The Painfully Obvious 2-Step Process That Will Help You Stand Out

The first step to standing out is fitting in.

Many have risen to the challenge. They have trained for months, properly nourished their bodies, and endured 26.2 miles of their feet incessantly pounding against solid concrete. With perseverance, resilience, and an uncommon desire to move their legs for almost five hours straight, they have completed a marathon.

Now, imagine doing all this while crawling instead of running?! This is exactly what Devon Lavesque plans to do.

Devon Lavesque is currently training for the New York City Marathon in late 2020. But unlike most marathon participants, he’ll move on all fours. While most runners get lower body soreness, Devon gets both lower and upper body aches. He has to withstand the mental and physical pain associated with crawling 26.2 miles.

But instead of highlighting his determination and will to succeed in this piece, I’d rather talk about why I even know who Devon Lavesque is. How was this gym owner from Jersey City able to crawl into the mind of somebody sitting in his brother’s childhood bedroom hundreds of miles away? The answer is painfully obvious.

Choose Something that Many People Do in One Particular and Specific Way

The first step to standing out is fitting in. But how do you fit in? Two helpful criteria: First, find an incredibly well-known activity. Second, find an activity that many people do with a similar framework. Thousands and thousands of people run marathons each year. This is a prime candidate.

Look for a traditional or standard activity. If you want to start a business, think about industries that have always done something a certain way. Understand as much as you can about how the majority have done it and are still doing it; you’ll be one step closer to standing out. Now, you’re ready to disrupt the norm.

Unabashedly Make This Activity Your Own

After choosing the very common medium of running, Devon then had to consider how to make it his own. He had to decide how to zig while everybody else zags. With this mindset, he thought of bear crawling the entire 26.2 miles. He could have chosen skipping, leap frogging, going backwards, or something completely different, and he would have immediately stood out from the rest of the crowd.

Dave Burd, more popularly known as rapper Lil’ Dicky, recently came out with a TV series that loosely documents his rise to rap prominence. When discussing the why and how behind his rise to fame, Burd mentioned how he used this painstakingly simple two-step process to stand out. He stated that many rappers were getting rich by sharing how much money they make, how nice of cars they drive, and how much success they achieve.

He wanted to talk about something completely different, so he talked about the opposite. He raps about his insecurities, his daily anxiety, and his failures in life, much more than his successes. He wanted to change the rap game, and he did.

Final Thought

To close up, I want to highlight one thing about standing out: You must do it for the right reasons. Lavesque is bear crawling to raise money for FitOps, an organization to help veterans maintain mental health through fitness. Lil’ Dicky wanted to change the rap game so aspiring young rappers didn’t think they had to always follow the same path, which often dovetails from their true selves.

First, understand why you desire to stand out. Then, figure out how to fit in. Then, make it your own. Best of luck on your endeavors!

I use my imagitivetation to imagine, interpret, create and implement the life of my dreams. Join me to live yours.