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The Cost of Being Safe
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There’s a mental image I can’t shake. A bed of nails. Thousands of nails. Same height, shape, and colour. Perfectly aligned. Now I've never tried, but some people say it’s surprisingly comfortable. Not because it’s soft, obviously, but because there’s no single point of pressure. Everything is evenly spread out and nothing stands out enough to hurt. That’s the important part. The moment one nail sticks out, even slightly, the whole experience changes. You feel it immediately. Your body reacts. It’s uncomfortable, sure, but more importantly, it’s unmistakable and that’s the thing you remember. Not the other thousands of nails, but the one that broke the pattern. Probably also why we remember bad experiences so well. Online, most of what I see looks like that bed. Same length. Same tone. Same ideas. Everything filed down until it’s safe, reasonable, and broadly acceptable. Because it all looks and sounds the same, you don’t really notice any of it. Nothing sticks out (get it?) Nothing creates pressure. Nothing gives you a reason to stop. It’s all very forgettable. This is where nice people and generalists quietly vanish, because they’ve removed anything that might be questioned, challenged, or scrutinised. Safe opinions. No real point of view. Language designed to stay within the lines at all costs. The result is that you end up looking and sounding exactly like everyone else. Blehhh. I understand why people do this: It feels safe. But if you’re trying to appeal to everyone, you don’t repel anyone. And if you don’t repel anyone, you don’t really attract anyone either. You can’t be everybody’s friend. Inclusion matters, sure, but building a business is an exercise in exclusion. The only way to matter to a specific group of people is to be willing to not matter to everyone else. Or, as an old friend of mine once said, less politely: "As a brand worth its salt, you have to be willing to leave a few bodies by the side of the road". The one nail that sticks out isn’t comfortable. It never was. It creates pressure. It causes a reaction. Some people will step away from it. But it’s also the only thing anyone remembers once they get up. Make it a great day. P.s. How was your January? Mine flew by like crazy. 163 |
The Solo Sauce
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