Happy New Month! As we approach the final stretch of this year’s race, it’s challenging to find a message that resonates with every runner—men and women striving to fulfill their purpose and make sense of their God-given lives. I’m a runner too, but if I were coaching some average runners, my message to them this season would be simple: *dare to be different.* And if possible, I would shout those words with all my might.
It’s natural for us to seek comfort zones, where our security and comfort are guaranteed. But that’s also why we often fail to get much done. In fact, it’s why you haven’t started that course, that project, that business, that investment, or that book, etc. As the year wraps up, it’s not too late to reflect on what you can do to make 2025 different. What will make the next five or ten years of your life stand out?
Friends, there are many positive outcomes from daring to be different. It could mean unlocking untapped potential, or accomplishing something you never imagined possible. Daring to be different means breaking out of the mold, taking risks, and prioritizing what’s truly worth your time and sacrifice. It’s reaching for the highest mountain despite the challenges and obstacles ahead. So, what are the downsides of not daring? There are several, but I’ll focus on three key ones.
1. No Unique Experience
Have you ever listened to someone and been amazed by their wisdom and life experience? I can assure you that those individuals have read extensively and experienced life in humbling ways. Taking high risks exposes us to failure and losses, but it also brings invaluable lessons. Daring to be better involves embracing failure many times. I hate failure, but I’ve learned that success stories are rarely magnetic without the elements of rejection, disappointment, and failure. You need to fail in order to gain wisdom and build persistence. If you’re still young, experiment with new things that push you out of your comfort zone. Trust me, the experience you’ll gain can’t be found in any book.
2. Identity Crisis
If you don’t dare, you won’t fully realize your potential. It’s like owning a sports car but never pushing it to its maximum speed—you’ll never know how fast it can go. Many of us are afraid to accelerate our lives because we fear the risk of failure or even a “fatal accident.” But if you don’t dare, you’ll never develop your own brand or creative style. It’s easy to follow the norms and comfortable, popular ways of doing things, but the danger is that you can lose your own identity. The four identity crises that daring helps us avoid are:
- A. Not Knowing Who You Are
- B. Being Afraid to Show Who You Are
- C. Forgetting Who You Are
- D. Doubting Who You Are
3. Limited Impact
The world remembers you by what you’ve done. What are you doing now? Have you ever wondered why we still remember people who passed away over a hundred years ago? What made leaders like Obafemi Awolowo, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela great? Or scientists like Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Alexander Fleming, Isaac Newton, and many more? As I grow older, I’ve realized that even if I can’t have as large an impact as some of those figures, at least my family and children should remember me as someone who changed the trajectory of things. What will be your legacy? What will you contribute to your family and the world?
Conclusion
Earlier this month, I listened to an American professor and businessman who said, “There is nothing you can do to be above average that doesn’t expose you to the risk of being below average. If you dare to be different, you have to be willing to be wrong.” This means you must be willing to fail, not once, but many times. Regardless, I believe that when you read biographies, most people who dared have fewer regrets.
As I wrap up, I want to remind you: You are special, you are talented, and you are enough. But to fully experience the depth of your capabilities, you must dare to be different. It’s okay to be confused and not have everything figured out. But dare to do things differently, even in small ways. Look at what’s left undone in 2024 and set out to do better in 2025. You will succeed, trust me.
I am Samuel Ayankoso, The Quester
Quotes
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” — Helen Keller
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” — Robert Kennedy
“What is normal? Normal is only ordinary; mediocre. Life belongs to the rare, exceptional individual who dares to be different.” — Virginia C. Andrews
“Some of the best inventive moments are born out of ‘wrong thinking.’ Most people start with the right way so they all follow the same path. The wrong way will lead to mistakes from which you can learn and create new discoveries—the kind of original ideas that come to life when we dare to be different, keep an open mind, and have no fear of failure.” — James Dyson
