Do you remember the 7Up commercials back in the 80s with the tall Caribbean dude with the all white suite, wide brimmed hat, deep voice, and James Earl Jones laugh check out this commercial on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHMKyWgkChk&NR=1? Was that really 20 years ago? Wow!
Any way, 7Up’s marketing slogan back then was “The Uncola.” 7Up wanted to position itself as different from the typical, common, average colas, such as Coke, Pepsi, and others. They also wanted to demonstrate they had more natural ingredients and no caffeine unlike the colas and other sodas.
As I look across the landscape of our society, it’s often rare to see someone pursuing the title of the “uncola”. Rather than creating something new, intriguing, and distinct, it seems that most people are trying to copy everyone else’s formula for success. Nearly everywhere you look is another 5, 8, or 20-step book, program, or formula to achieve society’s standard of success - which is fleeting at best.
One of the key problems with this is that just because a particular process or formula worked for one person, doesn’t mean the same process or formula will work for everyone else. One person’s life circumstances are totally different than another’s. One person’s unexpected opportunities – which often are matters of circumstance rather than intention – are totally different than another’s.
Something else that is negligently overlooked is that one person’s character composition - similar to 7Up’s use of more natural ingredients than the colas - is totally different than another’s. In actuality, character is often the determining factor between success and failure, no matter what the circumstances are.
Just like 7Up, I challenge you to be an “uncola.” That means being distinctly original in how you live, relate, work, play, and worship. In this society, that means words like apathy, mediocrity, status quo, passivity, fear, lethargy, inferior, subpar, and inadequate should be foreign concepts to you.
I don’t even want you to think about trying to be “above average.” Above average is not always good, because that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are different. It means you’re still a cola, but you just taste a little better or have a little less caffeine - kind of like a “diet” cola.
Some of the people that have had the greatest impact on our society were not just above average - they were distinctly different. They had labels such as rogue, rebel, revolutionist, outsider, maverick, and the like. In essence they were “uncolas.” Although you can glean best practices and principles from their lives and experiences, there is no magic formula they could give you that would result in your life having the same exact results as theirs.
Your purpose and life path are as distinct as your fingerprint. Therefore, you need to learn how to embrace words like: irregular, abnormal, atypical, uncommon, unusual, and peculiar. If you are living in a way that truly inspires, invigorates, and ignites others with effective originality and creativity, you can claim these words as compliments not insults.
Now don’t become a freak of nature just for the sake of pursuing one of these labels. Instead, I’m encouraging you to be so brilliant at who you are and what you do that it would almost seem like you were from a different planet, because of the standard of excellence that you exhibit (hint: John 17:14).
I encourage you to explore, innovate, pioneer, and blaze new trails that others will want to follow. If you live like this, just like 7Up claimed to be back in the 80s, you would be absolutely refreshing!
Dream B.I.G.,
Paul Wilson, Jr.
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