Many people have your last name. Your parents, siblings, grandparents, kids, grandchildren, etc. have the same last name. But your first name, that’s different. And the combination of your first and last name, that’s unique.

This is a great analogue to how what you do might not be original but how you put things together and do it your particular way, that’s special. 

This is how putting your stamp on things works. Opera singers have the same notes on a page but you can tell Maria Callas from Leontyne Price. They put their stamp on a sound, an inflection, the unique subtleties that make them… them.

You can do the same. You can make your work, whatever it is, something where someone down the line remarks, “This has to be from Joe, he’s the only one I’ve ever seen do it like this.” 

Question is: Why bother?

Well, you can be a commodity who’s just like the rest, a replaceable cog in the corporate machine …or… you can be a beacon who’s just a little different and does things just a little better with a little more color and a little more attention to detail. 

And—if you work for one of those employers who just can’t stomach anything that isn’t cut from the cookie mold that they made—you can be preparing for the day you leave them for that employer who loves remarkable artistry. 

You can also be turning work you have to do into work you want to do. You can be making that morning drag out of bed less of a drag. You can begin loving your work regardless of whether it’s work you love.

So, begin the reframe. Never accept a task or project as something to dash off in a run-of-the-mill way. Put your stamp on it. Make it noteworthy, memorable, ‘wow’, cool, inspiring.

And don’t make excuses. Don’t let the there’s-really-nothing-original-anymore thinking hold you back. Pursue your amazing way. Pursue your ‘wow’ performance. Pursue doing what you do in a way that makes people pause and look and remember it… and more importantly, remember you …and your name. 

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