The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something to establish that unique position.

Al Ries

Human beings have thrived as a species by recognizing patterns. We base these patterns on the richness of our past experiences. While this heuristic helps us tremendously in how we interact with the world, it does come with its drawbacks. 

Those rapid snap judgements not only influence how we see others, but it also has a significant impact on how we see ourselves. As an example: When I meet people, and I tell them I studied economics and psychology at college, they have a challenging time reconciling what I do for a living. 

What people are trying to do is follow a linear train of thought which usually helps them get to a logical conclusion. This line of thought works a majority of the time because most people only colour inside the lines. We identify with labels that society bestows upon us and do very little during our lives to break away.

To truly get onto a path of high performance, we need to position ourselves differently. We need to think, speak and act differently. If you are to break away from the status quo, we have to find a way to forge our path. Otherwise, the world around us will position us based on what suits them rather than giving yourself the ability to choose. 

We all can choose how to position ourself. 

It is only a matter of whether we have the self-belief, courage and most importantly, the self-awareness to do so. 

Positioning yourself requires you to understand what your strengths are, what makes you different, who is the target audience you want to lead and clearly outline the benefits that your audience would gain by following you.

All of the above requires you to have clarity and where you want to take your life. 

While discussing strategy and marketing, the word positioning comes up a lot. However, when the intent isn’t authentic, most people will be able to sniff that out quickly. 

With the proliferation of technology, this topic is going to be critical to becoming anti-fragile. When you are positioned without consent, you are opting in to becoming fragile. 

The highest performers will be those that can blaze their own path. Those who will be brave enough to colour outside of the lines when necessary. They will have a point of view of how the world is unfolding and be clear on the role they will play within it.

High-performance is not something you miraculously achieve. It takes dedication, perseverance and most importantly, the will to break away from the tried and tested path. 

So either you will be able to position yourself into it or find yourself positioned, which will ultimately limit the extent of your growth. 

The decision is yours to make.