What is individuality?
Individuality refers to the things that make each of us different from all others. In other words, individuality is the sum of the qualities or characteristics that distinguish us from each other. It’s our uniqueness; the things that make us unique. Our individuality sets us apart from others. It includes our self-identity, our personality, and any other quality or characteristic that makes us unique.
Related article: The difference between social identity and self-identity.
Your individuality gives you a competitive edge
A lot of people try to be like everyone else. We do everything to fit in. We think that to be cool and acceptable, we need to be like everyone else. The truth is that our individuality or uniqueness is what actually sets us apart. It’s what makes us shine like the stars we are. Our strength comes from being unique, not commonplace.
Did you know that no two stars are the same? All the stars in the universe are unique. And so are we.
The things that make you unique give you a competitive edge.
The famed Harvard Business school strategist, Michael Porter spent years studying what makes businesses succeed. He discovered that being unique is what gave a company a competitive edge to succeed over others in the industry. Think of a company like Apple. It may make smartphones and computers, but it does so in a unique way that sets their products apart from all others. It’s that uniqueness that has helped them to be so successful.
Porter said, “Strategy is not competing to be the best. Many managers and leaders and organizations think that they are trying to be the best organization in their industry. The best bank, the best coffee shop, etc. And to do so, we must make the best products. But that’s a wrong approach and a very dangerous way of thinking about strategy. Indeed, there is no best company in any industry… Strategy is competing to be unique.”
My advice to you is that don’t compete with others to be the best. Be you, be unique. Celebrate your uniqueness. Compete to be uniquely who you are and you will find that you will be desirable and exceptional because of your uniqueness. When you are living your unique self, people can try to copy you and pretend to be you but they will never succeed against you. While you are just being you, their pretense will soon be found. Like the stars in the universe that are all unique, we too can all shine in our uniqueness without fear of competition with anyone. There is room for everyone’s uniqueness to shine.
Your Individuality Points to Your Calling
As mentioned above, our uniqueness gives us a competitive edge. We are like a piece of the large puzzle of humanity. Our individuality is part of our design and helps us fit nicely into the larger context, showing us where we need to fit in to serve others the best. I’m a firm believer that we are created to serve each other.
Self-discovery of your own personality opens your eyes to see roles/relationships, and settings (soil) and topics in which you will thrive. This is what I call your RST. It is often helpful to take personality tests like the Myers-Briggs and DiSC to help you begin to figure out this aspect of your uniqueness. It may sound daunting at first, but it will give you great pleasure as you understand your design and begin to understand the design of others around you. Work will never be the same again.
