Have you ever felt that you don’t fit in?
You know that feeling… the one that makes you think no matter where you go or who you talk to, you are not normal!
Well, the good news is this: Everyone is weird. There is no such thing as normal – hooray!
Don’t believe me? Well, there is this little thing scientists have called the Jaggedness Principle that says there is no such thing as normal. Truth!
Here goes, in his book The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness, Todd Rose tells us about the US Airforce experiment in the late 1940’s.
The Jaggedness Principle
Pilots in the US Airforce were having problems operating their planes. After looking at the problem from several angles, they realised the cockpit was the issue.
Theorising that the average pilot had grown since the last design, the Airforce asked Lt. Gilbert S. Daniels, who had majored in physical anthropology at Harvard to measure pilots’ limbs to get the specs needed to build a new one-size-fits-all cockpit.
By the end of his work, Daniels narrowed the measurements to a range of ten different body dimensions.
Surprise of surprises, none (yes you read that right NONE) of the 4,063 pilots measured individually actually fit any of the average body types in the range!
Yup, the difference in each limb size, torso size and so on was different for each pilot. One pilot may have longer than average arms but a thicker than average torso, whereas another would have shorter than average legs and smaller than average hips. Jaggedness, because no one person was the same as the next!
By trying to build a cockpit that fits everyone, in reality, it fit no-one. An ingenious solution came about as a result: adjustable seats, pedals, helmet straps and the like.
It seems common-sense now, but without Daniels’ work, we wouldn’t have known that there is no such thing as average, or normal.
So, how does this affect you, as a Well-being Provider?
Dispelling the myths about having to be normal is especially important for us women. Once we learn and get the lesson ingrained in us, that there is no normal because humans are so diverse, we can overcome a lot of complete rubbish holding us back.
As a human, you are intricate, complex and made up of emotions, experiences and thoughts. Physicality is as different as our beliefs and values.
You are amazing exactly as you are. No more to be said.
Guess what, your clients are too!
When planning your marketing remember to go out on a limb and not market to your ‘normal’ clients.
In reality, if you try and make your services attractive to everyone, you are not going to appeal to anyone.
If you understand the intricacies of massage during pregnancy and that is your talent, don’t try and market to all accountants or market so widely that you appeal to women who can’t have children.
Create a package that is tailored to your client’s needs and based on your own talents. Be flexible. Allow the package to cater to each of your client’s unique needs.
More people will resonate with your message if you build a cockpit with adjustable seating and pedals!
Use your gifts
Yes, you are a world class massage therapist. Yes, you have special gifts. Use those to speak to clients and they will hear you.
To quote Meredith Hill: “Speak to everyone and you speak to no-one”.
You are not normal, you are not average and you won’t ever fit in either of those categories. That’s simply how life works… How awesome is that?
Speak to your clients in their words, their way and they will come to you.
Let your uniqueness guide you, who wants to be like anyone else anyway? It’s perfectly ok to be different.
Be weird, stand out more.
Here it is, the nugget I’d like you to take away from this blog: You have permission to be yourself. You have permission to be different.
Revel in it, thrive in it. Be yourself because everyone else is taken!
So, how are you going to make sure you can be yourself today? How will you stand out from the crowd?
Pop me an email or onto my Facebook page and share your thoughts…
Cheryl-lya is a Soul Adventurer and Planning Queen: helping women around the globe plan launch and grow successful sustainable businesses. She runs workshops alongside one-to-one coaching. Contact her: Book a call, or visit her website soulscompass.net and schedule a free 15 min Connection Session to get your needs sorted. Say ‘hello’ or share your joys via email: hello@soulscompass.net
P.S. Cheryl-lya has released her new book: ‘Twenty-one Day Gratitude Challenge’. Buy your copy here: www.soulscompass.net then read to find the links and join the enlightened accountability group for free!