#477 Stand out, don't fit in!

Stand out. Don't fit in. This has been my punchline for the podcast, the very last words of each episode since the very beginning.

What if embracing your uniqueness was the key to a more fulfilling life?

Many of us spend years trying to fit in—staying quiet, conforming, and avoiding judgment. But what if fitting in is actually what’s keeping you from reaching your true potential? 

In this episode, we uncover why standing out isn’t about being louder or better—it’s about being authentically you.

1. Discover how societal conditioning and fear of judgment keep us from expressing our true selves.
2. Learn four practical ways to embrace your uniqueness and stand out in a meaningful way.
3. Hear a personal journey of transformation from shy and reserved to confident and purpose-driven.

Listen now and take on the challenge: identify one way to stand out this week and step into your full potential!

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VALUABLE RESOURCES:

Mastery Seekers Tribe: https://masteryseekerstribe.com

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Want to be a guest on Personal Development Mastery?

Send Agi Keramidas a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/personaldevelopmentmastery

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Personal development inspiration, insights, and actions to implement for living with purpose.

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Transcript

Stand out, don't fit in. This has been my punchline for the podcast, the very last words of each episode since the very beginning, five years ago. And today we will talk about exactly this, standing out and not fitting in. 

Welcome to Personal Development Mastery Podcast, and this is episode 477. The phrase stand out, don't fit in has become something of a staple of the podcast. I remember the first time I used it at the end of an episode, that was in my first podcast, Personal Development Essentials, back in 2019, in an episode about the power of intention.

At that time, I was doing some public speaking, and one of the talks I gave was about the power of intention. At that time, I had just read Dr. Wayne Dyer's book of the same title, and I was very excited to discuss the knowledge in there. So let me start by telling you that the inspiration behind my use of the phrase, stand out, don't fit in, was based on my own personal journey and realization. 

And to a large extent, it reflected myself. It was first and foremost, a message to myself. And of course, it is also a resounding message to you, my fellow mastery seekers.

And here's how it reflected myself. So for most of my adult life, until I had my light bulb moment in my 40s, I was fitting in. I was doing my best to fit in, actually, and not be different. 

I was very closed, reserved, shy. I would keep my opinions to myself, especially if I thought that they may not be in alignment with the other people around me. So, I would prefer not to speak at all, rather than risking an opposite comment to what I would say, or a negative comment, or my comment being ignored, or whatever else my internal dialogue was telling me at that time. 

So, I started behaving like this from a young age, really. But I will give you here a much more recent example, which was about 10 years ago, and much more relevant, really, to the period of me fitting in. And the example that came to my mind is when I was studying for my master's degree in dentistry. 

So, during the time I spent at the University of Manchester, I remember going to some lectures, and sometimes when there was an opportunity for the students to ask the professor a question, I would never, you know, raise my hand and ask the question. And I had good questions. I know that because other people would later on ask the same exact question I was hesitant to ask myself, and they would receive a very positive welcome from others about that question. 

Of course, now looking back at that, it is very clear for me what was the reason holding me back, the reason why I was behaving like that, and that was the fear of judgment. What would others think if I say something that does not meet with their expectation, or they do not agree with, or whatever. There is one other main reason for people fitting in, and that is our societal conditioning to blend in. 

There is this cultural pressure to conform. We may also be aware of the tall poppy syndrome, where you know that all the poppies are at the same height, and if one poppy is taller than the others, it will be cut down. There is this conditioning in many of us, and I will invite you to take a moment and think for yourself how much this is or isn't part of your behavior. 

What I do realize now is that fitting in is not the way to live our life. I believe each of us has a uniqueness, a unique purpose, a unique reason why they are living their life on this planet. Although we are all connected as a collective, each of us is uniquely individual. 

There are billions of people, and no two people have the same DNA or the same fingerprint. So, we are uniquely individual, and this uniqueness I believe is meant to be expressed and not suppressed. When we blend in and disguise our unique characteristics, that moves us away from the purpose. 

That way we are not making the most of our life, we're not fulfilling our life. That's how I see it, and I will come back to my own personal story. When I had my light bulb, my aha moment back in 2017 in Tony Robbins event, it was since then that I embraced my uniqueness. 

Authenticity became a big element of what I started doing from then on, and of course that changed my life. From being shy, reserved, uncomfortable in social situations, holding back my thoughts and emotions, holding back my opinions, fitting in, to then becoming a speaker, a podcaster, standing out. That's the other part of the phrase, stand out. 

The first thing I want to make clear here is that standing out is not about being better, being louder, being anything in comparison. Standing out is about being authentically you. Standing out is about embracing your individuality and sharing your unique perspective. 

Standing out is what leads to a more fulfilling life. That's what I mean by stand out. Be yourself, be who you truly are, because when you are yourself, there is no one else like you. 

Don't dim your glow. We each have a glow, we were born with it. Let's not dim our glow by fitting in. 

So I would like to give you, as always in the podcast, some actionable tools, some practical ways to stand out, not fit in. And the first one is speak your truth, even if it's different from the majority. Speak your truth.

Oscar Wilde said the majority is always wrong, and you know, it depends on how one interprets this phrase. But regardless of that, this is the first actionable tool. Speak your truth.

The second practical way to stand out is pursue your passions unapologetically. And if you don't have or you're not sure what your passions are, start pursuing your curiosities first. Practical way to stand out number three, embrace your personal growth. 

Step outside your comfort zone. I know you know this because you are a mastery seeker. You are listening to this, you are embracing personal growth. 

And it goes without saying that all growth happens outside our comfort zone. So let's keep stepping outside of our comfort zone. For me, this right now, it is stepping outside of my comfort zone. 

I have said stand out, don't fit in for 480 episodes, but I've never spoken about all these things. It was much easier to just say it as a punchline, stand out, don't fit in and not explain it. But this is growth. 

This is outside the comfort zone. And this is my example for what we're talking. And the fourth practical way to stand out is to surround yourself with people who see your uniqueness, who celebrate your uniqueness.

This reinforces it in you. It creates a positive feedback loop. You can find a summary of these actionable practical ways to stand out along with some additional resources and information in our free community, the mastery seekers tribe.

So if you want to delve deeper into this or any of the topics we discussed on the podcast, go to masteryseekerstribe.com. It is a place to be if you want to surround yourself with people who celebrate everyone's uniqueness, your uniqueness. In conclusion, I will reiterate the core message of the stand out, don't fit in. And that is, don't dim your glow, embrace your uniqueness, your authenticity. 

And I will invite you or as a matter of fact, even more, I will challenge you this week, mastery seeker, to identify one way that you can stand out this week. And when you do, make sure you post in our community, mastery seekers tribe, and let us know about it. So now you know the story behind the punchline of the podcast.

I hope you found it useful, informative, and perhaps even entertaining. And until next time, stand out, don't fit in.