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7 Ways to Be a Different Blogger and Stand Out From the Crowd

Keller Hawthorne | May 19, 2010 | 10 Comments
Blogging 101
7 Ways to Be a Different Blogger and Stand Out From the Crowd

If you want to be a successful blogger, rule #1, strive to be different.

You don’t hear “be different” as a means to blogging success very often, but let that not distract you from the message – Be Different! If you want to know how to make money blogging and be an online marketing success, enter these search terms on the internet – you’ll find about 17 million answers waiting for you (I just checked it out a minute ago). Most of them recommend the exact opposite of being different. They tell you for true success just do what everybody else has done before you.

Why Be Different?

Because it pays. Take TV pundits for example. We don’t need to know how many TV pundits the readers of this article know, to know with absolute certainty that each of them is different. Because TV pundits are not known because they are good or bad – we’d have a fight on our hands if we graded them! – but because each is different. Ditto for famous bloggers.

Sure, to be different requires time and effort. It’s a hassle, gets you outside of your comfort zone, and carries with it the risk of making you unpopular. But so does everything else worth having in life. Just consider the alternative – to be like everybody else for the rest of your life – to realize the price to pay for being different is in fact a once in a lifetime bargain.

You Don’t Need To Be Different To Be Different – Just Be Yourself

Most people find it hard to be different, hence few are. For me, being different can get outright scary at times. Had to learn to kick my butt all by myself – not an easy thing to do given my knees bend the same way as everyone else’s. The good news is you don’t need to be different to be different… you only need to be yourself. When you are yourself, you are different. Just be yourself – and bingo!

7 Easy Ways to Be Different and Stand Out From the Crowd

1. Act As If

Or as Shakespeare put it, “Assume the virtue if you have it not.” Within the confines of this article I cannot tell you how or why “act as if” works, but the fact that it’s number 1 on the list ought to tell you something about its effectiveness. Not to mention Shakespeare thinks it’s a good idea too, but having done so already… let’s move on.

2. Small Steps Now Rather Than Big Steps Later

If you could be different, how would you do it? Jump with the first idea that comes to mind. By jumping, I mean do it. You don’t learn so that you can then do – that’s an anxiety reaction and an avoidance behavior – you learn by doing (or you’ll never learn at all). If your first ideas at being different don’t work, simply discard them and try new ones until you hit some home runs.

3. Embrace Who You Are

Sooner or later everybody grows tired of playing games, of wearing disguises and otherwise striving to be someone other than themselves (some sooner, some later). The only difference is in what people do next – feel defeated or feel inspired.

To experience the freedom of just being accepted for who you are requires you to embrace your uniqueness and resist the pull to be like everyone else. Nobody can do it for you. It’s an embrace you just must bring yourself to do to… yourSELF. You are already a unique individual – it’s just a matter of daring to accept it and act upon it.

4. Learn To Be Comfortable Outside Of Your Comfort Zone

If you resist being different because it makes you feel uncomfortable, chances are that further down the road you’ll end up very uncomfortable indeed. But if your goal is to be different, chances are you’ll end up very comfortable. It’s a law of nature, not much you or I can do anything about. In the long run, not doing what you’re afraid will hurt you, will hurt you more than doing it.

5. Learn To Handle Criticism

While you should always encourage constructive criticism, never take it personally. It very rarely is personal. Everyone who dares to be different gets the same type of criticism.

You may receive negative feedback from someone who just wants to be heard. Maybe she or he is having one of those days. Maybe their pet just died. In this case, you might want to ask the magic question – “what will make you happy?” – or use some other conflict defusing technique, but most of all keep in mind the big picture. You chose to do what you do, and you love doing it.

Yes, your reputation is always on the line and if criticism is voiced for the sole purpose of trying to hurt and make you feel bad, you may want to respond in kind, but in the long run you’ll never regret taking the high road. It also helps to stop seeking approval, to set your own standards and be your own judge. Ask yourself, “Am I a people pleaser or do I honor my own dreams and goals?”

6. Information versus Transformation

Every time two people connect, the outcome is either transactional or transformational. Transactional – talking about the weather, providing information, giving directions, that sort of stuff – has its purpose. But for the purpose of learning to be different, the better strategy is to be transformational.

When was the last time you found yourself not just informed, but transformed, by new information, or by old information presented in a new way? Use it as a model and start transforming people, the world and – you’ll find soon enough – yourself.

7. Practice, Practice, Practice

The Blogosphere offers infinite possibilities and opportunities to be spontaneous and hone your “be different” craft – blogging, commenting, linking, interviewing and guest posting to name a few. Mistakes are just that – missed takes. Discard the not so good ones and keep the best.

In closing, a word of caution: Being different requires courage. If at all possible, never be different on courage alone; always mix it up with consideration. Always be courageous and considerate – you’ll never look back with regrets.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Beat is a personal development expert, coach, motivational speaker and creator of the “Beattitude System” – a complete system to harness the power within. Add excitement to your life – take action. More at http://beatschindler.com
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