The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given

Struggling to figure out your go to strategy for success? Unsure of what will work and what won’t?

First things first, you have to look at yourself. There is no better place to begin.

I’m 25. I’m still young and still on a journey towards what I want to achieve in my lifetime.

However, I have already faced many things in that short time that have forced me to grow up.

I feel I have learned a lot along the way and will continue to do so as I push further forward.

It’s exciting to know I’m on a more positive path now than the one I was on previously.

I’m thankful to have been given and to have listened to many insightful pieces of advice to help me on that path to what I want and to who I want to eventually become.

But in this post, I wish to share just one piece of advice with you. The best of the best.

An insightful thought that sticks in my mind, more so now than ever before, because I’ve finally chosen to listen and let it work for me.

Hopefully, you will take it on board a lot quicker than I did and allow it to have the same positive effect on you as I allowed it to have on me.

Just because you’re here, I am more than certain you will do.

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To succeed at anything, you must be willing to stand freely away from the crowd.

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So simple, yet so effective in the message it presents.

Really think about it for a moment.

I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone playing it safe in their chosen field or in anything they were hoping to achieve without doing just that. It’s unheard of.

You have to be willing to steer clear of what everyone else is willing to do and go above and beyond.

To simplify that sentiment further, just STAND OUT.

By that, it doesn’t mean become reckless or obnoxious in your path to success, but to know there is something unique in what you have to offer.

Everyone is different. Everyone has something about them that differs from their friends, family members, and even from their work colleagues or school friends.

It’s that something special that only YOU have to offer the world. That unique factor. A driving force, if you will, that will set you apart from others who may be looking to do the same thing you are.

For any Marvel or DC fans out there, consider it your single most important superpower.

It’s incredible to think about, right?

But listen when I say, it is no way easy to achieve right away.

It really isn’t. I know that better than anybody.

There have been days in the past, even up until recently, where I have allowed that fear of stepping beyond my comfort zone to take over and get in the way.

All that taught me was that fear will always halt success.

Don’t get me wrong; sometimes fear can be a good thing. That’s a good fear, anyway.

The right type of fear can seep through and be a motivator to allow you to further the process you are taking.

However, the other side of fear—the bad fear—will stop you in your tracks like it did for me.

It is important to recognise the difference between the two types of fear and learn how to use them so you can turn them into a powerful tool for personal growth and to go on to achieve more.

You shouldn’t be afraid to be yourself.

For me, I went through periods of lacking confidence where that side of things was concerned. Mainly stemming from my time in secondary school where, let’s face it, being like everyone else, is what people would strive for.

However, despite my best efforts, I could never quite be like everybody else.

I never was one for conformity.

But that ‘offence’, in their eyes anyway, then opened me up to judgements and disparaging words.

I let people’s opinions discourage me from what I wanted to do at times.

Looking back, I want to shake the old me and say, “What have others got to do with what I have to offer and what I could achieve?”

I’ve realised people only really put down and try to hold back what they don’t understand.

I grew up being labelled as ‘weird‘ and ‘odd‘.

When you’re growing up, it’s easy to see those terms as negatives towards yourself, especially from those around who may share that same opinion, but honestly, now that I’m older, I’m glad to now see it as the positive it is.

I’d rather be weird and stand out from everyone else than get lost in an ever growing crowd of people.

After all, for someone weird, I’m not doing too bad for myself.

Saying that, most of those you see and admire were probably once labelled as the same.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson? Considered weird as a kid. Now one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and someone who inspires millions of people daily.

Ed Sheeran? The exact same. Classed as odd when he was younger. Now selling out and performing on stadium tours…worldwide.

See? The difference in you is what will set you apart from others. Fitting in with what is considered the ‘norm’ should never be an option again.

Use this as your sign to push forward with what you are trying to achieve, but by using that unique factor within you to do so.

Celebrate it. Be proud of it.

After all the years I didn’t, I am glad to be doing so now.

Would I go back to my teenage years and speed up the process if I could?

No. Definitely not.

I had to go through what I did to grow and to learn what I really had within me.

But I’m telling you now to help you at whatever point you feel you are at right now. To avoid the same mistakes I made.

Being different will be where you begin to see success happen. It’s important to embrace your uniqueness and use it to your advantage. It will set you apart from others and lead to new opportunities. Don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things that align with your individuality.

“No one is you and that is your biggest power. “

Dave Grohl

What are you trying to achieve at this moment in time? Are you using that unique factor to your advantage? If not, what can you do from now on to do so?

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What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Let me know in the comments.