Ways to distinguish yourself #197 – Be comfortable with “Nothing”

By Rajesh Setty on Thu 16 Oct 2008, 10:58 PM – 5 Comments

Take a dot. Put some “nothing” in it and..

You get a doughnut!

Take a doughnut. Put some “nothing” in it and…

You get a zero.

Take a zero. Put some more “nothing” in it and…

You get a bowl.

Take a bowl. Put some more “nothing” in it and…

You get an arc.

Take an arc. Put some more “nothing” in it and..

Yes, you get “nothing”!

“Nothing” plays an important role in our life. It is basically a space of possibility. Imagine speaking without a pause. Without that silence. It will be hard to understand what you are saying. You need that “nothing” in between the something that you are saying otherwise that something will be nothing

In a way, the “nothing” that surrounds the something will amplify the meaning of something. So not only should you not ignore “nothing” but you should become comfortable with it.

When I started my first company, I was totally uncomfortable with “nothing”. When I reached out to a prospect, I expected that “nothing” should come in between my offer of help to their providing a “purchase order”. “Nothing” would drive me crazy. Something had to be happening all the time. Looking back, it seems silly to expect that – but that’s what is experience all about.

Go ahead and enjoy the “something” by appreciating the “nothing” surrounding it. You will not only be more comfortable, you will put people surrounding you at ease.

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Note 1: For links to the other 196 entries in the “Distinguish yourself” series, please visit my Squidoo lens on the same topic:

Squidoo Lens: Distinguish yourself

Note 2: The first 25 entries in the series have been packaged in a ChangeThis manifesto that was published on September 07, 2005. You can download that manifesto here:

ChangeThis Manifesto: 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself (PDF, Free)

Note 3: My latest manifesto on ChangeThis was published on August 6, 2008. This is a photographic manifesto featuring 15 of my mini sagas (stories in exactly 50 words). Here is the link:

ChangeThis Manifesto: Mini Sagas – Bite Sized Lessons for Life and Business (PDF, Free)

Related Articles:

• Ways to distinguish yourself – #83 Be comfortable being alone
• Ways to distinguish yourself #163 – Watch your “Fix Them” to “Fix Me” ratio
• “25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself” released at ChangeThis.com
• 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself in Spanish – Translated by Carlos Padilla

Posted in the Distinguish yourself category.

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