I have been traveling a lot lately and that means eating at a lot of restaurants. I was alone and at every restaurant when waiting to be seated, the hostess would say in an almost condescending tone, “Just one!?” Even my own hotel, the hostess asks, “Just one!?” As if I had the audacity to patronize their restaurant without bringing a group. I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that it was my responsibility to attract customers for you. Finally, I got tired of it. On the my last morning at the hotel restaurant, the hostess again asks, “just one!?” I replied, “No. Not just any one. I am THE one. And I would like breakfast, please.”

The moral: don’t let anyone belittle you because you deviate from the pack. There is nothing wrong with individuality; being solo; alone. It is ok to be a party of one, or — to steal an ad slogan — an army of one. In the age of social media, we forget that it is ok to opt out of doing what everyone else is doing. It is ok to do your own thing; be your own self. Being unique is what separates you from me and me from you. It’s an asset that you can use to compete against everyone else claiming to be “above average.” You may be “just one”, but you are not just anyone. You are the only one who is you. All of us are born unique. Our uniqueness is encoded in our genetic make up. A genetic sequence that has never been seen before in the universe — and will never be seen again. You and I are “one hit wonders”. Your job then, your purpose on this earth, is to become who you are by learning who you are. You are the one and you can do it.