Miss Destructo

My creative Twitter friend, Miss Destructo is the guest blogger today:

I can fondly remember back to my senior year of college at the University of Tampa, I was like any other upcoming graduate…SCARED of “THE BEYOND”. Very scared of what the future held because I knew I would soon be in debt with student loans and out in “the real world” looking for a job in a tough economic time. I put this in the back of my mind until one day when I was making the daily route to the student mail room, I passed a job fair in progress. There was a very well dressed gentleman at the door who I passed on my way to the mailboxes, he stopped me on the way with the comment “Hey, I love those shoes…” I was wearing my beat up old, bright red cordoroy converse knock offs which somehow triggered a long conversation on his own collection of odd shoes. Half deep in a comment about my past in event promotions and how I was graduating soon, he said “I’m actually starting up this graphic design company and would love to have someone like you on board to help out with… no need for an interview” I was speechless, here I was standing among a huge crowd of sharply dressed fellow future graduates, all with polished resumes in tow and the tall, lanky gal with bright red hair and matching shoes is getting an on the spot job offer. I ended up not taking the job, but I made a friend that day and the priceless, new knowledge on how to beat my fears of “THE BEYOND”.

To conquer the feeling of the “Beyond” you have to be “Above and Beyond”…. If you look at the most successful people throughout history, most have something uniquely special about them that makes them stand out….

Here’s some tips on how to stand out of a crowd.

1. Be Yourself- Being six feet tall and having blue hair has helped me quite a bit in the whole “standing out of a crowd” area, but honestly for the longest time I hated my height due to comments like “Hey, is there a flood?” and was publicly ridiculed over my extreme hair color. I have learned that if you accentuate your oddities the people you want to connect with will be drawn to you like a magnet. I love showing off my long legs now (even moving up the the realm of high heels) and I couldn’t stand not having blue tresses…they are what people first notice when I walk into a room. Whether you have an odd voice, a unique physical trait, a colorful personal style, a special talent or an addiction to yams. Make it known!

2. Be Loud- Now, this doesn’t mean going around and yelling at everyone on how to do things. It’s about creating a voice (online or offline) that is unique and a point of inspiration for others. Let people know that you exist, seek out those with simliar interests and connect with as many people as possible. Become a well known voice on a topic… get out there and make a speech. Be seen and HEARD.

3. Be A Superhero- Keep that cape in your closet, we are talking about being a real life superhero. People need heroes, especially in these hard times. Help out people in need… Have a buddy that needs a job? Connect him with someone that can help, you never know that person may end up being the next Richard Branson. Give advice, get advice and always stick up for the little guy. In a world where everything is very superficial, showing that you have compassion for others is a rare trait nowadays.

4. Be Human- Being a superhero doesn’t mean being superhuman, as I have a fear of driving caused by a car accident and not the best skin in the world due to Psorasis. We all have those things we’d rather not talk about. But i’ve found that letting people see your faults and how you’ve dealt with them, people get a sense that you have no fear and nothing to hide. I also have found by letting the world know you aren’t perfect, inspires other people out there with the same problems to come out of hiding. I most of my fan mail is people asking for advice on their similar issues… Life is all about connecting with other human beings, don’t let being human stop you from connecting with life.

Above all, don’t stand out of the crowd, be the main attraction. Make the crowd stand around you!

Scott asks some interesting questions:

• What’s the “867-5309” of the entrepreneurial world?
• But you also say in the book that you only need one great success to be remembered — that they remember you for your success, not your failures.
• You say a few things in the book that flaunt conventional wisdom, for example, “Having too much will make you stupid.”
• The book is an obvious must-read for someone who’s recently experienced a business failure. Why should someone riding the wave of success read it?

This is what it is to “Bounce!” in business. Make a short celebration of your victory OR feel sorry for your failure. But then focus your energy on what is coming next. It really does get you ready for your next great success. Focus on this long term cycle. It will give you the true business confidence that ultimately, in the long run, determines who succeeds.