Everyone does it this way

“That’s just how it’s done in our industry. Everyone does it this way.”

No—they don’t. Most people do.

And that distinction matters.

Because when we follow what most people are doing, we tend to get what most people get: predictable results, average outcomes, crowded lanes… same ol’, same ol’.

“Everyone” is a lazy, worn out, safe phrase. It quietly erases the trailblazers—the ones who move first, think differently, and question what’s blindly accepted as “the right way.” The ones willing to look strange before they look right. But every meaningful shift—creative, commercial, or personal—starts with them.

Here’s the rub: we don’t notice these outliers at first. They’re not part of the consensus. Not invited into the echo chamber. They are the exception.

And yet—they’re the reason anything ever changes.

Important because here’s the part that’s easy to miss: the path less traveled isn’t reserved for someone else. It’s always there, staring us in the face, waiting to be chosen.