You have to pay a price for your distinctiveness, and it’s worth it.

The fairy tale version of “be yourself” is that all the pain stops as soon as you allow your distinctiveness to shine. That version is misleading. Being yourself is worth it, but don’t expect it to be easy or free. You’ll have to put energy into it continuously.

The world wants you to be typical – in a thousand ways, it pulls at you. Don’t let it happen.

–

Jeff Bezos wrote this in his final CEO letter, a parting gift in 2020, and it’s a thought that I carry with me since then.

In Startupland, many conversations revolve around distinctiveness. How are you different from your competition? is asked in many different contexts : fundraising, PR, recruitment, prospect calls, internal meetings.

Distinctiveness is surprise : it’s counterpositioning, the challenger sale, something for those thirsty to learn why to believe in your vision of the future.

It’s worth every penny of the price.