If you want to distinguish yourself in an overcrowded market, you’ve got to stand out and be distinct from every other coach.
Yes, he was specifically talking to coaches, but the message stands for all of us. If you want to stand out, learn things other people aren’t learning. Read books other people aren’t reading. Attend events other people aren’t attending.
What does that look like?
I’ve been thinking a lot about what that looks like in my life. Here’s a few of the things that I’ve been learning:
Drywalling!
My husband and I decided to redo our basement – OURSELVES! I’m diving deep into learning to drywall.
- Learning how to problem solve different things as they come up (why in the world did they put a pipe – right there where I now have to figure out how to cut a hole in the drywall to make it fit).
- Patience as you smooth the plaster each step of the way and realize that it won’t be perfect and it’s ok because you’ll be sanding it down anyway.
- Communication. Communication. Tossed with a bit of laughter. Working with my husband on this project has us in a space that we aren’t always in – literally tight corners working on the same area of the wall. We’re navigating what it looks like to problem solve together in a new way. How to laugh at the mistakes we make… Or when he nearly misses my head with a blob of plaster.
Reading New Genres of Books
The woman who babysits our son is incredible at picking out books for him! I threw caution to the wind and asked her one day to pick out a book for me to read with limited direction! (aka no non-fiction)
- Trust. It’s a practice in trusting someone else to introduce you to something.
- Enjoying the unexpected. She picked out a mystery. Most definitely not something that I would have picked out for myself. And yet I enjoyed it. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery.
- Opened my eyes to even more perspectives! When I read outside of my normal, I get to challenge my brain to look at things from a different perspective.
Gardening
Not just gardening, but creating a garden that nurtures the native plants of Illinois and supports the habitats of the animals of Illinois.
- Evolution. I’ve been learning that gardening is an evolution. You plant something one year and it doesn’t quite work the next. You move it somewhere or take it out to plant something else. Nothing is static in a garden.
- Connection to earth and respect. My appreciation for what used to be here before we created our world has grown tremendously. My heart has grown so much for the plants, animals and people who were here before me. Gardening has lead me to a deeper respect for the indigenous people of Illinois and a strong desire to learn more about them.
All of this has reminded me to look around me and see what other things I can learn. Not to be an expert. Rather to add a new perspective to how I see the world.
What about you?
What have you learned this year? Something not directly related to what directly benefits your job…
What lessons did you take from it? How will you apply it to your job, to your family and friends life and to your community?
What will you take on next year to learn?
As for me, I’m letting my intuition lead me to the lessons that I need to learn…
Right now – it might just be a touch of salsa or flamenco.