"Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Do what you need to do!" - - Futurist Jim Carroll
I'm in the final stretches of finishing off my Being Unique book, and it has been a project - I'm about 1 1/2 years into it, and in the meantime, released 3 other books! (Embracing Mediocrity, Escaping Mediocrity, and Dancing in the Rain!)
While the work is focused on the urgency of uniqueness as a strategic advantage, I realized I had left out a crucial part of the conversation: the human cost of being different.
Here's where I am - the first ten chapters are mostly written, and are high-energy. They are the call to action, the blueprint, and the payoff: I cover some inspirational stories of unique people, give you the toolkit for unique thinking, and show you the economic rewards of niche skills in the global market. But what happens after the initial victory? How do you keep your uniqueness intact when the world is constantly pushing you back toward conformity?
You don't just win the battle against conformity once; you have to fortify your uniqueness every single day.
And trust me, it's a battle!
One of the first steps is not to worry about what everyone else is doing, what everyone else is telling you to do, what everyone else is giving you advice on.
It's doing what you need to do.
With that in mind, I've decided to add a new chapter, which will be the penultimate chapter of the book: "Sustaining and Fortifying Uniqueness." This chapter is the emotional and psychological scaffolding that the rest of the strategy rests upon. It transitions from the "how-to" to the "how-to-survive-long-term."
And as of today, it seems that the role model that will open the chapter will be... get ready ... Lady Gaga! She's the perfect model for being unique, the power of being unique, and what to do to guard your uniqueness!
The reality of being unique is that it comes with immense pressure, a heavy psychological toll, and difficult relationship dynamics. This new chapter will guide you through the three essential pillars for protecting your unique self
First is managing the psychological toll. Being unique has a lot of rewards, but it takes a lot of work! Uniqueness often means loneliness and chronic self-doubt, and you need tools to manage it. You need to be in the right headspace to be unique.
Second is building a 'fortifying network.' A unique person needs a deep, protective network that validates their path, rather than one that judges it. They need to surround themselves with other unique people who will support them, rather than distract them.
And the third involves sustaining momentum and preventing burnout. This new third pillar is all about focusing on the tactical, mechanical side of long-term uniqueness—the energy management and strategic withdrawal necessary to keep the engine running, rather than letting the unique path lead to collapse. That seems kind of critical, no?
With that, I'm back into the grind of the book - most of the other chapters are already close to done, I need to write this, and then it goes to my wife for the sometimes complex process of editing.
Stay tuned!
Being Unique will mark Jim's 43rd or 44th book; he plans on going back and checking the math!