Different is good …

Lately I have been thinking a lot about courage.  Particularly the courage to be your true self and bring your whole genius to the world. The courage it takes to risk standing out, being a bit different.  Or even a lot!

It frustrates me massively when I see people who have something really special to share with the world, and they hide it away, for fear of being thought a bit odd.  The thing is, being thought unusual is great – it means you don’t have so much competition!

Don’t compete on price …

People don’t pay premium prices for Apple products because they are the same as everyone else. They pay more because they can only get that unique blend of form and function from Apple. Because Lenovo, HP and Acer Windows PCs are so similar, they end up scrabbling around trying to stuff in as much functionality as possible for a given price.  Meanwhile, Apple get to make a margin that lets them comfortably match or outperform their generic rivals.

When you insist on playing safe by fitting in, you become the Windows laptop of your business.  Something that anyone else can do. And they’re probably able (or at least willing) to do it cheaper, so you end up competing on price. That’s no fun!

There will be challenges …

Of course, when you are willing to stand out a bit there is a good chance people will disagree with you.  They may even ridicule you for wanting to do your great work your way. And some of them will probably refuse to work with you too.  But do you really want to work with people who don’t like the way you prefer to work? So those ‘customers’ aren’t really any great loss.

Especially when the people who do like the way you work are also willing to pay more to work with you. After all, you are probably the only person they know who they can get that from. So not only are they more fun to work with, you get better paid too.

Different is better …

And here’s the really important thing: you stand out because you do things differently.  And you’re not being different for its own sake, are you? You’re different because you believe your way works better. So the clients you get to work with are more fun, you receive more money, AND the clients get better results.  What’s not to like?

Oh yes – a little bit of conflict, or disrespect. But wouldn’t it be a crying shame to deprive you and your lovely clients of the fun and results you know you can create together, just to stay normal?

Go on, I dare you: be different, be you!

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Andrew Horder
Andrew Horder

Founder of Joyful Genius Coaching, Andrew has been working with business owners for many years, helping them find and maintain their unique focus - those activities and opportunities that they love, and will produce their success, what Andrew calls your Joyful Genius! Andrew's first book, The A to Z of Loving Work is available from Amazon And if you fancy showing a little appreciation for Andrew's content, feel free to gift something from this Amazon WishList

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