Distinguishing oneself is not easy for anyone and it is not a one-time thing. If you are distinguishing yourself by the kind of expertise you have and if that expertise is in demand, soon others will follow suit and commoditize. If you are distinguishing yourself by writing a book and the theme of the book is gaining traction, soon others will follow suit and there will be many books on the same topic.

Distinguishing yourself is a lifetime project and as you succeed in this project, the standards for continued success get higher. That is part of the deal. You just have to get used to it.
Whatever it is that you are offering to the world, if it is unique enough the marketplace won’t know that such an offer exists. In fact, let your offer better be unique otherwise you will be in a rat race right out of the gate. Since your offer is unique and the marketplace does not know that such an offer exists, it is your responsibility to raise awareness of the need for an offer such as the one you are offering.

In other words, you make a bold promise and have enough accomplishments to prove that you have the structure to fulfill that promise. That is the first step. In parallel, you engage in activities that will help the marketplace see that there is a need for listening to your promise.

Yesterday I was at North Carolina and while coming back, I picked up the airline magazine. I found an advertisement from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (actually there were many advertisements from the airport) that talked about their Business Valet and Curbside Valet parking services. This is not available in all the airports. Charlotte-Douglas knows that and wants to ensure that “we know” that such a service exists. So when there is a need, it is in our awareness that we can use their valet service.

That was a simple example. You can extend this to yourself by asking the question:

What activities should I be engaged in to increase the awareness for the need for my offers to the marketplace?

All the best!

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Note 1: For links to the other 186 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

Note 3: My latest manifesto on ChangeThis was published on August 8, 2007. Today it is ranked #40. I am overwhelmed by the support for this. Thank you. Here is the link:
ChangeThis Manifesto: Making the Most of Your Time: Going Beyond To-Do Lists