If you do these 8 unconventional things, you’re more original than 99% of people

by Lachlan Brown | October 21, 2025, 8:21 pm

Most people don’t realize how much of their lives are dictated by invisible rules. From the way we talk, to how we dress, to the career paths we choose—society quietly whispers what’s “normal.”

But originality lives outside those boundaries. It doesn’t mean being rebellious for the sake of it—it means having the courage to live in alignment with who you truly are, even when it doesn’t look like everyone else.

Over the years, I’ve met and studied people who stand out—not because they’re louder, flashier, or more eccentric, but because they live authentically. They do things most of us would hesitate to do, but those choices become the very source of their originality.

Here are 8 unconventional things that signal you may be more original than 99% of people.

1. You ask deep questions (and actually wait for the answers)

Most conversations hover at the surface: “How’s work?” “Busy.” “How was your weekend?” “Good.”

Original people don’t settle for that. They ask questions like:

  • “What’s been on your mind lately?”

  • “What’s a belief you’ve changed in the last year?”

  • “What do you wish people understood about you?”

And more importantly—they actually listen to the answers.

When you create space for depth, you push past autopilot small talk and enter the realm where originality lives. You’re showing people you value authentic expression, not just polite performance.

2. You’re comfortable being misunderstood

One of the hardest things in life is to let people misinterpret you—and not rush to fix it.

Most of us bend ourselves into pretzels trying to avoid judgment. But original thinkers know that misunderstanding is the price of authenticity.

Maybe your friends don’t “get” why you turned down a safe career for a creative pursuit. Maybe your family can’t understand why you live in a different country. That’s okay. Being misunderstood isn’t a failure—it’s often proof that you’re forging a path uniquely your own.

3. You turn routine into ritual

There’s a difference between brushing your teeth because you “have to” and turning a morning routine into a sacred ritual.

Original people elevate the ordinary. They journal with intention. They drink their coffee mindfully. They make exercise a moving meditation rather than a box to tick.

When you treat daily practices as meaningful rather than mechanical, you create a life infused with originality—because you’re choosing presence in a world that runs on autopilot.

4. You create without asking for permission

This is one of the clearest signs of originality: you don’t wait for external validation to make something.

Most people want guarantees before they start. “Will this business succeed?” “Will anyone read my writing?” “Will people like this art?”

Original people know those answers only come after creating. They post, publish, share, and build—even if no one claps. Their originality is not a performance, it’s an expression.

5. You embrace boredom

We live in a world terrified of silence. The moment there’s a pause, we reach for our phones.

Original people resist that pull. They let themselves get bored—and that boredom becomes the soil for creative thought.

When you can sit on a park bench without scrolling, ideas surface. When you can walk without headphones, your mind connects dots it normally misses.

If you’re willing to be bored, you’re unlocking a depth of originality that most people never touch.

6. You value experiences over appearances

Society tells us to optimize for the photo, the post, the status symbol. But original people care more about how something feels than how it looks.

They’ll choose a quiet dinner with a close friend over a flashy party. They’ll wear what’s comfortable rather than what’s trendy. They’ll invest in travel, learning, or projects—not just in things that impress others.

When your life choices are guided by meaning rather than optics, you’re living in rare originality.

7. You play with ideas (without needing to be right)

In most conversations, people argue to win. Original people explore to discover.

They treat ideas like clay—something to mold, shape, and reimagine. They’re willing to say, “I don’t know.” They change their minds when presented with better evidence. They see thinking itself as a playground.

That intellectual flexibility is rare, and it sets you apart from the rigid certainty that dominates most interactions.

8. You live by an inner compass, not external scripts

The most unconventional thing you can do in today’s world is to live by your own compass.

It’s not about rejecting all rules or living chaotically. It’s about having the courage to ask:

  • “What actually matters to me?”

  • “What am I willing to sacrifice for?”

  • “What story do I want my life to tell?”

And then making decisions based on those answers—even if they contradict what your peers, culture, or social media feed are doing.

Originality is rarely glamorous. It’s often quiet, steady, and deeply personal. But when you follow your own compass, you end up somewhere authentic—and authenticity is the ultimate form of originality.

Conclusion: The courage to be original

Doing these things won’t always make you popular. In fact, originality can be lonely at times. But it’s also deeply fulfilling.

If you find yourself resonating with even a few of these habits, don’t underestimate how rare that is. In a world where most people live by scripts, choosing to live authentically is revolutionary.

As I’ve learned through my own journey—and through the Buddhist principles I write about—true originality isn’t about standing out for the sake of it. It’s about standing firmly in who you are, without apology.

And that’s something more powerful than being “different”—it’s about being real.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.