How to be outstanding, when you don’t stand out

The Company Connector Ltd

We all know people who have faced and overcome an adversity or because they have achieved something that most of us believe to be out of reach.

This was brought home to me when I was invited to speak at a Charity event a few years ago.

Once I’d agreed to take part, I saw the list of speakers and found myself alongside a Gold Medal Paralympian, a quadriplegic fundraiser and a disabled mountaineering guide, so I had a challenge to stand out! Now I come from a stable family background.

We had a good family income and I benefited from a marginally above average education.

As you can, see I had my own tricycle and a huge garden to play in. Like many, my life hasn’t been without challenges, but these were generally First World Problems such as being publicly ridiculed by my Dad for asking for a Crème de Menthe, at age 13, on a First-Class flight.

Despite this lack of adversity, I seem to have made a pretty good fist of my career and I put this down to attempting to find ways to stand out from the crowd.

The speakers I shared a stage with all stood out because, as well as coping with whatever life had handed them, they do one or more of these things:

They make a difference

They enquire

They are informed

They influence others

They are the ‘Go To’ Girl or Guy

They have a personality

So, with that in mind, I would suggest that those of us who do live a blessed existence, need to work that little bit harder to stand out from the crowd.

But if you look for it I’m sure you can find that ‘thing’ that marks you as someone special and worth remembering.

I look forward to reading your thoughts or experiences on this subject …