re•mark•able [adjective]: worthy of being noticed, especially as being uncommon or extraordinary
***
If you want to break out of the mold of average, the first thing you need to do is to make a decision to be radically different. Most remarkable people are people of action, and for a good reason: if you don’t take decisive action, nothing will ever change.
But this first step is entirely mental. It calls for a clear decision to rise above the culture of mediocrity. And then, of course, it calls for action.
How do you decide to be remarkable?
1. Stop making excuses. Just stop. No one wants to hear why you couldn’t do something, so make a conscious decision to stop talking about it.
2. Take responsibility. This is the opposite of giving excuses. Take responsibility for your own success, and take responsibility for the success of projects you work on. When something goes wrong (it usually does), take responsibility for that too.
3. Start questioning rules and expectations. Always ask questions and pay close attention to the answers you hear back. Some good starting questions are: Why is this rule in place? Who benefits from this rule being followed? What are the consequences if I don’t follow this rule or meet this expectation? What is the worst thing that could happen if I don’t follow this rule?
4. Find work that you love and do it well. Depending on who you are, this requires up to two big changes in your life: first, you have to find work that you love, and second, you have to do it well. Do it better than expected and people will be amazed.
5. Begin living your own life. This is what it’s all about—the life you were meant to live. If you don’t know what that is yet, start looking for it. Why would you want to live someone else’s life?
6. Take it up a level. Take what’s already working well and exponentially add to it. Grow your business 300%. Apply for the position of CFO when you’re the Accounts Payable Clerk. Visit five countries instead of one on your next trip (or if you want to explore one place well, stay three weeks instead of one).
Beware of Excellence
But watch out: being remarkable is addicting. It’s like regular exercise or healthy eating. When you first start a new exercise routine or diet, the adjustment is hard for a while. But after about 3-6 months of following it consistently, you build up a natural addiction to it.
Once you get used to regular exercise, you’ll feel bad when you’re not doing it. The same is true with being remarkable: do it once, and it’s scary. Do it a few times, and you love it. Stop doing it, and you’ll get depressed.
Many remarkable people deal with depression and anxiety all the time because they see the world differently than average people do. Their own failures and perceived failures are magnified. When others say, “Don’t worry about it,” they can’t understand why someone would think something like that. For this reason, a lot of geniuses throughout history have been chronically depressed.
Those are the hard things—and you also have to think about the critics, the skeptics, and the competition. We’ll come to those later. On the other hand, there are some great benefits to being remarkable:
HELP FROM A COMMUNITY
As you proceed with your plans for world domination, or whatever you want to do, you’ll be naturally drawn to others who have made the same decisions to be different. Even better, they’ll be drawn to you. You’ll learn from them and vice versa.
Whether you live in the Dilbert Cube, the Ivory Tower, the public sector, or are out there on your own somewhere, there are lots of ways to be remarkable. The specific application is up to you, and when you choose to make your own way, other people who “get it” will seek you out.
Remarkable people are all minorities in a world of average living.
HELP FROM THE UNIVERSE
You’ll find help in all kinds of unexpected places and from people you never knew before. No one really knows how this works, practically speaking. It’s okay; just accept the gifts that are given to you. They are given for a reason.
The Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho put this best:
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”
All you need to do is 1) start something, and 2) stick with it long enough to see results.
WHAT GOES UP STAYS UP
Instead of shrinking over time, your vision will actually get bigger. The funny thing about big goals is that they often take less time to achieve than you expect, and once you achieve them, you’ve already mentally moved on to bigger and better goals. As you proceed with questioning authority, building your army, achieving your goals, and helping others, the vision keeps expanding.
This is why it is not much more difficult to grow a business from $1,000 a month in sales to $10,000. The challenge is in getting that first $1,000 together.
This is why artists scrape together a meager living for an average of seven years before being noticed. Most of them drop out along the way, but for those who stick with it, all of sudden they’re selling paintings for $8 a square inch. (And by the way, art that sells for $10,000 isn’t always better than $100 art hanging in the coffee shop.)
This is your personal tipping point—not when everyone else starts adopting a new trend and makes it mainstream, but when everything comes together for your own vision. But you have to get in the game first, and you can do that by being remarkable.
***
Of all the steps required to change the world in the way you see fit, the decision to be remarkable is the most important. With this decision in place, other variables can be changed. Don’t rush this—it’s a big commitment.
Once you make the commitment, you need a vision to change the world. What will it be? Whatever you choose, make sure it’s remarkable enough to suit every gift you have ever been given. Once you decide to defy the expectations of being average, there will be a lot riding on your ultimate success.
Oh, and one final thing: don’t expect everyone to understand your decision, because plenty of people won’t get it at all. Don’t worry about them. Just be remarkable.
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June 29, 2009
Christine
Thanks for writing such a great blog. =)
July 5, 2009
Nancy McGlinchey
I admire and revere you and your followers for deciding to be remarkable. Is it heresy to declare that such is not for me?
How I love wallowing in my mediocrity. It is safe and warm and no one hassles me. I take ukulele lessons and remain a duffer who plays only so many songs and rather badly. I take an assignment with Cross Cultural Solutions and spend a week in Costa Rica working in a nursing home. Although the experience is heartening, I choose not to be excellent at doing more of this. I enthusiastically start a vegetable garden and reap no harvest, with minimal regret.
I see this as unbounded freedom. Being average frees me from the stress of competing with myself.
I would very much enjoy being told the errors in my unremarkable, uncomplicated thinking.
July 5, 2009
Diane Elizabeth
Hi Nancy,
As far as I am concerned there are no errors. Everyone must follow their own path. I happen to be someone who loves to push herself and see how much I can experience and accomplish. You sound like you know yourself well. I think that is key. Everyone is unique. Enjoy your freedom!
July 5, 2009
Nancy
Thanks for the affirmation, Diane. Maybe one of these days I’ll find an activity that provokes a need for excellence. Until then, I’ll just coast.
July 20, 2009
Angela Mattson
Just last week, I answered the question: “What do I really want out of life?” My answer: strive to be remarkable!!!
Guess I’m well on my way towards world domination. Awesome!
July 28, 2009
Vinodh
I come back to this post everytime, I lose focus and I get inspired.
Thanks for being Chris Guillebeau and Inspiring us.
-Vinodh
August 20, 2009
Omar
Sensational article. Well written and very inspirational. When I don’t work on my projects I get depressed and anxiety sets in as you described in your article. I feel a sense of peace and calm when I work on a project. It’s a breath of fresh air especially when it’s finally completed. BTW read the manifesto and 279 days. Both are great. Thanks for inspiring me Chris.
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November 11, 2009
Kylie
Whenever I start feeling unremarkable or beaten by the ‘system’, I come back and read this. It’s a fantastic motivator. Reminds me that even though I can be surrounded by mediocrity, there’s no excuse for being that way myself.
November 11, 2009
Diane Elizabeth
This thread magically appeared in my inbox this morning. Did I really make those previous statements? Jess, you said it best.
I’m feeling totally beaten by the “system.” It’s a paralysis that makes you keep second-guessing yourself.
All of your statements reassure me that I am not really alone after all.
Thanks, guys.
By the way, I live in the Ivory Tower.
February 14, 2010
Royd Compton
I read A brief Guide to World Domination last night…….. at 4:30 AM I was still awake!!
I’m 51 years of age and now wonder what I’ve been doing for the rest of my life. I feel as though I have wanted to live an unconventional life all of my life, but caved to pressures of family, ex wife, parents and all. I gave up & gave in to all of that. i look at my younger brothers and realise that they are living the life I want to live.
Damn you Chris……. and, bless you ….thank you…..so much….. from my heart. It is now up to me.
February 23, 2010
Ella
couldnt have read this at a better time….lovely lovely lovely…it is hard living a life that differs from the majority of society and what you said that a lot of people who are “remarkable” struggle with depression or seeing their choices as failures – Im struggling with this right now…living my life as authentically and as true to myself as I can – but w/out taking on other people’s judgments of me or of how to live my life…their idea of what one should be doing at “my age” etc…so thank you for reminding me that there are more of us out there!
in solidarity with fellow warriors out there…
May 21, 2010
Joe Breunig
Wow! Finding this statement:
Oh, and one final thing: don’t expect everyone to understand your decision, because most people won’t get it at all. Don’t worry about them. Just be remarkable.
was better than finding ‘gold at the end of the rainbow’. Reminds me of the Scripture verse Provers 16:16 – ‘How much better it is to acquire wisdom than gold; to acquire understanding is more desirable than silver.
Makes long for more friends that think as you do; fortunately, I have had one since my college days. It’s tiring to be surrounded by people that have ‘no real vision’ for their own lives.
June 17, 2010
Legendary
Love the blog, I can actually relate to this article quite strongly. 6 months ago I decided to step out and start aiming to be “remarkable” as you put it. Just wanted to let anyone here considering doing the same know that that single decision changed my life. My only regret is not doing it years ago, if your thinking about it don’t hesitate; go for it!
June 23, 2010
Chad Lucas
I am definitely inspired. Now on to the first step of actually deciding to be remarkable!
Thanks Chris!
-Chad
June 30, 2010
bilal
I too feel depressed when I am not working on the goals of my life, but the thing is everyone around me is average. They don’t understand what I say. I guess I have to ignore them even if they are my family, still on my quest to b remarkable!
June 30, 2010
Lisa Watson
Excellent post. Simple advice on how to make a profound impact on our own lives. Thanks for this.
- Lisa
August 19, 2010
Trish / CotR
I really enjoyed reading this Chris. I have always know I want to be extraordinary, now I have to get focused and do it!
October 15, 2010
SaraOoo
So I’m finding this two years after you wrote it, maybe the universe thought I was ready now and put me in contact with your amazing blog. Absolutely loved this post, it’s already printed and glued into my journal. Totally amazing.
Bought your book today and feel as if I’ve found a guru that’s telling me “don’t worry, you are not alone”.
Thank you.
December 19, 2010
Patrick
Thank you for this great statement. I’ve been addicted to spiritual search for a very long time pretending to myself that it is possible and the best to live without being remarkable. Within this I experienced a great bandwidth of feelings and conditions, from collapsing on the street to great inner peace and a fulfilling time of full power. Once I noticed that being remarkable is just a natural state, a great sideffect of being able to put all your energy into one stream, to be yourself, to let it flow, not to hold yourself back because of the idealism to fit someone elses expectations. Dreams and anxiety seem to be the medals both sides, get the things done is enough to be happy and that means to be remarkable without spending extra effort to be special. Thanks for your courage, inspiring peoples self discovery.
Greetings
Patrick
December 28, 2010
steveh
Thank you for the encouragement to get out of the box and to do it well! I needed that. Sometimes I am good at coming up with creative ideas, I am just not good at actually sticking with them. Thanks for the challenge to step it up a notch…or two.
January 13, 2012
Lindsey
I’m struggling to release my hold on my everyday life, and dive headfirst into challenges i would overwise never think to take. Thank you so much for giving me this inspiration and igniting my will to change the world, however small the difference. I can’t wait to begin changing my life and begin inspiring people just like you inspired me. Thank you!
February 13, 2012
Rhiannon
Great post, thanks Chris, for those of us who can’t settle for a thirty-years-working-in-the-cornflake-factory type of life the knowledge that there are other souls who feel the same is immesurably encouraging.. I would just add, age is no barrier to living your dreams. I am fifty four and am just starting to live the life that I want, after years of fear of stepping out or my safety zone and letting other people call the shots. It is just another aspect of conventional society and unremarkable living that tells us adventure, new starts, world changing lives and buisnesses belong to those under forty and once past that point we should just shut up and hang on for our date with Mr G Reaper. Not so, we can live out our full potential at any age. I think women especially get caught in the youth and beauty myth and it is part of my mission to tell them – you can be the person you have always wanted to be. You need no permission from anyone for that.