Brad Szollose said, “If you really want the key to success, start by doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing.”
Companies like Apple, Starbucks, and Southwest Airlines have had tremendous success because they took the road less traveled, they did things differently. Leaders such as Reed Hastings (Netflix co-founder and CEO), Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO), and Larry Page (Google co-founder and CEO), succeeded because they took a novel approach to how they live their lives, and how they run their companies.
You have to take an innovative approach if you want to stand out, otherwise…you’ll get lost in the background. If you’re not distinctive, you’ll be forgotten, and no one wants to be forgotten.
So here’s a list of 45 ways in which you can separate yourself from the pack!
Instead of:
- Following all the rules, try breaking some rules
- Meeting expectations, exceed expectations
- Being good at everything, be great at one thing
- Thinking small, think big
- Executing your plan tomorrow, execute it today
- Wishing for it, ask for it
- Telling the facts, tell a story
- Being negative, be positive
- Feeling overwhelmed, feel well able to accomplish the task
- Following the crowd, be the first to take a new approach
- Being different, be better
- Rushing, take your time
- Thinking short-term, think long-term
- Being like everyone else, be yourself
- Spending, save
- Being informational, be inspirational
- Looking away, maintain eye contact
- Being quiet, ask a question
- Having lunch with friends, have lunch with someone new
- Talking too much, be quiet
- Procrastinating, act right now
- Blending in, stand out
- Doing it slow, do it fast
- Thinking you can’t, think you can
- Charging a fee, give it away
- Being silent, introduce yourself
- Feeling insecure, feel entitled
- Dressing for comfort, dress for success
- Playing it safe, take a risk
- Being shy, be bold
- Giving up, work harder
- Speaking quietly, speak loudly
- Being absorbed with yourself, be absorbed with others
- Having poor posture, stand erect
- Being an introvert, be an extrovert
- Frowning, smile
- Being selfish, be generous
- Expecting to fail, expect to succeed
- Sending an e-mail, stop by and visit
- Avoiding failure, fail forward
- Taking up as little space as possible, take up as much space as possible
- Watching television, read a book
- Avoiding conflict, become a peace broker
- Saying yes, say no
- Saying no, say yes