Push your unusualness far enough, and it can swing back around to profitability

An important word in our personal and professional growth lexicon is unusually.

Whenever it’s used to describe who we are, it can give us a window into our native endowments. Pointing to a powerful source of motivational, creative energy. One that can help us add real value to the world.

Here’s three common instances of the term. Consider how they apply to your personality.

*What few things are you unusually proficient at?

*What activities do you unusually enjoy?

*Which of your efforts have been unusually useful to others in the past?

These probes will reveal a small subset of unique, meaningful assets that you possess. Ones that most people overlook, undervalue, misunderstand or take for granted.

Good. Let them miss out. It’s their loss. Your job is to follow your true nature and align yourself with those natural and rare gifts you’ve been given.

Limiting your focus to these few key things that express your individuality, and ignoring or outsourcing the rest.

The hardest part is going to be permission. Allowing yourself to not accept, but also embrace these aspects of your personality. Even if they’ve drawn scorn or contempt from others in the past. Trusting that they’ll lead you down fulfilling paths.

Twitch comes to mind, which is the world’s leading live streaming platform for electronic sports. What’s great about this technology is not only its technical features, but its career opportunities.

Twitch has given an entire generation of nerds and geeks worldwide flourishing professional lives, based solely upon their gaming skills. In decades prior, being unusually good at video games was not only not cool, but not profitable.

Being unusually good at slaying dragons faster than anyone in your class certainly wouldn’t get you laid. Probably stuffed in a locker by a football player.

And the irony is, people’s parents have scolded them for years to turn off that damn television, get the hell out of the basement on go play outside. Now those same kids have enough money to buy their own house.

That’s the power of being unusually good, joyful and useful. It’s a path to power.

Remember, don’t be so quick to back away from perceived negatives, weaknesses and limits. What you think is working against you today might end up being a core strength a year from now.

Push your unusualness far enough, and it can come back around and become profitable.

You just have to stick around long enough for the pendulum to swing back in your direction.

Which of your efforts have been unusually useful to others in the past?