Being the person everyone notices isn’t hard. The question is: What is it for?
Seth Godin once said: “It’s really easy to be the guy who wears a plaid suit to a funeral.”
Imagine you showed up to a funeral like this:
You would stand out for sure. Everyone would notice you. But they’d also think you’re a jerk.
So this isn’t about getting the attention. It’s about what you’d do with it. Why do you need it in the first place?
- Is it for validation?
- Do you not feel appreciated among your friends and family?
- Are you hoping lots of girls will like you?
Why do you care? Does your being noticed only benefit you? Is it some form of comfort? A patch you’re trying to stitch a wound with you created yourself?
Or does it actually serve a greater goal? Because sometimes, even being noticed as a jerk has its purpose.
Take this scene from Ocean’s Thirteen, for example. When Frank tries to sell Willy Bank on a game to install in his casinos, but he doesn’t bite, Terry Benedict shows up as the arch enemy, douchebag competitor – in a white suit, with a big, fat cigar in his mouth.
The second he starts talking, all eyes are on him. He whips out his big checkbook and Bank can’t help himself but to outbid him – the fish took the bait.
In this case, Terry needed the attention to confuse his enemy. And the easiest way to get it was to be hated. But he did it to help his friends.
Don’t ask “How can I get people to notice me?”
Ask “Why do I need peoples’ attention? What would I do with it? Would it be any good?”
Most importantly, always ask yourself: “What is it for?”
That way, you won’t end up as the guy wearing a plaid suit at a funeral for no reason. If you do, you’ll be 100% sure why.
