Be Different to be Successful

Success often comes from being different; but how can you become different in the first place.

1. Become Conscious of the Need to be Different. As a child, most people want to be accepted, and there is a natural tendency to conform, to be accepted. The problem is that conforming can become habit forming; and by making life easier for yourself as a child, you may have made it more difficult to succeed as an adult. Recognising this fact, and taking conscious steps to go outside of your comfort zone as an adult, can be a good way to break the habit of being too conforming.

2. Play Devils Advocate more. Disagreeing with others can have it's down side; but by arguing a point of view that opposes your own viewpoint, you are forced to look at issues from a perspective you may not have otherwise considered.

3. Always Look Outside the Box. It doesn't take much effort to base your decisions in life on whatever information comes to you easily. Whatever people and experiences you interact with; they will be the factors you naturally give weight to. There are however, always many more experiences and people who are not on your radar, and not affecting you. If you put an effort into seeking out other experiences and people, who are different; your viewpoint may change.

4. Become a Lateral Thinker. Analyze situations before making decisions; by considering all of the possible ways you might approach an issue, and all of the possible outcomes that may result.

5. Choose a Different Education. Most people study the same or similar courses at similar institutions; but when you study a different combination of subjects, or in a different way; your collective mix of knowledge and understanding becomes different to others. There is an argument that a course must be good if 10,000 people have studied it; but in reality, that means you have 10,000 people with a similar learning experience who you need to compete with. In reality, a person who has studied something that only 100 others have studied, will have only 1% as much competition.

6. Look at What others do; and Do Something Different. Don't choose mainstream career opportunities, because that is likely to turn you into a "mainstream" worker. The most successful careers more often belong to those who do something a little different.