Everywhere I look, there are followers. The world needs more originals.
Very few people are actually doing original work these days, as it's so much easier to copy someone else and just take the safe path instead of actually creating something new and different that stands out.
If you go on YouTube, there are thousands of creators all doing the same thing. If you try to watch scripted television today, it's all the same crap on repeat with different spins on it. If you go on LinkedIn, you see the same stuff on repeat from people posting their nonsense conferences they attended to some AI-generated content about some epiphany they had that doesn't matter.
Everyone wants to stand out and be different, but few people actually want to take the lead, try new things, and create a brand that is truly original.
The truth is, originality requires you to go first, and going first feels like walking into traffic without knowing if the light is about to change. You don't have a blueprint, you don't have validation, and you sure as hell don't have a comment section full of people telling you that you nailed it. Most people aren't afraid of doing the work; they're afraid of standing out and looking stupid.
Think about your favorite artist. Are they following someone else, or did they create an original sound? What about your favorite product or brand? Did they replicate another brand or did they create their own?
I'm so tired of watching everyone try to replicate the person next to them. Why do we continue this trend of safety rather than prioritizing things that are different and unique? Get some new ideas. Get some new approaches. Try something new. Be different. Be unique. Be you, and stop following everyone else just because they already created a trail.
No one is waiting for another version of what already exists.
They're waiting for something that actually makes them stop, think, or feel something different. And whether you want to admit it or not, you already have that in you. You've just been filtering it, softening it, or shelving it because it feels easier to stay in line than it does to step out of it.
So here's the move. The next time you go to post something, say something, create something, or build something, catch yourself before you default to what you've seen a hundred times. Ask yourself if this actually sounds like you or if it sounds like something you think will perform well.
Because the only way you actually become original is by giving yourself permission to be seen before you're fully understood.
And most people will never have the guts to do that. That's exactly why you should.