Seth Godin’s concept of the Purple Cow also applies to people. The idea is that when you encounter a purple cow it’s something that’s worth making a remark about. It is remarkable. For new products and companies it’s valuable to be a purple cow because you attract the early adopters who will spread your idea/company/product by word of mouth.
It perfectly translates to people. People who carve out their own paths, do remarkable things and are different, attract attention from early adopters. It requires deviating from the default which takes effort. The risk of not being a purple cow is that you become a wandering generalization and a magnet for the average.
Be a purple cow. The herd won’t understand you at first, but that’s ok.