When I began my business, a wise mentor said the following:  “Roz, be so different that you no longer have competition.  Do what no one else is doing, and you will always stand out.”

Standing out is even more important today than ever, as we live in a world that appreciates and expects individual differences in appearance and behavior.

How do you get to this level of personal brand distinction?

How do you differentiate yourself from everyone else so that you stand out for all of the right reasons?

1. Be An Original

What is your unique calling and what talent do you have that empowers you to fulfill that calling?

Everyone has an ability that is unique to them. Find yours and embrace it.

But here is a hint; you will not find it in a job description or title. It won’t be based on what you earn or the accomplishments you have achieved. It will depend on the number and ways in which you have touched the lives of others. Your currency isn’t cash or accolades. It’s your impact on others, and how you help them to succeed by demonstrating the value that you bring to the relationship.

2. Pursue Your Calling With Passion AND Discipline

What does it mean to pursue your calling?

Far too often people equate their calling with passion. The trouble with passion is that by itself, it is never enough. You need to have discipline.

While passion may be the bright burning flame in your engine, discipline is the ignition that turns that passion into meaningful energy and propels you forward towards your awaiting destiny.

You may want to do something with all of your heart, but are you prepared to put all of your heart into achieving it?

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says that good is the enemy of great!  Demonstrating greatness means staying up late when you’re dead tired to complete a time sensitive assignment, or practicing a presentation for the 100th time because you don’t want to disappoint your business partners.

While good is napping, greatness takes the time to mold and create, recognizing that it doesn’t happen overnight.

3. Never Quit

It is a competitive and at times unforgiving world. No one is guaranteed success nor is anyone’s position assured. You most likely will, at one point in time in your career, get the short end of the stick. Count on it.

However, it is not the setbacks that will define you, but how you respond when you take that inevitable tumble.

David Neeleman, the former founder of JetBlue Airways, was ousted from his CEO job after service problems stranded passengers on grounded jets for hours, denting the airline’s reputation for customer service.  When asked how he felt about losing his position, he said, It’s not what happens to you in life but the attitude you choose to handle it.

When you face a challenge now or in the future, how are you going to “handle it?” Will you pull yourself up, dust yourself off, and move forward – even if it is at first, with single small steps?

In the end, standing out in the world is not a matter of checking off tasks on a “how to be great” list. There are a thousand posts in a thousand blogs that already provide that information. If it were that easy, then everyone would do it.

There is no list that I can make, or for that matter, anyone can make that will take the place of your commitment to do “what it takes” to stand out and be memorable!