Click here to read this on our website instead

Last Thursday, I arrived in Miami after 9 months in South America.

It’s the first time I’ve been to the US. It’s also the first time I’ve seen the Tesla Truck.

“What a strange lump of metal, ”I thought to myself, as I strolled along South Beach. It looks like it could fit perfectly in the original (and fantastic) classic film, Judge Dredd.

Love or hate it, one truth was undeniable:

I could not forget it.

Of the thousands of expensive cars I saw cruising Ocean Drive, mostly with men blaring loud music for a desperate bid for attention, the only car I can remember was the Tesla Truck.

It reminds me of one of the most important lessons I’ve heard.

Different for the sake of different

In his book Against the Odds, James Dyson talks about the importance of being different:

It is great business advice. If you can’t say what makes you different, your customer can’t either. Which means you’re competing at being better. If you’ve tried to shout louder than a noisy crowd, you know how fruitful this will be.

Your job is to find and build around your key differentiators. Because that way, you don’t need to fight for the same space. It’s why I yap on about my past as a dentist. There are many online writers, but few who have escaped dental surgery.

A quick note: ​​ I’ve been uploading two videos per week to YouTube. It’s been a fun way to share new ideas. If you want to write to grow your business, you’ll love the material. Come join 1000+ subscribers here.

But being different is also great life advice.

We’re constantly told to try to win by conventional metrics. But in our efforts to be better than the crowd, we just end up part of it. As Jiddu Krishnamurti once put it, you don’t break free. You just fight for better conditions in the prison.

But you were not born to be put in a box.

You were born to be you.

To go after what you truly want. To find the things that light you up and burn them bright. To breathe life into what makes you weird.

It starts with giving yourself permission to be different. Do this, and you will flourish.

Work feels like play. The right people enter your world. Life becomes an adventure because you’re no longer dancing to the same disjointed tune.

I’m no expert at this. I’ve spent most of my life caring more about what people think of me than what I think of myself. But a question that helped me quit dentistry to become a writer is the same one that has led me to travel the world and pursue my own path:

What would you do if you weren’t so scared?

Because fear is not something to run from, but toward. It’s a signal for what makes you special, if only you were brave enough to step toward it.

The irony is that you only need to take the first step. You’ll realise it’s not so scary to move away from the crowd, because you are moving toward yourself.

And that’s when you find your people.

It’s better to be different and judged than normal and forgotten.

Kieran

P.S.

Speaking of being different…

Two nights ago, I had the pleasure of a steak dinner with Jay Yang after seeing he was in the city too. It’s one reason I love building online: you can connect with such fascinating people. Jay quit college to spend a year working for Alex Hormozi.

It takes balls to step off the beaten track.

We were too busy yapping on about writing and life to snap a photo. But I’ll say this: I have no doubt Jay is going places. I love reading his newsletter (he’s one of the few that actually puts effort into his writing). I know you will love it too:

​https://jayyanginspires.beehiiv.com/newsletter​