Originality for Beginners: 10 Strategies for Uncovering Your Uniqueness

Guest post written by Barrie Davenport of Live Bold and Bloom.

“Originality is independence, not rebellion; it is sincerity, not antagonism.” ~George Henry Lewes

Most of us are just regular people.

We live our lives in our little corner of the world. We go to work and do our jobs. We spend time with our families, enjoy our hobbies, and put our pants on one leg at a time. We do pretty much the same thing day in and day out, with a few bursts of excitement and drama.

Perhaps in our personal sphere of influence, we are viewed as someone special. We are loved and important to those around us. But we tend to view others who live bigger, bolder lives as the real stand-outs, the true originals.

You might look at these people and wonder how they do it. How did he come up with that great idea? How does she have so much style? How can he be so funny? We all want a dose of whatever these people are drinking, but we can’t seem to find the bar.

These unique people must belong to some special club with privileges and talents unavailable to the rest of us mere mortals.

When we meet these shiny, exceptional people, we tend to view ourselves as boring and prosaic in comparison. No spotlight here please. I have nothing special or interesting to offer the world. There is no way I could ever be that ingenious or brilliant or avante garde. It must be some kind of fortuitous genetic anomaly that accounts for these abilities.

Yes, there are gifted people born with superior intelligence or incredible talent and abilities. There are those with the predisposition for magnetic personalities, a positive outlook on life, and creative expression. But is it their genetic gifts that make these people original and unique?

One of the dictionary definitions for the word original is this: “arising or proceeding independently of anything else.”

According to this idea, a true original means it’s the first and only. For example, the very first blade of grass that ever grew was an original. Or was it? That blade of grass was composed of molecules, cells and chemicals that already existed. The intelligence that created that blade envisioned a new way to combine those elements to create something different, something unique.

Originality isn’t creating something from nothing. Originality is taking what exists and seeing it in a different way.

You’ve heard the expression, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Nothing is truly original. The tools for every new, fresh, bold idea are available to us right here and now. All we really need is vision, passion, and action. You can be gifted and talented, but you may never harness that vision. You can be quite average and make unbelievable contributions to the world.

Arthur Fry is the guy who came up with the idea for Post-It Notes, the yellow slips of paper with adhesive on one end. They are ubiquitous now — cultural icons. Fry received his early education in a one-room rural schoolhouse and had no special advantages growing up. As an adult, he worked for 3M as a researcher in new product development.

Fry was in church when he came up with the idea for sticky notes. He sang in his church choir, and he used slips of paper to mark the pages of his hymnal. When the book was opened, the makeshift bookmarks often moved around or fell out altogether.

On a Sunday in 1974, it occurred to him to use a new adhesive he learned about at work to create a better bookmark. The Post It Note was born. The amazing commercial success of this humble product is undeniable. (Here’s a great article about Arthur Fry and the Post It Note.)

You don’t have to have special talents to be unique. You just need to harness what you have at hand.

If you want some ideas to uncover your own uniqueness, give these a shot:

1. What can you do?

What are the things you are good at doing? It doesn’t have to be something dramatic or earth shattering. Can you cook? Are you a good listener? Can you repair things? What seems simple to you may be complicated or overwhelming for someone else.

2. What do you enjoy?

Having passion and enthusiasm about something provides energy. When you have that energy, you can accomplish much, much more because you aren’t struggling against yourself.

3. Pick something and focus.

Being unique requires some time and effort. Don’t try to be astounding at everything. You’ll be exhausted. Pick one thing right now and focus like a laser on it.

4. See things with new eyes.

We get into ruts and routines, even with the activities we love doing. Ask yourself frequently, “How can I do this differently?” How can I make it more interesting, fun, special, appealing, beautiful, useful, pertinent? Challenge and stretch yourself.

5. Pounce on inspiration.

Just like Arthur Fry, you need to take advantage of inspired ideas. How many times have you said, “I could have done that?” Don’t let these ideas float in and out of your mind. Keep a notebook with you all the time. Write them down. Think them through. Put them into action.

6. Copy ideas.

And then expound on them. Look at what other people have done that seems original and unique to you. How can you change it to make it better or bigger? Remember, nothing is really new. Build on existing material and create something different.

7. Keep learning.

The more knowledge and information you have, the more raw material you accumulate for creativity and inspiration. Become an expert in your field of interest. Read, take classes, ask questions, observe other experts.

8. Be sincere.

Uniqueness just for the sake of being unique is an exercise for the ego. Nothing more. Uniqueness and originality arise from a sincere desire and passion to challenge the status quo, find a better way, express creativity, and satisfy curiosity. Feed the soul, not the ego.

9. Embrace failure.

Before Arthur Fry’s Post It Notes ever made the big time, his idea was rejected several times by 3M and received initial lackluster response from consumers. He believed in the value of these little sticky papers and was persistent. It paid off. Experimentation and failure are part of stepping out of the box. Some things work, some don’t.

10. Become a salesman.

Learn what people want and need. Find the people who share your interests, passions and ideas. Then present your unique ideas and solutions to them. I doubt Sara Blakely, the woman who created Spanx body shapers, sent out an e-blast to a bunch of men. She thought about a real problem (visible panty lines) that is bothersome to a real group of people (all women with butts), and she worked to promote it in front of the largest possible audience of these people (The Oprah Winfrey Show). From panty line problems to a multi-million dollar business.

What’s so unique about that?

If you want to get started on your on unique path, check out these free downloads that will help you get inspired, learn more about your passions and interests, and help you start setting goals to take action.

Barrie Davenport is a life and career coach and the founder of Live Bold and Bloom, a blog about bold and fearless living.

Posted in spilling beans on Tue 2010.06.01