time dreaming to be someone else, I was just on a wild goose chase. Things went normal since that day till one fine morning when I switched on my TV. To my utter astonishment, the much-awaited song Stay the same that had changed my perception of contentment was playing on VH1 once again. However, this time I found yet another change in my perception. I let my imagination run riot and guess what? This time my longing was to sing like Joey McIntyre. I wonder if my mind will ever get exhausted.