Don’t Be a Zebra… Stand Out in Life

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Close-up of a zebra in the foreground with a quote by Tom Peters about standing out. Blurred zebras are in the background.

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Zebras have stripes for a reason—they camouflage themselves in the herd as a prey defense. A lion who sees five zebras standing together doesn’t see five zebras. It sees only one big Zebra and will not attack.

This strategy might work for zebras… But in today’s world, blending in is the riskiest move you can make. Management guru Tom Peters says it best: “It is no longer safe to be the same, to be normal, to be indistinct.”

In business and in life, fitting in doesn’t lead to greatness. Differentiation does.

That’s the heart of what David Rendall and I call Pink Goldfish Strategy. It’s built on three foundational beliefs:

1️⃣ Fitting in as a “me too” brand will never lead to success. Benchmarking against others is not the path to greatness.

2️⃣ Fixing your weaknesses is a waste of time. Instead, flaunt them! Your flaws might hold the key to what makes you remarkable.

3️⃣ If you try to please everyone or be great at everything, you’ll end up being great at nothing. Mediocrity isn’t memorable.

It’s good to be different. It’s good to be unbalanced, to stick out, and to embrace what makes you unique. Weird brands—and weird people—win.

So here’s my challenge to YOU: Don’t hide among the zebras. Heed Tom’s advice. Be bold. Be strange. Be remarkable. Build a brand or career that’s unapologetically YOU. Because in a world where it’s no longer safe to blend in, the only choice is to stand out.

Today’s Lagniappe – Here is a great story from Jordan Peterson about zebras:

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