Individually or As Part of A Group, The Challenge of Finding What Sets ‘You’ Apart…

As the school year gets deeper as the calendar turns from September to October we often are asks for tips on how we can stay in front of the curve or gain ground looking for new opportunities. One thing that we always remind people…anybody…about is how to make your narrative unique so people fully remember and understand the things that make you, you.

Some of those pieces are by doing the little things like handwritten notes, special business cards, or leave behinds that we find that ping our attention starved memories when we leave a place. I love that one of the oldest restaurants in New York, Keens Steakhouse, leaves notepads on tables you can take away or jot down messages with. Last summer when visiting the Harry Truman library we found “Ballot cards” that kids could fill out or take home that had fun little questions that would also remind them of the value of voting. There were also these buttons as leave behinds at The Paley Center for Media as part of the 25th anniversary of The West Wing. Subtle but important messages for people to have when they left the room, no?

Back to the individual narrative, or the company narrative, the “standing out” part surfaced again these past few weeks when we saw two local groups literally empower thousands to break Guinness World Records within 48 hours.

The second one was tied to pizza, and 3,595 people gathered in Newark to break bread — or crust in a massive show of unity, hometown pride, and appetite, in their attempt to set a new But 3,595 people did gather in Newark to break bread — or crust — under one roof las Monday night, in a massive show of unity, hometown pride, and appetite, in their attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest pizza party ever. at Prudential Center arena, also raised more than $80,000 and counting for the Boys & Girls Club of Newark, and was in no way a failure, said Ameer Washington, CEO of the Newark club. The try also raised more than $80,000 and counting for the Boys & Girls Club of Newark, and was in no way a failure, said Ameer Washington, CEO of the Newark club. The Newark event actually did surpass the record the Boys & Girls Club originally set out to break, which was 3,357 pizza partiers set in 2023 at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.

The previous day 2,358 people paired off on the field at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, NJ to play catch. Parents and children of all ages, siblings, friends, colleagues, former Major Leaguers – they all came out for an official attempt at setting a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Game of Catch. Eve Schaenen, the executive director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, wanted to honor the Hall of Famer’s legacy as part of the yearlong celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth. A game of catch – Yogi’s Big Catch, as it was dubbed – seemed like the perfect commemoration. The 1,179 pairs of participants lined up three meters apart on the turf field of the stadium on the campus of Montclair State University, and for five minutes they tossed the ball back and forth – underhand or overhand, it didn’t matter. There were two basic rules for everyone on the field: No rolling the ball and no looking at your smartphones. No selfies or Tik Tok posts – the whole point was to come together and have fun. The previous record for the largest game of catch was held by Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. On June 18, 2017, at a Father’s Day event called Dadfest, 972 pairs – or 1,944 individuals – played catch. Yogi’s Big Catch drew 207 more pairs, with former Major Leaguers Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Rick Cerone, Chris Capuano and Jason Grilli among them.

Maybe not at that scale or amount of exposure, but I see this all the time. There is the story I often tell about “The Sports Haiku guy” who I met at the MIT Sloan analytics conference. He wrote, and published, haiku’s about sports every day. That was his thing. There is our friend Dylan Sadiq, “The College Cuber,” a first-generation graduate of Rutgers School of Engineering who took his skill doing Rubik’s cubes and has made it into a custom art business because he amplified a skill he had.  There are thousands…millions…of people who found their avocation and were able to make it the leave behind of impact, small and large. And we all have it.

Now it’s not easy to find that difference. It takes thought, time and doggedness as well as trial and error, and it may not be as unique as maing pizza or writing poetry, but it may be something we wear, we enjoy, we share, a cause we tie to, a song we use, a style of writing we have. It also doesn’t have to be demonstrably public, it can be subtle and authentic, but it makes us all memorable, whether that it to millions or just one person. It’s the specialness we all have, just like everyone found who participated on a small scale, or on the largest one.

It is also not something to obsess over, its something to note and shape over time, what makes us, us. So when asked by someone “How do I find my calling?” or “How do I get a job,” don’t use cliché’s about passions and purpose. Ask them what makes them unique? Listen to their cues, note what they do, and help them shape the story. It’s probably a cool one they hadn’t thought about fully just yet, but when they do, the road becomes a lot clearer not just for them but for you, since you helped pass the idea along.  

Lot’s of great stories out there, just ask someone what theirs is.