The Freak Factor - What's My Problem?

Designers, have you ever felt or made to feel like you're a freak, a nerd, or a geek just be'cos you don't want to conform to the masses? That you don't fit in? Your friends/peers/boss/parents tells you that you have this and that weakness in your character that needs to be fixed or else you won't be liked/accepted?

Well, don't despair and don't simply give in to peer pressure & this overwhelming desire to change yourself - just to conform. You might do more harm than good to yourself if you do so. To find out why, go download this PDF file, read on and be inspired...

The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness
by: David Rendall
...short excerpt from the document...

2. What’s My Problem?
I have a lot of weaknesses. According to my parents, teachers, managers, friends and wife, I am:

• hyperactive
• impatient
• impulsive
• easily distracted
• resistant to authority
• need to be the center of attention
• not open to the ideas of others
• too focused on the big picture
• unable to manage administrative details
• a poor listener
• a bad team player
• disorganized

Even with these weaknesses, I’ve been able to achieve a moderate level of success. So, how did I do it? How did I overcome my problems? How did I finally conquer my weaknesses?

I didn’t.
I didn’t overcome my problems or conquer my weakness. I didn’t get better. Instead, I discovered that my apparent flaws were clues to my true strengths. Because of this insight, I became a professor, speaker and consultant. Now, the hyperactive guy, who can’t sit down or stay quiet, gets paid to stand up and talk.

The guy who isn’t a team player works alone. The guy who doesn’t like authority runs his own business as a leadership and strategy consultant, which means that the guy who isn’t good with the details helps people to see the big picture when they are too busy with daily operations.

All of my supposed flaws are still there, they just don’t matter that much. In fact, I’ve succeeded because of my weaknesses, not in spite of them. These examples from my life illustrate the three primary lessons of this manifesto.

1. There is nothing wrong with you. Weaknesses are important clues to your strengths.

2. You find success when you find the right fit. You need to match your unique characteristics to situations that reward those qualities.

3. Your weaknesses make you different. They make you a freak and it’s good to be a freak.

"My experience as an individual, consultant, parent and leader indicates that efforts to fix weaknesses are ineffective. Furthermore, I believe that the goal of being well-rounded is both undesirable and impossible to attain. The purpose of this manifesto is to explain why I believe this and to offer a better alternative."
David Rendall

... end excerpt...

Download full PDF file from the ChangeThis Manifesto website...