Green Egg & Ham

I ran into my friend, Abby, yesterday and asked her about her Easter weekend. She mentioned her family had smoked ham and a ton of other food. Then, she added, “They smoked it on a green egg smoker.” This launched into an entirely different conversation, leading another person to laugh about the fact someone would make a smoker in the form of a green egg. Who does that? Why would they do that? What’s the point of doing that?

I quickly pointed out there may be one very simple reason why someone would create a smoker in the form of a green egg. We’re talking about how the ham was smoked on a Big Green Egg smoker. Had it been any other smoker, the conversation would have simply gone, “smoked ham.” But here we were, a bunch of amateur non-meat smokers going on and on about a green egg smoker. Geniuses, I tell you!

Between my businesses and my clients’ businesses, I think about this idea a lot. What makes you/me/them stand out? What makes people pause, tilt their heads, and ask questions? What draws people to you? We may not have something as quirky as a green egg to smoke meats on, but we do have something. Here’s the irony. We often try to smooth out our uniqueness to fit in with the crowd. If the Big Green Egg did that, they would just be a regular ‘ol smoker. Instead, we should embrace what makes us different from others and lean into that thing.

Just the other day, I was meeting with a couple. They asked me an interesting question, to which I gave them an honest answer. The wife responded, “I think you’re the only person who would have ever given us that answer……..*pause*………..and we expected you would say something like that.” To be honest, it would be easier if I would just mold myself to be more like everyone else, giving the same advice. After all, I don’t always enjoy the pushback and criticism. It can be exhausting at times. But I need to be genuinely me and not be scared to do so. It’s a battle at times, but a battle worth fighting.

The same goes for you. Don't water down your gifts or what makes you unique. People can go anywhere for the ordinary……they come to you for you. Whether that’s through the lens of you as an employee, friend, family member, or business owner, the world deserves to get the full and real you.