The world is a big place. So many people are vying for a small amount of attention, resource, respect, and still it seems like we’ve ‘been there done that’ for many things we encounter in our everyday life. Travel won’t get you anywhere new, mixology won’t shock your tastebuds, and changing your attitude doesn’t always transform what you are experiencing. We can look as far as the Hubble telescope can possibly see and still be unable to connect the dots of what might lie beyond, even when we consider what lies at our fingertips. We frequently settle for the same old same old.
Being unique fetches a high reward. Managing to be the ‘best’, the ‘first’, the ‘only’ is a pretty tall order, and usually results in more respect, higher pay, and better overall life experiences. It might seem like those who have set the bar were just born special, but many of them designed their paths and set their own fate through hard work, sharp observation skills, and creativity. Though you may not aspire to win a Guinness world record, run for president or become a billionaire, pushing yourself to stand out from the ever-growing crowd might just get you more of what you want. Here are five simple actions to take that will help you do just that:
- Look inside yourself. This might sound cheesy but you really are the most incredible miracle, and you are programmed differently than everyone else. Society gives us solutions in life that frequently pigeon hole us into categories, which causes us to stop looking inside for our own answers. Find a relaxing spot and lead yourself through different arenas in your life. Which one sparks a true passionate response? Letting your passions guide you is one of the most certain ways of finding new and unusual aspects of life.(work on this being clearer)
- Look outside yourself. What is lacking in your immediate or extended environment? The world is full of fierce competition for many of the same paths. You may just be able to find an underserved arena that aligns with your passions that can help you stand out from the crowd. Start with variations of what you are already involved in, but also free your mind to think big and broad. Anything is possible. (get more specific – think you are saying to find your micro niche?)
- Collaborate with unique people. You might already be able to think of someone who just has ‘it’ – this person is in a category of one. It might be the way this person integrates their hobbies into their professional life, or that they’ve managed to discover a new solution for an old problem. Some of your acquaintances who you might consider ‘unique’ are just going against the grain for the sake of it, and you’ll be able to spot those people pretty easily. If you can manage to distinguish the real deal from the wannabee you should find ways of letting this uniqueness rub off on you.
- Refrain from judging those who are different from you. We’re all guilty of knee-jerk opinions when we encounter people or practices we are not familiar with, but think about it this way – each time you cast judgment, you are inadvertently closing yourself off from understanding something new. In fact, whether you realize it or not, the harsher your judgments on others, the harsher your judgments on yourself. Next time you are about to write someone off for their unusual choices, try to picture things from their perspective, however briefly you are able to achieve this, and you will broaden your mind and possibilities as a result.
- Push beyond the easy way out. Let’s be honest, you’ve heard the phrase ‘nothing is new under the sun’, and most times when people try to reinvent the wheel, they just end up looking foolish or wasting time. However, the other side of the coin is that if everyone just took what already existed as hard fact and never followed their imagination and dreams, we would all be sitting in dark rooms and still believing that the earth is flat. When you think you’ve found the ‘only’ way of doing something, push yourself to find at least one more viable option.