Are you a world leader?
Depends on which world we're talking about.
All the world's a stage...
Shakespeare had that right, but if you are bold enough to redefine your world then you are also redefining what it means to be on a world stage. If you know you were put on this earth to serve a niche, then don't worry too much about appealing to the mainstream, but also do not be shy about putting yourself front and center for your niche to find. If they can't find you, how can they know and celebrate the awesome you bring to the table?
Hiding in plain sight.
The temptation is so often to strive for the wider audience, but if the audience that is right for you is a narrow one, then all your effort to put yourself out front for the whole world to embrace might actually be making it harder for your true audience to see you. Here's a litmus test - are you wearing a public disguise in an effort to appeal to everybody? Or are you donning a red cape because you are a superhero and you don't care who knows it? Let me ask you, how will the person who needs your superpower recognize you if all they see is your Clark Kent disguise?
Is it a bird?
Clark Kent is an amalgam - he is the lowest common denominator, the everyman designed to offend nobody. In doing so he slides off the radar. Think about it, this is how Superman hides. The noisier the world gets the harder it becomes to stay in front of people long enough for them to figure out if you can provide what they're looking for. If your message is a Clark Kent disguise - a lowest common denominator story designed to appeal to everyone, then it is probably not getting noticed by anyone. But you don't want to hide on this new world stage, the one you've defined, the one populated by your narrowed audience. You want to be easy to spot here, you want them to see you clear from the very back row. So show them who you really are, up in the sky, red cape and all.
David "Doodleslice" Cohen is an artist and brand therapist in Atlanta, Ga. He believes that people are beacons and his mission his to help them connect with their inner joy, define the context in which they can best be understood and valued, and articulate and fine tune their focus so they can shine their brightest.
You can find more about his coaching and creative work at http://equationarts.com