Same Difference

Who doesn’t want to fit in? The fact is most of us grew up trying very hard to fit in. Although in today’s busy world, we’re told the only way to experience real success is to be different, to stand out from all the rest! So which is it?

Recently I met a ton (no pun intended) of awesome people in Naples, Florida at my Make it Matter sales training program. They were all the same (Directors of Physician Outreach) but were also very different. That’s where I had my AHA moment! The more I got to know each of them, the more I saw how each of them stands-out in their own very unique and powerful way.

Most of us were programmed at an early age to fit in. Today we’re told in order to be successful we must be different and stand out from all the rest! In his book Purple Cow – Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, Seth Godin promotes just that…the importance of standing out! It makes sense! The real question is why and how did we ever buy-in to the fitting-in copy-cat rule?

Moreover, the incredible people in my life, past and present are the ones who are different, who stand out from the crowd in many wonderful and different ways! I’m not saying they’re louder, brighter, or smarter! I’m saying they’re true to themselves, which makes them different, and being different makes “the” difference!

What do you think is better, fitting in or standing out? Is it possible to stand out in a GREAT way, while fitting in so that we don’t alienate the people or business we’re trying to attract? How can we stand out and fit in? Would that make us the “same difference”?

I love a good oxymoron. I like saying oxymoron… maybe because it feels like a legal curse word! Here are a few additional oxymorons I find amusing:

• Awfully Pretty
• Cold Sweat
• Calculated Risk
• Barely Dressed
• Adult Children
• Cowardly Lion
• Easy Problem
• Free Rent
• Holy Crap
• Restless Sleep
• Routine Surgery
• Sinfully Good
• Sitting Up
• Speed Limit
• Strangely Familiar
• Stunted Growth
• Sure Guess
• Sweet Tart
• True Story
• Twelve Ounce Pound Cake
• Uninvited Guest
• Wicked Good

So the next time you’re trying to fit in, give the world a gift and just be YOU. We all stink and fail at trying to be someone else. The one thing we’re complete experts at is being ourselves. When you stay true to your own purple and pink polka-dot, black, white, or green unique YOU, you have all the ingredients to stand out… and fit it, but mostly to be the perfect same difference!