Something different is scary.

I appreciate the irony here as I called my consultancy Something Different.

There are many reasons something different can make us feel scared or intimidated:

• Fear of the unknown can create anxiety, as outcomes are uncertain, and people are often more comfortable sticking with what they know. Which brings us to...
• Comfort zones and our natural gravitation toward routines and comfort can make doing something different and breaking away from what's familiar destabilising and uncomfortable.
• Challenges to existing beliefs can cause resistance, as adapting to a different way of thinking requires effort and a decent amount of open-mindedness.
• Judgment, scrutiny or criticism from others, especially if the change contrasts with accepted norms or expectations, such as "That's not how we do it round here."

And there is always...

• The risk of failure and of potentially losing time, resources, or credibility if things don't go as planned.

Embracing something different—and I don't mean different for different's sake - can mean reevaluating strategies, experimenting with new approaches, or disrupting the status quo. These might feel daunting, but they are often necessary for growth and innovation.

I think of something different as creating a competitive advantage over your competition, which should fuel growth and profit. At the same time, you'd like to believe, also minimising risk. Doing the same things as everyone else, companies bigger and stronger than you, sure, seems risky.

It's about seeing change as an opportunity, focusing on the long-term vision and ambition, learning from others who have done it successfully elsewhere, and breaking it down into manageable pieces so the journey seems less daunting.

• Something different could be at a business level, such as a new or better way to deliver benefits and value to customers at a cost that leaves the business with healthy returns
• It could be a different and distinctive way to position and present your brand and offering to the market, so you're not just another x offering y
• It could be a different and better brand, sales, and service experience that makes people more likely to buy from you and buy from you again
• It could be a different and distinctive way to market and advertise your brand and offer to customers and prospective customers. This would ensure you escape the sea of sameness in your category, garner more attention than your competition, build stronger memories, and encourage more current and future buyers to buy from you.

You could do all of these things or one of them, but the more you add, the more different you become, and your competitive advantages grow.

Something different can be scary, but overcoming and managing discomfort, fear, and emotions, with a focus on the value you bring customers and how you stand out from the crowd, will see you reap the rewards.