“Worrying about what other people think is a jail of our own creation, and the irony of it is those people are in the same jail with us” (Srinivas Rao)… Damn straight! This book, The Art of Being Unmistakable, is a refreshing read on ideas “outside of the box.”
Although I don’t agree with many of his ideas and suggestions on becoming a “remarkable” person, he makes some keen observations about life and the false ideas many of us have which prevent us from becoming the person we want to become and achieving in life that which we truly desire.
My favorite ten quotes from The Art of Being Unmistakable by Srinivas Rao, (2013) are:
Quotes cited from “The Art of Being Unmistakable” follow this format: (Chapter Title.Paragraph)
Job Security
1. The only job security, to the extent that it exists, will reside in your ability to be ‘high concept high touch’: to come up with inspired and innovative ideas, gain creative insights, and connect with people on an emotional level through empathy, story, and design. — Justine Musk (Preface.18)
Comment: The workplace is becoming highly competitive, and I do know from my sales experience the importance of telling a story, making a friend, and then making the sale… That takes a lot of creativity.
Heart and Soul
2. And I started to wonder, what would happen if we left our heart on stage every time we created anything. It’s a bust your ass to shine, honest to a fault, no bullshit, zero apology performance. If you look at the work of some of the most successful people in the world you’ll see it as an undertone. It isn’t just something they do, it’s who they are. It’s the kind of performance where your heart and soul bleed. (Preface.36,37)
Comment: Love it! Moreover, when it comes to practicing love, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion that is what you need to do… to put your heart on the stage knowing that it will most likely get “stomped” on most of the time.
Choice
3. Somewhere between what your soul knows and what the world wants you to know is your choice about what kind of story you will live and how you will live it. (Preface.41)
Comment: This idea is a common theme throughout literacy and philosophy. It is ultimately up to you to become what it is you want to become.
Loss
4. But, I’ve realized that loss creates an opening in our lives. We can fill that space with fear, panic, and anxiety. Or we can let it be open for creating something new, something that didn’t exist before. It can lead to something far better. To experience something new, we have to let go of what’s old. We have to remain calm in the face of setbacks. (Introduction: The Future of Work.7)
Comment: I am beginning to understand the wisdom of this idea. The loss has always been difficult for me because I hate change. However, change is the undercurrent of life and must be made an ally. Now, how to put that into practice?
Opportunity
5. The point of a loss isn’t to get back to where you were before the loss. It’s the chance to replace what was there with something much better. It’s an opportunity for reinvention, radical transformation, and infinite possibility. (Introduction: The Future of Work.9)
Comment: As I reflect on my life, I’ve come to realize that I have learned more from personal losses and failures than I ever did from being successful in my various endeavors… Thank God for the losses and failures!
Greatest Sin
6. My greatest sin was to waste my life believing that I wasn’t capable of something more. (The First Time I Got Fired.11)
Comment: I think many of us fall into this net of life… convincing ourselves that we are not good enough or capable enough to achieve those things we desire.
Imitation
7. If you try to mimic, copy, or emulate anybody else, at best you will be a pale imitation. (Mimicry and Replica.5)
Comment: I believe this to a degree. However, one must “mimic, copy, or emulate” from others that which we strive to become until the “dance becomes our own.”
Ego
8. Your ego is the bullshit version of who you are, and ego-based creation is not your art. (Your Art Is Not An Ego-Based Creation.2)
Comment: Ah, our egos! My ego(s) have made a fool of me in so many situations and circumstances that it’s hard to count. However, I have identified them and have been working hard, on a daily basis, to subdue or even extinguish them from my life.
Truth
9. You reach a point where the truth is all you have to work with. (Honesty and Imperfection.4)
Comment: I’m almost there… I contemplate, struggle, work, and pray for this characteristic daily.
Sense of Fulfillment
10. What would you choose to learn if there were no external rewards? What would you choose to learn if the only reward was a sense of self-fulfillment? That is where the ego disappears, art is created, and callings are found. (You Won’t Find A Calling In Ego-Based Learning.20)
Comment: Love, compassion, understanding, kindness, and forgiveness as a teacher and as a person… those are the things I choose to learn because, in the end, love is the only road left to travel.
Works Cited
Images – Post image: “Flammetta Cicogna” by CoalhouseStudio is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Web 19 January 2014.
Quotes – Rao, s. (2013). The Art of Being Unmistakable. [Place of publication not identified], San Bernardino, CA : [CreateSpace Independent Pub.], [2014]. 2014.
