His idiosyncrasies are important to nobody

Were you born with a strong desire to asset your individuality? 

Is it your nature to rebel against the mindless, mainstream conventionality? Do you give your mind license to daydream in some unorthodox directions? Are you someone who is oppositional in nature and moved by chasing freedom? And do you develop hives when your ability to manifest your individuality is thwarted and frustrated by the constraints of society? 

Welcome to the club. You’re my kind of guy. 

But beware. Because there is a dark side to doing you. 

Maisel’s book on creative recovery cautions us that there is risk associated with a creative person’s felt sense of individuality. His research found that for those of us who have a deep desire to be our own person, speak in our own voice and manifest our potential, we are not only susceptible to anxiety and depression and addiction, but we also run the risk of chronically overwhelming everyone we meet with our nonconforming nature. 

When we make everyone around us deal with our idiosyncrasies, it can backfire. It can create resentment and exhaustion and frustration on their end. 

That’s one thing my first job at an advertising agency taught me. Despite my great enthusiasm for the river of goo that oozed out of my brain on a daily basis, most clients were not helped when they were bombarded by a ton of information. 

My avalanche of idiosyncrasies and ideas might have felt like fresh powder to me, but for the general public, it was tough sledding. And as a result, massive amounts of frustration set in. 

It felt like they were preventing me from manifesting my potential. Made me want to drag them across the board room table by their pretensions skinny ties until they lost consciousness. 

But looking back, they were just doing their job. They were just trying not to get fired. 

Meanwhile, my job was to contend with the repercussions of radical individuality. 

Who knew being yourself was so expensive? 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is the cost of standing in opposition to those who would prevent you from walking your idiosyncratic path?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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