Nothing’s new under the sun (how to generate success with the same old material)

Nothing is new under the sun. An old proverb that you may have heard demonstrate the fact life is doomed to repeat itself for an eternal length of time into the foreseeable future. But how might we repeat this phrase in a new sense that can bring hope and light into the pursuit of our goals and betterment of our communities?

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” is what we will take from today to highlight the opportunities presented to us by this exact way of thinking in society. Unless you have conquered one of the more difficult habits humans wrestle with: Pride, fear, prejudice, preference, comfort and familiarity is a strong influence in who you associate with, trust, act like and identify with.

This same familiarity has been what can limit us from seeing new doors and scenery the world has to offer us, at the same time, this familiarity is also what lowers our guards to take chances, heed wisdom from others, accept truths of life and become motivated for a higher way of living.

These emotions and behaviours can activate because of a variety of influential factors including race, culture, socio-economic status, gender, taste in music, fashion, experiences and more.

Whether right or wrong, one individual may be likely to brush off any information coming from a person who doesn’t look like them or act like them but be receptive to the exact same information simply because it is packaged in a form that the individual is familiar with (e.g. an aspiring bodybuilder looking to get in shape is more likely to trust another bodybuilder rather than a couch potato even if the bodybuilder was really giving False information and the couch potato was really providing Correct information)

This feeds into our human nature to be cautious of things we do not understand as they may be a threat to our safety and security while giving leeway to what reminds us of ourselves, as probability tells us they are a safer bet.

This brings us back to observe how we might utilize these same human emotions and behaviour in attaining our goals and uplifting our communities.

How might your fan base, your niche market, your “circle” view a product or service coming from yourself as to a “foreigner” in the cultural sense. Coming from one who understands them, knows them, relates to them and is one of them. Could this be where your breakthrough in controlling a piece of the market lies?

The sad reality is many may feel they are unable to compete with competition who are bringing something innovative to the table without realising there’s more to success than this aspect. Many times a customer will buy from emotional ties and trust factors rather than because of technical specifications and being a superior product.

Major corporations spend hundreds of millions of dollars on branding, paying celebrities and Instagram stars to promote their products, running advertisements on every media platform or sponsoring local teams and events in attempt to develop rapport with an audience and show empathy and relatability to their customers. 
But as a member of the community, you already have your ears to the streets, know what the people want and what the community needs. It’s just a matter of seeing it for what it is, your advantage of being a trusted member and part of that tribe.

You being that trusted member and part of that tribe is what can allow for others to look at your service with familiarity and not hesitancy, knowing you understand them and will do what’s best by them. Even in the animal kingdom, same species will unite for survival and security, it shows there is an inherent pull to that which we understand and which resembles ourselves. 
This translates over to so many areas of life and cultures that have been explored as sport athletes listen to sport athletes, medical professionals listen to medical professionals, teenagers listen to teenagers and your community will listen to your community.

Instead of being hell bent on the next hot new thing for innovation, know your innovation can come in many forms, including introducing a product (even if old) to a new community and can mean new discovery and innovation to that community's setting.

So where is your community/opportunity telling you to focus, is it in your backyard that you have been overlooking all this time for your next breakthrough forward, is it online where your familiar faces congregate to discuss daily occurrences, wherever it is begin to evaluate what they mean for your goals and how they’re the key to unlocking the next level in achieving the life you want to be living today.

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Flashback for whoever remembers this trend!

What was your community's Harlem Shake?