Customizing everything - what it means to customize, why you should customize things
What does it mean to customize everything? Currently in the world, we can access and buy anything we want. Right now, I can go out and buy the newest iPhone 15. But if you have read my blogs, you will know why you shouldn’t 🙂.
It’s easy to look like the person next to you. In the year 2022, Uniqlo was the most-shopped clothing store, followed is Hollister. If you recognize these brands it’s easy to look like just about anyone. The same goes for our belongings; our cars, laptops, phones, and even our cologne! Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this, but each and every person is different, and there are no two people who are the same. Even twins, identical or fraternal, have different personalities. I believe we are in an era where seeing and replicating is a common action. That is why I think customization is important as well.
So the question is, what is customization? The definition of customization is the action of modifying something to suit a particular individual or task. In simpler terms, taking something and changing it so it reflects you. Because there is only a limited type of product out there, you can’t really go out looking for the most unique thing. Because let’s face it, there just isn’t that much diversity. But, to differentiate yourself, you can customize your belongings. You can do it in multiple ways, adding stickers, spray painting, designing a new case, or going out there and creating your own things. The thing to keep in mind is to customize it to YOU. If you look up how to customize and copy it exactly as is, are you really customizing it? So make sure you tailor things to what you like and what makes you unique.
There are things that define you and your identity. Your favorite color, your favorite animal, your experience, the way you talk, your personality, etc. The important part is to make sure it tailors you. If being you means grabbing a clear case and dumping paint on it, go do it. Now, don’t go around spray painting your house and your belongings, but make it represent you.
All of the things I have been talking about are geared around belongings, physical things we can customize. What about non-physical things? This concept can be applied in branding. You can hear the term personal brand a lot these days, and it is quite a powerful tool. If you think about it, a lot of the influencers you follow aren’t really anybody. Most don’t come from a wealthy family, or come from a generation of celebrities or influencers. But through their personal brand, they were able to grow and become the people they are today. What grows your personal brand is what value you provide. I can go on this forever but that’s for another topic.
This doesn’t just apply to your personal life, this can be applied to your day-to-day life. As someone who works in corporate America, it is crazy to see how people do things in an inefficient way. In their defense, unless you look for it, it is difficult to find. But personally, the effort it takes to set up and customize everything to your fitting is worth the time. I have been guilty of this, just the thought of wasting time instead of actually doing the thing seemed counter-productive. But, after actively taking the time to make these kinds of changes. It has 10x my productivity. Being able to and taking the time to customize and tailor to your needs not only helps differentiate you but also helps in your work process.
As you can see customization is not just making things pretty. It can also improve your quality of life. This isn’t PSA to go out and redecorate your house and build and customize things so that no one in the world can replicate it. I think some of the most successful people don’t stay quote-on-quote normal, they want to change things and if possible adjust it to themselves. I hope this encourages you to be yourself and show that you can be yourself.