There is an Unrecognized Strength in the ways we are Different … one which may lead us toward Unique and Rewarding Opportunities!
“I wish I wasn’t different,” My grandson said recently at a family gathering, reflecting on a mean comment in his school year book.
As Aspies, we often feel we are seen as different: not the norm, whatever ‘normal’ is.
This can make us feel isolated from many, if not most of our peers.
But cheer up! Being different also means we have a unique perspective. And seeing things from an uncommon viewpoint is not all bad.
For instance, say a number of people see a couple taking the legs off a table in order to fit it into their car.
If you’re a car salesman, you might think “They need a bigger car.”
Or a practical person might think, “They could have bought a smaller table.”
Someone who hates a hassle, may well think, “Why didn’t they just have it delivered?”
Ingvar Kampar, a dyslexic seventeen-year-old Swedish teen was certainly not ‘disadvantaged’ by being ‘different’ when he observed the above event. He recognized a unique marketing opportunity: one that would make him a billionaire.
His thought? If the table was sold in pieces packaged in a flat box it would easily fit into most cars. Customers could then assemble it at their leisure, saving them the hassle of first breaking it down, or alternately, the cost of delivery.
He further realized that supplying numerous large goods in this manner would reduce the costs of production by reducing expenses associated with assembly, at the same time greatly reducing the volume and therefore the cost of warehouse space. In addition, the need for delivery and the extra cost to the consumer for this service would be eliminated.
In effect, Kampar’s vision was of a production/retail experience that would be cost efficient for both the producer and the customer.
Thus, IKEA was born.
So, as Aspies we must not be dismayed if our thinking is ‘outside the box’. Our differences can lead us to a unique vision that may result in desirable innovative advances and a successful career.
To learn more about Ingvar Kampar and his unique marketing system, see Youngme Moon’s book, Different.
For us Aspies, that title says it all.
Yours truly,
Margaret Jean
P.S. Other books on having a unique perspective:
The Power of Different, The Link Between Disorder and Genius by Gail Saltz
Be Different, Adventures of A Free-range Aspergian : With Practical Advice for Aspergians, Misfits, Families & Teachers by John Elder Robison.
Margaret Jean 