Inimitable

When my kids were very young, one of our favorite bedtime stories was “The Big Orange Splot”.  The protagonist, Mr. Plumbean, paints his house all sorts of crazy colors, much to the chagrin of his conformist neighbors.  Through late-night conversation (assumedly with cocktails, although it is a children’s book), he coaxes each to unfurl their passions, inspiring them, one by one, to paint their own houses, as he did, to reflect their dreams.

I loved the lessons for my kids:  Dare to dream. Dare to express yourself in spite of what others think. We all have the power to encourage others to cultivate their dreams.

Why is it so difficult to unveil what makes us unique?  One reason could be the overwhelming number of critics, as evidenced by this piece of “news” I came across today:  http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/polka-dot-house-next-door-awesome-eyesore-192900594.html. The Mr. Plumbean of this story paints his house in polka dots, which outrages his neighbors causing complaints about the eye-sore he has created and speculation that his motives are suspect.

Yet, diversity is a hot corporate buzzword right now.  Diversity programs are popping up all over the place.   I asked at a recent networking event how women can capitalize on this to grow their careers.  The response was that rather than try to fit in with the men, women should know and advertise their differences.

Great advice, but pass the spinach, please. It takes real strength of character to put our differences out there. In a 21^st century society that claims to embrace diversity, we sure have a hard time with it. This causes most of us to shy away from offering the controversial opinion, swimming against the current, or asking the provocative question.

Which is exactly why we need to divulge our differences:  Very few people are brave enough to do it.  The courage to put yourself out there is a differentiator.  Who knew?

So how do you steel yourself to face your potential detractors, or more importantly, how do you prevent yourself from becoming your own nemesis?   We talk ourselves out of some really good ideas by wondering what others will think of us, which means we never get out of the gate. 

I’ve found it very helpful to adopt the “your opinion is none of my business” mindset. Randy Pausch, the author of "The Last Lecture" is the sage who gets credit for this extremely powerful way of thinking.  The idea that everyone around us can have any opinion they want about us, and unless we ask for it, it really is none of our business. 

We’re absolved of all conflict. We have license to make decisions based solely on what we think. Suddenly, I’m not so afraid to put my art on exhibit, because it’s really none of my business whether it appeals to you or not.  Hmmm.

And you will be amazed at how inspiring your bravery is.  The original Mr. Plumbean got his whole neighborhood to paint their houses to fit their dreams.  And to uphold their diversity in the face of criticism:  “Our street is us and we are it.  Our street is where we like to be, and it looks like all our dreams.”