Do you dare to be different?

What does it mean to be different?  In the current age of social media, I regularly see posts with people all trying to look the same, doing the same thing and trying to be part of the cool crowd.  What does it say about you if you’re not run of the mill?  Can you succeed at school, work, or in life?

The answer is yes, but is it an obvious answer?  

In case you haven’t noticed I am Chinese, but I am born and bred British. From Chinese people I get called a banana or a BBC, and if the British throw insults my way I hardly notice. Has that stopped me in my tracks? If you know me then you know I do not conform to the norm.  Chinese people are usually skinny – I am not. Guys don’t wear pink or dance – I do both (although not often together).

I have made being different an important part of who I am, and I am proud that I stand out. It has really helped me get noticed in my profession.  I’m the smiley Chinese guy that always wears pink. My wife is the female engineer who gets stuff done and we have one very important thing in common, our work ethic. You can be different and stand out for the right reasons, so we have always worked incredibly hard to make sure our professional reputations are ones to be proud of.

Now we are fortunate enough to work together (so far without killing each other) and we are building a business and a team that is not afraid to buck the trend.  We are not misfits – we just like to challenge the norm, ask the awkward questions, and we dare to be different. 

Chun-Kit