The Hard Truth about Being Unique
I am not unique.
Before you come at me with pitchforks and torches, let me explain.
There is no person on earth like me (and I know there are many that know me that sigh with relief with that declaration). The person that is me is unique.
My message of hope and encouragement – as far as how and why I deliver it – is specific to me and therefore unique to me.
I heard a conversation where one of the speakers declared that nobody is unique. I took offense. I preach a message of unique every chance I get. I have a t-shirt that declares that “being normal is over-rated.” He was just wrong.
But he had my attention and I started looking around. Within 24 hours I was introduced to or uncovered a dozen other sites where people are helping others “break out of their box” or “find their unique path” and it hit me.
I am not unique – at least not the limited view of how I had started seeing myself is not unique.
I have been struggling to figure out why my path is not working. I had positive feedback from other professionals. I even had a few tell me, “I don’t understand why it’s not working.”
My “aha” moment occurred this morning when I saw yet another website declaring the goal of helping me live a life of passion. There are a lot of people sharing this message. There are a lot of people offering life coaching, focus coaching, brand coaching, and so on. Although I love the message of hope and passion and purpose, that is not what makes me unique.
Just when I thought I finally had it all together, he went and moved the middle. I have been reading back through “The One Minute Sales Person” and was reminded that if it is not working then go back to where it was working and see what has changed.
Begin at the beginning.”
Go back, go back, go back to where you were.”
Think back through the steps and see what you can see.”
I have followed this advice when I was looking for my glasses or a book or some other household item. It never dawned on me to follow this advice when I was looking for my success.
I have been floundering in my journey not because I am not passionate about the why and the what but because I have struggled to find a way to turn that passion into income. Every time I take a step in a direction I find my lack of foundation limits that direction.
I needed to build up the foundation I HAD to build up a foundation of support if I wanted to take my passion to the next level. The products and the services matter little if I have no foundation to stand them on.
“In a world where most everything is considered a commodity, your unique personality can be a competitive advantage.”
I am a unique person – I am like no other person – I have gifts, talents, abilities, interests, experiences, and passions not duplicated in another. I have a voice that can only be found in me. That uniqueness will not guarantee me success. It will not even guarantee that others will listen to what I have to say. All it means is that my voice will not be heard unless I use my voice.
A Path to Being Unique
- First, I have to remember why I write. It is not just about being able to do something but about the fundamental reasons behind the doing of that something. I love words – I always have. I love playing with song lyrics, making up dialogue when I see two people talking in the distance, or just sharing stories. Words are powerful and my favorite way to wield them is with a focus of hope and encouragement. No matter how many different ways I look at words, that always comes to the front.
- Second, I have to be realistic in my journey. I want to be nothing but encouragement and inspiration, but my husband wants us to pay the bills. For now, at this point in my journey, I have to find ways to bring both aspects to fruition. It may mean longer hours or it may mean that Netflix and I have to take a break, but it can be done if I will make the choices necessary to make it work.
- Third, I have to be realistic in my expectations. What I thought was true about what I am doing is not so true. The people I had been trying to emulate are not me and they did not even turn out to be who I thought they were. I can earn a living wage with words – and those words can be the ones that are motivational and inspirational, but I will have to make some changes and adjustments from where I am right now in this process.
- Fourth, I have to truthful in my review process. I can look over all of my notes from the first couple of months of the year but I don’t have to. I know I have not been engaged in pursuit of my goal. I have shared my plan and bragged on my plan but I have not been doing my plan.
- Fifth, I have to quit holding myself up to the journey others are taking. This is where uniqueness does become valuable. No two people experience the same moment in the same way – so why would I expect two people might experience success in the same way? And would I want to get there the way he or she got there anyway?
- And finally, I have to keep working at it. If I quit then I am done. IT IS THAT SIMPLE. I will only reach my desired word success if I continue to create words.
I am unique – but there are millions of unique people out there – which means that I am not unique. I have to find my own way. I have to pursue my own way. But I also have to remember that I am not alone in that pursuit.
Be blessed,
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