It’s difficult to add something to a swiss army knife. It’s difficult to add something to a WordPress theme that seems to already have it all. It’s difficult to add something onto a fishing lure that already reflects light, has popping color, and makes noise.
I’ve written about stealing like an artist and combining the work of other geniuses. I’ve shared how to take “the next best thing” and add onto it. However, what I recently noticed is that it is getting ever more difficult to add something onto what is already remarkable. Note: this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to start from scratch.
You may find there is no room to add-on to a swiss army knife, but you can take what you don’t think is regularly useful out and insert something new. For me, I’ve never used the scissors in a swiss army knife. If I need to cut something, I just use one of the multiple blades.
There is only one question I need to ask after I take out the scissors – what do I replace it with? What do you wish a swiss army knife had? The goal is to add an entirely new dimension without changing the size. For the fishing lure, you can take off the noisemaker and add feathers or googly eyes.
Making something unique isn’t just adding onto something; it’s what you remove and what you replace it with.
No one is going to buy a swiss knife that doesn’t fit in their pocket, but someone will choose your swiss knife over another if you have something different.
Stay Positive & Destruction Is Fun, Anyway
Garth E. Beyer
