How to Get the Attention You Deserve

It was cold and snowy yesterday, so a bunch of us stayed inside and sat around the fire. To pass the time, I created a much larger version of the image you see above, with nearly 1,000 slightly different shapes.

The shapes are all different, but viewed at the same time, they all blend together.

People are like that, too.

Sure, a handful of your closest friends and associates notice subtle changes in your performance or results, but to get noticed on a larger stage, you have to be VERY different.

So if you're wondering why you submitted a job application and never heard back, you probably blended into the crowd, just like that blue shape 13 from the left and three from the top.

Or maybe you are a consultant or aspiring speaker or financial advisor or web designer or copywriter or architect wondering why it is so hard to find new clients. Sorry to be the one to give you bad news, but you are one of thousands and thousands of competitors who look pretty much the same as everyone else.

Standing out from the crowd takes boldness, creativity, clarity, and persistence. Let's break those down...

Boldness: I met Seth Godin, a hugely successful author and speaker, about 20 years ago when he took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to find talent for his startup. No one does that. Seth does.

He exhibits boldness in nearly every aspect of his career. His ideas are fresh and original. He has invented new publishing forms and formats. He favors orange glasses and a shaved head so that he doesn't look like anyone else.

But Seth also knows that a gimmick alone does not equal boldness. You have to be willing to challenge conventional wisdom in both an original and insightful manner.

Creativity: Ben Heine is one of my favorite artists because he seems to have an unlimited supply of original ideas. In the image above, he's breaking the "fourth" wall of a painting by putting a person in front of it and painting her, too.

Ben often puts himself into his paintings, combines drawings and photographs as in his Pencil vs. Camera series, and tends to stick with great ideas long enough that they have both weight and impact.

There are just as many painters as there are the professionals who compete against you, and it is probably even harder to stand out in that field. But Ben does it, in a manner that seems effortless and joyful.

You have to unearth and embrace your own creative energy, even if your creativity amounts to finding a legal way your clients can save four percent on their tax bill.

Clarity: What makes you different? Before you can demonstrate this, you have to understand it.

Sadly, many people spend their careers trying to fit in. Instead of cultivating your differences, you struggle to be just like everyone else.

But I believe our differences exist for a reason. The deeper your self-understanding, the better your ability to find work that you can do better than anyone else.

Invest time, money, and effort in discovering what makes you special.

Persistence: Experience teaches me that I terrified half of you with that last section. No question is more unsettling to many people than, "What do I want?"... except perhaps, "Who am I?"

It's not an easy process to combine boldness, creativity, and clarity. This isn't a weekend assignment or something you will pull off in five hours spread over the next few weeks. This is a neverending journey, one that will challenge your resolve and take you down more than a few dead ends.

But those who actively and passionately pursue this journey come out ahead. Like it or not, you are unique... and it pays to highlight your differences rather than obscure them.

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter for thought leaders. He is the author of NEVER TELL PEOPLE WHAT YOU DO.