33 Ways To Be Remarkable

be remarkable


Today I’m going to give you 33 ways to be a remarkable human being, one that stands out, is talked about and respected by many others.

33 Ways To Be Remarkable and Stand Out

 

  1. Live Your Own Life
    There is nothing remarkable about someone who is constantly trying to be like other people. Be yourself and be the best you that you can possibly be.
  2. Be Authentic
    Mean the things you say and do. Authenticity is not very common these days but when it is there, it shines through your words and actions and is very powerful for creating bonds with others.
  3. Come Up With Your Own Sayings
    Come up with your own quirky and original sayings. People will take notice and it may even catch on. By coming up with your own original sayings you stand out from everyone else who just uses clichés.
  4. Leave Others Better Than You Found Them
    Make it a habit to leave people in a better state then you found them. Happier, healthier, stronger, wealthier. This is a major way of being remarkable.
  5. Help People Without Wanting Anything In Return
    Volunteer to help other people out. Give some of your time, money or resources to help a fellow human being and expect absolutely nothing in return.
  6. Don’t Try To Be Perfect
    Be creative and abstract instead of trying to live up to other people’s expectation of perfect. You can achieve great and beautiful things without them living up to the general consensus of perfect.
  7. Face Your Fears
    People who avoid things because they are scared will never be remarkable. Face your fears and conquer them. Do you think Lance Armstrong would have been remarkable if he had given up cycling after he had cancer?
  8. Take The Plunge
    Be that person who does what others won’t do. If others are too scared to attempt something that you are not scared to do, just go out and do it with all your passion and energy.
  9. Question The Norm
    Just because something is done by millions of people around the world in a certain way does not mean it is the right or the only way to do something. Question the norm and don’t be afraid to do something differently.
  10. Expose Yourself
    Get up on stage or in front of people. Risk putting your ideas and creativity out in public, available for criticism and humiliation. What if Jay Z would have been to scared to perform in public and kept all his talent and art to himself in his basement?
  11. Start Your Own Tribe
    Be a leader instead of a follower. Build up a community or tribe of like minded people who will follow you and use your power to make a difference for the better in this world.
  12. Say NO To Things
    If something goes against your principles or you don’t really want it, say NO. You might risk offending some people, but most will respect you for having strong boundaries and sticking to them.
  13. You Are Enough
    Have the mindset that you have all the assets to be remarkable. You have talent and you have a gift. Share it with the world.
  14. Be Optimistic
    Optimism and smiles are contagious. Make the world a happy and positive place.
  15. Be confident
    Know what you want and be confident that you are going to get it. I think that all remarkable people share the trait of confidence.
  16. Be Humble
    Arrogance and vanity are not traits to associate with people you respect and think highly of. No matter how good, famous or wealthy you are, stay humble with both feet on the ground.
  17. Create something that brings joy to other peoples lives
    Art, a painting, a video clip, a film, a song, a poem, a book and so on and so forth. Be artistic and express your talent in a form that it can be shared with everyone without the expectation of getting rich from it. It’s your gift to the world.
  18. Invent something that everyone needs
    The disposable razor or a cigarette lighter for example. There could be one little thing that seems so simple yet will make the lives of millions of people so much easier.
  19. Take something that works and make it better
    The Japanese are pretty good at this. They took a normal train and change it into the fastest train in the world (bullet train). Take a normal and existing concept and make an exceptional change to it.
  20. Start a movement
    People look for a leader, someone who takes charge and takes initiative. Someone who has good intentions and wants to make a big change for the better. Be that leader and start a movement to change something that is not right in this world.
  21. Fight for peace and freedom
    All around the world there is so much unnecessary war and suffering. It seems impossible for one person to make a difference, but if everyone thinks like that, things will never change. Stop a war or change violent policies of a country and you will be remarkable.
  22. Preserve our planet
    Rainforests are being destroyed, species wiped out, oceans overfished and beautiful ecosystems perish. Make a difference and start a movement to do something about the destruction of our planet.
  23. Help the hungry
    There are so many people dying of hunger all around the world every single day. Do something to make a lasting difference. One idea I had was to get every person travelling on a plane to forfeit their meal for the hungry. A combined effort by all passengers would result in thousands of meals a day that could be given to hungry people all across the world.
  24. Push the limits (break a record)
    If you can do something that nobody else has been able to achieve, then you will not only get noticed but you will certainly be remarkable. You may just be the psychological inspiration for many others to get past the level that was always thought of as unbreakable.
  25. Revolutionize an industry
    Waltz into an industry or niche with a great idea or new perspective and put that idea in motion. If you can improve or revolutionize the way an entire industry does something then you are pretty remarkable.
  26. Tell Compelling Stories
    Stories are an amazing way to share knowledge and experiences with others. If you know how to create compelling and fun stories, you can make a big impact on the lives of others. That’s remarkable.
  27. Think Better
    Be a step ahead of everyone else. Think faster, better or more efficiently.
  28. Read More Interesting Things
    The more you read, the more you shape your personality. The more interesting things that you read, the more likely you are to become an interesting (and remarkable) person.
  29. Don’t Be Boring
    One requirement of being remarkable is that you are not boring. Be original, fun and get things done.
  30. Stop Making Excuses
    Either do something or don’t do it at all. Don’t be someone who always has excuses to stall doing something or justify why you didn’t do something.
  31. Never Settle For Average
    Never be content with average or mediocrity. When other people give up and settle, carry on going and be better than them.
  32. Do What You Say
    If people can rely on you and they know that when you say something that you will do it, you are well on your way to being remarkable. If you make a promise, keep it.
  33. Don’t Aim To Be Remarkable
    As contradictory as it sounds, most remarkable people never set out to be remarkable. They did what they loved and were really passionate and that is what got them to being remarkable.
     

This is what Seth Godin wrote about being remarkable:

  • “Remarkability lies in the edges. The biggest, fastest, slowest, richest, easiest, most difficult. It doesn’t always matter which edge, more that you’re at (or beyond) the edge.
  • Not everyone appreciates your efforts to be remarkable. In fact, most people don’t. So what? Most people are ostriches, heads in the sand, unable to help you anyway. Your goal isn’t to please everyone. Your goal is to please those that actually speak up, spread the word, buy new things or hire the talented.
  • What’s fashionable soon becomes unfashionable. While you might be remarkable for a time, if you don’t reinvest and reinvent, you won’t be for long. Instead of resting on your laurels, you must commit to being remarkable again quite soon.”

There is a difference between being remarkable and between being noticed. For instance, running down the street naked will get you noticed but it certainly doesn’t make you remarkable. However, if you were to run naked down the street of big cities all across the world to raise money for the homeless, then you may have a very good chance at being remarkable.

I highly recommend Seth Godin’s Linchpin: Are You Indispensable for a much better perspective on how to be remarkable.

Photo Credit Sara Reeve Photography

  • http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/ Car Accident Attorneys

    #1 is the only way I can live. Otherwise, what’s the point?

  • http://www.upgradereality.com Diggy

    Thanks! I hope you take action to do something different and not just dream about it :)

  • Shelby

    Great post Diggy! I’m a college student, and so many of the people I know are apathetic about change and self improvement. One of the greatest things that we can do in life is to help others, which in turn helps our growth. I especially identified with the stop making excuses tip, that is something I definitely need to work on! Thanks for the wonderful collection.

  • Andrew Cooke

    Fantastic post.

    Being remarkable is indeed about not trying to be remarkable as it will passively come from being unique and therefore being yourself.
    Do the things you want to do, say the things you want to say and don’t compare yourself to others as they will never ‘look like you’ as they are NOT you.

    *clap*

    • diggy

      Thank you very much for the kind words Andy!
      Happy to hear you enjoyed the post :)

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  • adam quean

    Loving the list, especially number 33, might have to commit that one to memory!

  • http://www.miannegolf.com Mianne

    Love this article. It really sums things up nicely and is mostly how I’ve decided to live my life, but I’ve never been able to put it into words.

    As a friend of mine reminded me recently:

    If you don’t want something to grow, don’t give it energy.

    Despite all of this, I thinks it’s also important for us to realise that it is still ok to be ‘average’ sometimes. To sit down, take some time out, and watch the world go by from time to time. We still need to be aware of our environment and world around us ….just not to get sucked into ‘the rat race’! ;)

  • http://daily-opinion-polls.com/ Vince

    31. Never settle for average.

    This one struck me. It reminded me of two quotes that I always remind myself of.

    Good is the enemy of great! and

    “What advice do you have for the average investor?” “Don’t be average.”

    While that might be for investing you could switch out anything for it and you get the same idea.

    Vince
    .-= Vince´s last blog .. =-.

    • Diggy

      Heya Vince!

      Totally agreed, by settling for average it would be stupid to expect extraordinary results, the best results you can expect are ‘average’.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  • http://www.freedigitalphotoprints.com Kelly

    Wow! Great list! i am impressed. I would say that was a remarkable post, hee hee. I try and be as remarkable as I can be and improve myself everyday, so I will be sure to use this post for some guidance. Thanks!
    .-= Kelly´s last blog ..Top 5 Posing and Directing Photography Tips =-.

    • Diggy

      Heya kelly!
      Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment :) Glad you like the post :) !!

  • Chris

    great post. Facing your fears is a key one for me, I see so many folks trapped by fear not knowing the way out. By facing them you become remarkable in many peoples eyes.

    My first time here btw, nice site

    • Diggy

      Heya Chris!
      Glad you like the site, I hope you stick around for future posts!

      Cheers for stopping by and leaving a comment!

  • winnie

    going to have to save this list and check off the ones that apply, but saying NO is what stood out for me. i never know how to do that…thanks

    • Diggy

      Hey Winnie!
      Yeah it’s something I stuggled with a lot, still do sometimes. Just start by saying NO to normal things :)

  • http://www.timelessinformation.com Armen Shirvanian

    Hi Diggy.

    Leaving others better than you found them is something I am in support of. I try to represent a “+” to others. It’s a cool thing to go for.

    #12 about saying ‘no’ has been valuable to me the times I have done it. I have not regretted saying ‘no’, but have regretted not saying it. I’d say it is better to err on the side of saying ‘no’ to new things, or optional things.

    #30 is true. I avoid excuses because they always limit me. When you say an excuse, it serves to only slow yourself down.
    .-= Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..Words Of Wisdom – Chosen Lyrics =-.

    • Diggy

      Hey Armen!

      Good to hear you enjoyed the post! I like the one about not making excuses, it’s still something I need to do consciously because soemtimes I find myself creating excuses automatically when I’m not in the mood for something.

  • Karen

    Great post, Diggy! I need to print this out and put it on my wall :) I love the last one… don’t aim to be remarkable. Wise, wise words.

    • Diggy

      Thank you Karen!

  • Hiqutipie

    Very nice work Diggy…Often in society everything is constantly improving & getting better…Everything from sports to the internet is designed to get better & become the best except where it seems to be needed most…In people…the individual…Physically…Mentally…Spiritually…

    So people need daily reminders to keep them on track…Well Done…

    BOB

    • Diggy

      Hey Hiqutipie!

      Sorry that your comment didn’t display, if you comment for the first time it needs to be approved first :)
      Welcome to Upgradereality! Yeah I agree with you completely, technology is advancing yet our spirits and traditions are going backwards. Our generation needs to change that!

  • http://hanshageman.com Hans Hageman

    Great list. This would be a good framework for a high school leadership training program. “Improv Wisdom” by Patricia Madson and “Tribes” by Seth Godin are useful branches to these points.
    .-= Hans Hageman´s last blog ..Move or Die =-.

    • Diggy

      Hey Hans!
      Seth Godin should be stock material for school textbooks! Let’s change the schooling system! :)

  • http://frombottomup.com/ Hulbert

    Nice post Diggy. I like your tips on how to be remarkable, especially those last quotes by Seth Godin. Being remarkable doesn’t have to mean having the most money, but being on the edge of something that you love to do. It’s what stands you out from the rest and what’s makes you unique. In my opinion, that’s what makes a person remarkable. Thanks for sharing this article with us. :)
    .-= Hulbert´s last blog ..Do Your Blogging Struggles Still Bother You? =-.

    • Diggy

      Hey Hulbert!
      Thanks for stopping by! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the article!

  • http://diazan.com Andrés

    Woah, I checked and double checked and none of them appeared twice! How did you make sure? ;)

    I would really like to know whether the numbers just happened to be or your own ranking. Could you tell us?

    Best regards,

    Andrés

    • Diggy

      Hey Andres!
      I checked it myself, I can’t produce sloppy articles ;)
      Besides the first and last reason (which I put in their positions on purpose), the other reasons have no specific order.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  • JB King

    I’ve heard many of these over and over again, but sometimes it helps to reinforce a good idea. The first way reminds me of a saying, “Live In Your Own Power,” which really struck me and is something that I’d hope more people could get as a way to be empowered and take on the world rather than let the world mold them.

    Something that was left out is the idea of finding one’s values. Those ideals that one would die to preserve. I think it is part of being authentic, that one find their ideals and live from the inside out rather than the outside in. If it helps there is a drawing of various circles where the innermost is our Heart then values, beliefs, and results/experiences as the outer most ring.

    I see 32 and 2 as being similar in some ways, but I do see a subtle difference after thinking about it for a second. Being unreasonable is another idea that I’d toss out there. Many remarkable people did things that most people would cringe if asked to do, so why did they do it? Be Fearless! Live your life, dream big, and work hard to try to get those dreams.

    There are times where I kind of wonder if anyone could have guessed some of the things that have happened in this world. If anyone in 1980 would have said, “In 30 years, there will be an African-American president and an African-American woman worth over a billion dollars,” I think this person may have been laughed away yet this has happened. For those wondering, back in 1980 there was Stagflation, Ronald Regan was about to be elected President, the cold war was still going, there were hostages in Iran that Carter was trying to handle and a few other big issues way back when. The internet and cell phone have radically transformed communications as we know them. Who knows what will the big changes of the next 30 years? Who wants to guess what the world of 2040 would look like? It used to be that the sky was the limit, but I think we’ve discovered there are things beyond the sky and thus our potential is limitless. For those that can understand that, life is beyond awesome but some won’t. It is kind of sad, but I guess this motivates some of us to try to fix that, right?

    I’m on my way to being remarkable, I’m just not sure that this is well-known yet.

    • Diggy

      Hey JB, awesome comment!
      It’s true, so many of us know what to do, yet we still don’t do it. Hopefully I can change the world with one article at a time :) You sound very wise, you should have your own blog?!

      • JB King

        I don’t see myself having a blog and trying to tap into the world that way. I’d rather act as this intermediary that posts in forums or on other people’s blogs and is plugged into the world that way. That could change, but right now I’m enjoying building connections and seeing where I can share love, wisdom and truth in trying to make the world better.

        I do appreciate someone giving that idea and maybe it’ll percolate in my head into something.

    • http://www.miannegolf.com Mianne

      Sounds like you already are remarkable JB! ;)

  • http://dannycooper.org Danny Cooper

    Starting your own tribe sounds like a great thing to try, although it won’t be a small task! In fact I’m going to put the wheels in motion on starting my own tribe in the next couple of days, I’ll keep you updated.
    .-= Danny Cooper´s last blog ..guest posts =-.

    • Diggy

      Hey Danny!
      Thanks for the comment! Your tribe sounds like an awesome idea, bring back links as it is called. I encourage every blogger to join Danny’s tribe and start bringing back normal links to posts instead of microblogging like twitter (although I hear that Google is going to be factoring in tweets to their algorithm for search results)

      • Danny Cooper

        Thanks for the support Diggy, you are remarkable :)
        .-= Danny Cooper´s last blog ..Bring Back Backlinks =-.

  • Eduard @ Ideas With A Kick

    I particularly like the first 3 ways, all of which I think basically center around authenticity. This is because they not only make you remarkable, but also unique.

    Cheers,

    Eduard

    • Diggy

      Hey Eduard! I agree, be unique and be yourself, that alone sets you apart from many people!

  • Ben Weston

    Hey Diggy,

    I like how you ended with “don’t aim to be remarkable”. People who end up being remarkable don’t do it for the fame or attention (usually), but rather because they followed their passions. Personally, I feel that following your passions to their fullest potential will have you being remarkable in many of the ways you listed.

    Wonderful tips!
    Ben

    • Diggy

      Hey Ben!
      Yeah, did that one on purpose. You don’t set out with the idea of being remarkable, or building a billion dollar industry or whatever, you set out with an idea that you are passionate about. You build on it and work on it and make it grow, and slowly over time, you will get your massive results, but not because you aim for them, only because of your passion and perseverance.

      Cheers!

  • Kim

    Hey Diggy,

    Happily, a number of these are already in place. Love how #33 ties in with Glen’s last post — it really is about enjoying what you do as this carries us through challenging times.

    Now… to ‘push my limits’ by helping many people vs. the one-on-one model I’ve worked in for many years — That will be remarkable!

    I appreciate your wisdom :)

    • Diggy

      Hey Kim!
      Yeah Glen is a big rolemodel for me, he has a really good writing style! I think that by helping people you can truly become remarkable. That’s what many of us bloggers set out to do, change the world with one article at a time :)

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com Maren Kate

    First of all, cute picture, secondly… I love these they ring very true. I try to use my own phrases a lot in my blog and social networks because it is fun and helps with branding, I also like being quirky since so many people try to fit into molds these days.

    Cheers!

    • Diggy

      Hey Maren!
      Yeah, the picture is totally cute, I saw it and knew that I wanted to use it so I emailed the photographer and asked for her permission :)
      Thanks for stopping by miss!

  • http://www.reachourdreams.com Jen

    Hi Diggy
    I enjoyed this post a lot (love the photo btw! :) ) a lot of wisdom here … so much of being remarkable is about stepping outside ourselves and having our life be about others.
    Jen

    • Diggy

      Heya Jen!
      Thank you! I love the photo too :)