Discovering Your Unique Differences
Lesson 4 from: Creating an Authentic Design Career & LifeMeg Lewis
Discovering Your Unique Differences
Lesson 4 from: Creating an Authentic Design Career & LifeMeg Lewis
Lessons
Class Introduction
06:03 2What is an Authentic Design Career & Life?
12:16 3Common Mistakes When Creating Authenticity
04:43 4Discovering Your Unique Differences
07:57 5Defining Your Strengths
04:38 6Creating a Life's Purpose to Drive Your Career & Life
16:16 7A New Way to Approach Your Life
17:58 8Crafting Your New Career Mission
19:43Lesson Info
Discovering Your Unique Differences
So the first thing I want everyone to focus on is discovering their unique differences, okay. So those of you in here, open up that workbook to the first question, alright. Alright. Okay. So, this is a great first place to start because we're gonna discover what our unique differences are. These are the things about us that make us different than most other people. And this is important because these are the things that we've often tried to hide I think about ourselves. These things that maybe when you were a kid, someone commented on your legs or your bony ankles or your inability to wake up before noon or something like that. So maybe there are these things about your personality or who you are that have always been different that people have always commented on. And what I am really excited about with this class is focusing on those things are the things that actually make you different from everyone else. So these are the things that make you special. These are the things that you ...
have that are kind of like superpowers. These things that you have that no one else has. That's a good thing. We should be using those to our advantage. Okay. So I think earlier I was saying a lot about unusual. People who have unusual bodies or unusual personalities or unusual sleep patterns. Unusual is not bad. Unusual is actually a really really good thing. Being different, being out of the usual, out of the ordinary than other people is what makes us special and what makes us who we are. A way that I like to think about this is, you know how I mentioned they are kind of like superpowers and when we have this beautiful rich list of all of these things that make us different than everyone else, it gives us these capabilities that no one else has. And I like thinking about it as in the world needs you to be yourself. The world needs your unique qualities in the world because we each have a message inside of us that we're waiting to get out. And the world needs us to do that. So I think that whenever you're kind of feeling down about yourself or maybe you're like why am I different than everyone else. It's really easy and a really great way to think about it as though the world needs you to be you. You have a message to deliver. Okay, first challenge. Alright, so the first question I want you all to answer in your workbooks is, let's just outline three qualities of your personality that make you different than everyone else, okay. Think about it a little bit. I'll always outline my answers so that it gives you a really great baseline. So for me, I'm naturally positive. This is a thing that people have thought I was faking my whole life. I'm always really enthusiastic and excited about things to where, and I'm always just really naturally kind of upbeat and excited about life and that sort of thing. Even if I'm having a bad day, I'm still like that's okay 'cuz these things are all great too. And a lot of people my whole life have said, ugh, you're too positive for me or this is too much. You're trying too hard. And that is, has always hurt me a lot and made me feel like, oh my gosh I'm being too positive. That's just how I am. How do I stop doing this? And that's something about me that I've always tried to kind of suppress and tone down because I've noticed other people comment on it and I thought that meant it was a bad thing. But now I've learned to kind of push that up and be excited about the fact that I'm positive. That's just what makes me special. Another thing is that I love change. I've never used the same shampoo twice because I like to try everything. I'm constantly moving cities. I wanna live in every city in the world someday because I love change and I love trying new things. I like experiencing new things. And that's very different than a lot of people. A lot of people like routine. Another reason why I can't have a real job, real jobby job because I like change too much. I like every day to be different and exciting and new. Another thing is that I'm not professional. If you couldn't tell, I'm really bad at acting appropriately in professional situations. This is a common theme throughout my life as people are like Maggie, you probably shouldn't tweet about butts so much because your clients are online. That happens to me all the time. I don't care. I've learned how to use that to my advantage. Now I work with clients that like my butt tweets and they hire me because I tweet about butts so much and I think that's been really great for me. So, for those of you who are in the room, I'd love to go around and just have you mention one thing about your personality that makes you different from everyone else. I'm pretty good at making witty or sarcastic comments in stressful situations to break the tension. Oh that's, that's good. I love it. Okay, I definitely thank you for telling us, don't put too much pressure 'cuz I definitely feel like this needs more work. Because this is something that I feel like I'm trying to work on. I actually say I'm a recovering perfectionist. But in some ways I think it is a good thing. So I think the reason it's my example, I feel like it's interesting that I'm a creative, but I need things to be organized and structured and have a timeline and all of that stuff. So in branding which is what I do, that's a good thing for the structure of a project. But it can be a bad thing 'cuz I need to just be okay with getting things out, so that's mine for now. So I really love to laugh and when I get really into it, it's an obnoxious laugh and it'll be like a pig snort or like a penguin like ahh. But I love to laugh, so that's what it is. I've always been called very stubborn so if I have, I get an idea I'm going to stick with it even past the point of where I should probably let it go. I wrote down that I'm super observant, but also to the point where it's the tiny details that don't actually matter or the weird things that nobody actually notices, I usually notice and then take note of those. I would say I'm hyper-addictive or hyper-obsessive about the things that I love in a way that usually goes beyond the way that people seem to appreciate things that they love. I'll really go deep and someone will suggest something to me that they think I will like and they will talk to me a week later and I'll be like, I found everything out about this thing. I am the world's biggest fan of this thing now. Yeah. I've noticed that with a lot of your answers, you're already kind of doing this thing that I think we're all pre-determined to do. Which is kind of apologize for the things that make you unique. This is something that it has taken me a long time to get over. And this is kind of our exercise in this class is to learn to actually be real excited about those things. So be excited about being a perfectionist and be really excited that that's what actually makes you, I am not a perfectionist at all in any way and I sometimes think that's a bad thing. But I've had to learn that the fact that I'm not a perfectionist is what makes me special. And so I think that you should also do the same of thinking wow, I have this skill and this quality about me that makes me really detail-oriented and stay on a schedule really well. And that is definitely a good thing. So try not to focus on the negative effects of your things that make you special because we're trying to do the exact opposite. Let's be real excited about these qualities because from here on out, we're gonna be using those qualities to kind of create a career and a life that is made just for you.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Juliette
I just absolutely love Meg's style. Cheerful, fun, unapologetical... And her insights really helped me have a clearer vision of where i want to go, how i want to travel on life's path (so poetic haha) and be PROUD of who i am and most of all, what i do. Even though i'm not your average creative girl. LOVE THAT. Merci beaucoup, thanks a LOT Meg. And YES, do yourself a favour, buy this class !
LA McCabe
i love this class. I was inspired, encouraged and applies the information to my life. learning what makes your unique and special should be law. This was a refreshing and fun loving course. watch this and enjoy
Annie Wong
Meg's class was really pivotal for me at this particular stage in my career. Traditionally I have been taught to be a jack-of-all trades in order to be employable. While this does work for a lot of people, this put a lot of the power balance into luck and timing (is there a slot open for you in a competitive market, or a company?) because it's hard to stand out from the crowd if you are just a set of hands. Meg's class encouraged me to dig deep and figure out how I could be more than a set of hands and how my unique personality traits can actually be used as part of my personal brand. This is so refreshing since I have always been worried about how I can fit into a company, but instead, I can think about how to broadcast my particular style and brand so that the clients that are looking for ME, can find me! This is a great class for people that want to live in a more holistic way where you can blend your work with your personal interests and beliefs.