The Only Competitive Advantage You Will Ever Need

If you say my post from earlier then you know that I saw Cheap Trick play at the Forum in Los Angeles last night. And watching Rick Nielsen step up there with that guitar got me to thinking….

How many guitars are there in the world like the one pictured above?

One.

And how many people are there in the world like Rick Nielsen?

One.

One Singular Sensation

This is only one of each of us. We are all unique individuals. And even though we all know this, we spend most of our days trying to keep up with what other people are doing, or saying. We busy ourselves trying to learn the same skills or gain access to the same tools that other people have, because we do not want them to have some competitive advantage that we do not possess.

But each of us already has the only competitive advantage we will ever need.

Ourselves.

We all have a unique structure. Our DNA. Our experience. Our perspective. The problem is that we choose not to amplify the things that make us unique. In fact, many times we do just the opposite. We try to mask our uniqueness in fear of letting others see our true nature.

Quirks and Scars

But if we allow ourselves to be seen for who we really are, if we pull back the curtain and reveal our quirks and our scars, then we give other people the opportunity not only to know what we stand for and what lights us up inside, but we give them permission to tell us what set them on fire each and everyday.

And as much as I would love to believe in a world where everyone is willing to be who they really are, where we were able to share our truest and best self with everyone we meet, the truth is that we don’t live in that world.

But for those who are brave, for those who are just crazy enough to stand up and show us what makes them extraordinary, the world we actually live in is waiting. Hoping.

Each one of us holding our breath to see who will step up next.

Kirk Wheeler is the host of Discover The Road where he writes about how to question everything, make progress, and embrace the journey. For ideas about what it means to live an authentic life, join his free newsletter.