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Whenever I hear any variation of the phrase “Everyone is unique”, I cringe. Despite what most people may claim to believe, I do not find this statement to be true. It’s just something that people say to make boring people feel better about themselves. I suppose that everyone is technically different, but that hardly makes everyone unique. I define being unique as being memorable and worth talking about (and preferably in a good way).

To me, following the same trends and fashions because everyone else is doing it does not make one unique. When I’m trying to get to know someone, I hate when I ask what kind of music he listens to and he replies “Everything”. Really? Really, dude? Everything? Way to go out on a limb and stick out. “Everything” is the least unique answer anyone could ever give.

I understand that things become popular for a reason — a great mass of people can relate to them. But when you never step outside the realm of popularity, you become very uncool.

This is something that applies to the business world as well. If you’re following the same trends as others in your industry, how can you expect to stand out? When you cease to be innovative and gutsy, you cease to be unique. What if Google had decided to play it safe and do things more in line with what other search engines were doing? You’d still be hopping between Yahoo! and AltaVista (Why would we do want to do that? Google is awesome!)

Part of being unique is having a passion for something.

Don’t read a book just because it’s a classic. Read it because it interests you. Don’t be afraid to pick up American Psycho instead of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Don’t buy that Beatles CD because everyone tells you that they’re the best band of all time. If you think they suck, then they do. And in my world, they do!

Do you really want to be just like everyone else? The majority of people are boring. All too often, I catch myself meeting the same person over and over again in different people. But every once in a while, I meet someone who’s truly one of a kind. And that’s the kind of person who is memorable and worth talking about (and in a good way).

When you’re afraid to be unique, you are afraid to brand yourself. And right now, that’s the last thing you need to be afraid to do.

I want to start off by saying that I personally enjoyed my last post titled What Are You Scared Of?. I enjoyed that post because although it had a serious message, the delivery started out light and comical. Maybe you’d find the post stupid. Or the humor ridiculous.

But that’s who I am. I like a little funny in my life. I’ve been told from time to time that my humor is a little odd. And I laugh at some of the strangest things. And not everyone gets it. But surely someone will. I know a few who do.

I’ve been thinking about balance lately, and it seems to be something I’ve always struggled with. Just look at how my blog started off. So serious. Always serious. That’s cool if I’m in a serious mood, but if I’m not…

There is a time and place for everything. Seriousness and humor are no different. I know when to be serious, and I know when I can be silly. No one wants to hear a knock-knock joke at a funeral. And no one wants to hear about how well your business did in the fourth quarter when you’re all hanging out at the local comedy club. It’s all about balance.

Ever wondered why the Joker is one of our favorite villains? Because he knew how to balance business and personality.

The beautiful thing about social media, at least in my humble opinion, is that although you may be a professional and an expert in your niche, you still have the opportunity to show people that you are an individual. A real person. Unless your blog’s a diary, you don’t want to spend too much of your time talking about your wife and your kids and your dog and how your car breaks down every other day and how your commute on the subway sucks. But if you can tie it in to a post relevant to your topic, maybe you give people an opportunity to connect with you. Personally. Subconsciously.

But also, don’t talk about your subject as if you’re writing a dissertation. Don’t use a monotonous tone. Don’t be afraid to shake it up and nudge people a little bit to see if they’re paying attention. Keep their interest. Remember that they’re not consuming just your information. They’re consuming your personality too, because you know there’s a damn good chance they could get their information from someone else if they wanted to.

Don’t spend your time being a robot. There are too many other people doing that. Be somebody. Keep it real, homey!

Believe it or not, in high school I was a decent writer. But somewhere along the way I began worrying more about style than substance. Who gives a care about your grammar and punctuation and capitalization if you have nothing to say? No one, that’s who. So now it’s time to break free.

The truth is, I’ve been scared. Scared that I’m going to say or do something that might anger someone and demolish an opportunity. And my fear was making me a robot. I was going through the motions, forfeiting personality so that I could do what I thought was expected. Being a good little worker bee in the worker hive. By trying to please everyone, I’ve impressed no one.

But I can’t do it anymore. I have to let myself shine through.

Doing what everyone else is doing is going to get you nowhere. Your humor, your insight, your voice are going to get you somewhere. You’re an individual, and you’ve got to show it. Balance yourself.