Unique – a Blessing or a Curse?
“I will not follow where the path may lead,
but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.”
– Muriel Strode
Do you feel pulled in different directions when a new bright shiny object appears in your life? Are you compelled to jump on the bandwagon, right along with thousands of other people who also think that new bright shiny object is a fantastic idea?
Or does it occur to you that you may very well get swallowed up in a sea of sameness by taking that route, following a plan, a design, a roadmap of coloring between the lines, painting by numbers? You might make an easy and obvious assumption that there is only one way, the Right Way to succeed with this new bright shiny object, and you choose to get on board.
That route, that conclusion, that approach suits many people perfectly. It is unlikely it suits YOU though. “Why,” you ask? Something about monetizing your knowledge through your how-to tips captured your attention, enough that you are reading this article, that’s why.
It’s unique, not conforming to society at large.
You embrace your uniqueness, on some level. At the very least, you explore ways to uniquely express your gifts, skills, and talents if you have yet to fully embrace the gifts of your uniqueness,
In recently celebrating the 33rd anniversary of Tips Products Publishing Agency’s birth, a personal statement of mine surfaced in a course I was taking. The statement turns out to be a common thread describing this company and my prior two careers:
My passions and expertise overlap in teaching the uniqueness of the product and its delivery method.
This brings me joy. It’s how I’m wired (I almost wrote “weird” there!! – okay, sometimes it may seem that way, and so what?). It took me a while to value and love my uniqueness, Rarely has it been a smooth road. After all, it’s a NEW road with bumps and obstacles along the way. Yes, it takes educating people as something new is introduced, whether it’s a new use of an existing concept, or bringing disparate entities together to form something different.
On balance, those of us (often first-borns in our family) who thrive on uniqueness see it more as a blessing and tend to take the curse part of it as part of the deal, and a much smaller part of the overall experience. Getting swallowed up in a sea of sameness is almost a fate worse than death!
Many people think the only way to gain real credibility is to author a book and sell it one copy at a time. That is actually only one format among many, and one way among many to sell not only your book, but endless other delivery formats of your expertise both online and offline. My path to credibility is having sold over TWO MILLION copies of one tips booklet in multiple languages and formats without spending a penny on advertising. I’ve never written a 200-page book and see no reason for it on my journey.
If you are tempted to explore your uniqueness, you can do it in small steps. No need to start by taking a deep dive into the pool. Wherever you are on your path, there are publications, services, and articles we have to safely support your Growth, complete with humor at no extra charge! See for yourself at www.TipsProducts.com
© Paulette Ensign 2024
