Be Weird In Order To Succeed

Photo by Neville Sukhia

Yes you need to be weird in order to be successful.

What I mean by weird here is that you need to be different and uncanny. You need to stand out, make waves and not follow what everyone else is doing.

Take the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford and all the other success people out there. They stand out, they don't follow anybody and they make their own rules. That's why they are successful. People remember them because they are different, in a good way, from anybody else.

But why does being weird would help you become successful anyway? Here are five reasons.

1. Being weird has less competition - One of the usual things that most people think of when they want to start a business is that they will offer their products and services at a lower price. The business with the lower prices and the bigger capital usually wins this war, but in reality no one really wins. Because lower prices means lower profit. Instead offer a product or service that is unique, strange or weird. So weird that no one would else would do it, until they see that it is successful.
2. Weird is less painful - Trying to be like everyone else is painful, especially if that is not who you really are. Imagine trying to be someone or something that you are not so that you can fit in like everybody else? The things that you will have to undergo to change will be painful and hard. Instead why not just be yourself, even if everyone considers you weird. Who knows, people just might love you for it.
3. Weird creates raving fans - The good thing about being weird is that people will notice you immediately. They will either hate you or love you, they can't be in between because you're too weird not to be noticed. All successful people have their critics and haters, it's just how the world works. But they also have people who love them. And these people are your raving fans. Fans who really really love you and would go to great lengths just to buy the products and services that you offer.
4. Weird makes you change the rules of the game - By being weird, you are free to create your own rules. Since no one has probably done what you're doing, you create the rules. You're the one who will set the tone and the trend that the people who want to be like you will follow.
5. Weird allows you to charge higher prices - If you're offering a product or service that no one else is offering, then you can set the price for it. You don't have a competitor that can drive prices down. You set it yourself because what you offer is unique, strange and weird. And since it is unique and one of a kind, people will pay good money for it (especially if it is a good product or service).

Being weird means that you just have to stand out, be unique and different enough that people will notice you. Following and everybody else won't set you apart because everyone is doing it. So strive to be different, to be unique, to be weird. So that people will notice you and remember you.