I want you to make fun of me, please!

I was listening to some audio this week and something that the speaker said really caught my attention.  They said, “Be a person with unique habits”.  I am not talking about the weird habits here.  You know the weird habits I am talking about that people have.  No.  I am talking about the good habits that add value to yourself and to others.

After hearing that, I then had this interaction which further makes the point.

I was talking to a good friend of mine.  His mission is to add value to others.  He has recently started a blog and a podcast. He is putting in the effort and really making it a point to add value to his peers and those who are around him.  He adds a lot of value to my life.  While speaking with him he tells me how he told one of his colleagues about his blog and his podcast.  His colleague replied to him and said, “I wouldn’t tell anyone else that you are doing those things.”  My friend said “Why Not?”.  I think his colleague said something like everyone will make fun of you. There may have been something else his colleague said, but that was the gist of it.  My friend, being a person of high character and high ambition, obviously responded with a, I don’t care what you say, I will share with as many people who will listen.

Just like my good friend, we both want to be made fun of because of our unique habits.  What makes habits unique?  They are the habits that most people don’t have.

For example:

• Some people think that an overly positive person about everything is kind of weird.  Why?  because most people are negative about everything.  So when they see a person that is really positive it is unique.
• My friend Paul and I are really really early risers. He has told me about people making fun of his habit of getting up early.  He does it everyday.  He gets up early and has changed his health significantly because of his workout routine.  He has changed jobs and been promoted in less than a year in that job, and is now a leader in our community with a very prominent organization.  And he takes care of his family, writes, speaks, and makes others around him better because they know him.
• I have a colleague that really over plans.  She is awesome.  One of the best trainers I know.  She makes everyone she comes across better, because of her over planning.

The three examples of above are considered unique and the people who do these things consistently get made fun of.   Matter of fact I have made fun of the over planning before, but that individual is better than me when it comes to delivery of specific training situations.

What are your unique habits?  Are you doing things that people make fun of you for?  Again, I am not talking about the crazy stuff like when you get nervous, you put your hands under your arm pits, or when you get challenged a little, you run away.  I am talking about unique habits that make you better and more productive.

If you are doing what everyone else does, you are average or below average at best, but when you are doing things that are against the grain and different or unique you have the ability to be different and make a contribution.  Steve Jobs did things that were different and changed the world. Uber is doing things that are different and they are changing an industry.  So please make fun of my unique habits.  It actually pushes me to find more.

To your success and your future.