“You change the world by being yourself.”
~Yoko Ono
It seems everyone wants to stand out from the crowd these days. They want to have that viral article, they want one billion social media followers, they want to have an impact, they want to make a difference.
They run around copying each others YouTube Videos, Medium articles, social media posts, and even day to day conversations!
One thing allows you to always stand out in all of this. There’s a reason some pieces of popcorn “pop” and but most don’t.
Know what it is?
It’s not making YouTube videos about Instagram tips & tricks.
It’s not writing Medium articles with traveling pictures.
It’s not posting inspirational quotes on Twitter.
It’s not about Snapchat Filters.
You know what really makes a person stand out?
One word.
HONESTY.
When you speak from your truth people show up at your door. When you really express who you are, what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and connect to all things human that are you, people get excited quickly.
All the other stuff. It’s fluff. It’s cute fluff. Some folks like cute fluff. It’s good short term. But the real, hardcore, truth about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it is what will make you not just achieve your goals, but be a leader among the masses (if you choose to be).
Be honest about your quirks, your flaws, your strengths, your weaknesses, and by all means give someone something they can relate to.
People want to be inspired.
Believe it or not, when you’re showing all your flaws and failures it in turn makes you look even cooler when you do deliver that slick Instagram photo or “on brand” looking YouTube Video. People want to take that journey with you.
Show them truth in an often dishonest world.
All you have to do is sit back and start doing your reading, writing, and arithmetic from your inner truth. Do it with honesty. Make it real. Make people laugh. Make them cry. Make them dance. Then they’ll open their wallet. They’ll click “follow”. You’ll inspire because you made them feel something.
I come from an acting background. The most successful actors became movie stars for a reason. Know what that reason is?
Honesty.
When they took the stage or the camera lit up they would speak from their inner soul.
Wow could we ever use more of that these days.
There’s 15 million videos on YouTube about how to be a YouTube star. There’s 10 million articles on Medium about how to go viral. This is noise. Not truth.
Stop trying to look cool. Stop copying what others are doing and what all the brand experts are telling you. Just do you.
The more you do that, the more you’ll find what you’re looking for.
I promise.
See you soon.
By Geoff Pilkington
You can connect with me at: www.geoffreypilkington.com
Originally published at medium.com