“The one who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. Those who walk alone are likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been before.”
― Francis Phillip Wernig
While the quote was implied to Einstein, the powerful message didn’t lose its substance till date. It can be applied to each and every aspect of life; be it for love, happiness or your professional life. Following what others do in lieu of creating your own path often turns out to be a detrimental mistake.
Most of us spend our teenage trying hard to not be different and yet no one gets picked up for being too normal. All our lives we wish to copy someone or the other because they look good, or because they excel in what they do. Instead of getting an insight into what makes them succeed in their endeavors, we simply float on the surface. We desire most of the things because people around us have them, and not because we necessarily need them. It wasn’t about being different; it’s just about not being the last one to have it.
It is only with time and maturity that we realize the fallacy of trying to be normal. We start understanding and appreciating the importance and beauty of being an individual irrespective of it being better from others or not. However, before you start celebrating being different in your personal life, be aware that such differences are not always translated in the right ways in your professional space.
It is natural for us to unconsciously seek out the normal because the want of being different from the crowd needs a lot of work. You might get appreciated by some, but most people are unacceptable towards changes.
Being different is not a deliberate effort (most of the times) and therefore anyone can be different in their own ways. If identical twins with the same DNA can differ from each other, then the rest of us are bound to vary. The real challenge is in being different in a way which is relevant, valuable and benefits you in some way or the other.
One of the keys to happiness, healthy and successful relationship is to accept and appreciate the beauty of difference because being different is more important than being better. No wonder that most of us find it difficult to sustain our relationships because accepting differences is the hardest things for humans to do.
Being different is just different. It cannot be defined as better or worse. Different is just different.
For some people, being different in their own way, going about things in their own way and approaching life in a different way just works well and hence they adapt to such changes. And these are the people who are the most efficient and smart workers. They choose smart working over hard working.
Observation plays a vital role in your being different or even better than others. Pay attention to how your friends, spouse or partner go about their life. Ask them questions in order to learn how they make this particular approach work for them. Seek to understand instead of criticizing.
If you plan on doing something different, then just figure out the ways in which you can fit them best rather than replacing your ways with theirs. Look for all the possible options that work for you and exclude the ones which are most likely to not favor you. Be very accepting and willing to changing your ways, so to explore new possibilities and opportunities. There could be multiple possibilities of performing the same task; you just need to figure out what works best for you.
Seth Godin once wrote a book called Purple Cow, in which he beautifully explains the importance of being different. He writes that nobody talks about a cow that is heavy, or unusually tall, but everyone would talk about a cow which is purple. That’ the effect of being different, everybody talks about you.
Let’s say for example you were to launch a new product in the market, what would your USP’s be? Would you like your product to perform the best? Or will you make it inexpensive? Or would you work on its looks?
Well, your answer should be None Of The Above, and it is so because the biggest asset of any product is its uniqueness. If your product fails to provide anything that is different from what other products offer, your product is sure to fail.it may sound unfair, but being the best doesn’t suffice anymore. Being different from others becomes your greatest point of gaining you attention and appreciation.
Why do you think that Toyota Prius became what it is today? Was it because of its performance? Or it's looks? Certainly not. It made a big splash in the market because it became the first company to launch a mainstream, affordable and mass-produced hybrid car. This uniqueness about the product made it a big hit in no time. Its crossbreed engine became its biggest asset. No matter it had dull handling, mediocre acceleration and below average looks, the engine was its selling point.
Your uniqueness obliterates all the other narratives about you.
Looking at another great example of being different is more important than being the best is our very own favorite company Apple. The only agenda of the company was to be different and hence they never focused on being better than anyone else. The tagline of the brand itself suggests “Think Different”. Can you even think of any other brand before Apple who thought of artistically designing the computer and consumer technology? iMac was different from all the other products in the market since its birth.
Did anyone focus on developing touch screens for mobile devices that too on a mass level prior to Apple? The way people interacted using iPhone was way different from any other mobile devices.
Uniqueness is crucial because it enterprises your market. Your message to people gets distorted if you do not opt for a unique method to express it. If you are not different, you just have to live with being anything like the ordinary. Your uniqueness is self-evident.
Being different helps you develop relationships in your personal sphere. Everyone likes to invest into something that is different and offers them more than the others. Being unique in your way gets you attention, gives you new friends and substantial relationships. You are liked for being the way you are and not for you trying to be like others.
It is better to be different than being better because in the race of coming first we often leave our uniqueness behind. The uniqueness that makes us different from the rest, we tend to bury it in the herd. Stop trying to be better than the others, instead fin your ways, better or worse, to accomplish your goals.
Do you think that being different is important than being better? Let us know in the comment section below.
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