This post morphed from 5 ways…to 7 ways…and now it’s 9 ways. I had to force myself to stop coming up with ways, because there are just so freaking many. And it’s Friday. And nobody needs more than nine reasons to do anything. Especially become a rock star.

Let me define rockstar for a moment. I’m not talking about being internet famous. That’s different (and ultimately, I’m not convinced it’s desirable.) I’m talking about rocking your personal genius for people who truly, lovingly appreciate it. And making room for others to rock theirs.

1. Your face is an insta-brand.
   Human brains recognize the tiniest nuances in order to recognize the faces in their lives. And we like faces. (Especially, apparently, angry car faces.) Rockstars don’t need logos. Their face is brand enough.
2. Social media gravitates toward individuals, not businesses.
   Yes, there’s a place for big business in social media, but they have to do a really, really good job for us to begin to trust them. In the social web, individuals have the advantage. Just show up and be someone that people like to know. That’s basically it.
3. It’s the easiest way to do what you love to make a living.
   When your brand is built around you, the things that you are good at are going to be what you build your business around. You think there’s not a market for people who are good at reading out loud? Think again. (Actually, I totally want to a business built around that. I rock at reading out loud.)

   I’m convinced that there’s a way to make a living online from any person’s particular genius. Whatever that genius may be. Unless it’s sitting on the couch…though if you’re really the best couch-sitter out there, I’m sure we could come up with something.

4. You don’t have to put yourself in one career box forever.
   Because your business is built around you instead of around a particular company, switching things up is easier. You decide you want to quit teaching Spanish to vacationers and take up pottery, it’s a viable switch. You take your branding and your audience with you because you’re still you.
5. Your unique qualities and passion make branding a no-brainer.
   You can even combine them for greatest effect. Take some of my favorite people, for instance: Social media + yoga = Gwen Bell. Business + spirituality = Mark Silver. Marketing + cursing like a sailor = Naomi Dunford. The more unconventional, the better.
6. You always corner the market on you.
   No one else has your face, your style, your unique spin on things. Your rockstar fingerprint cannot be duplicated. Rockstars have no competition.
7. There’s good money in selling your soul. [Truism by Danielle LaPorte.]
   Because you are the only you out there, you are a scarce commodity. Your time, your know-how, your creative output — all are incredible valuable because:
   1. They are finite (because YOU are finite)
   2. People can’t get you anywhere else
8. Being a rockstar allows you to transcend saturated markets.
   So what if there are 100,000 other rockstars in the world? Big deal. Your voice appeals to a specific type of person. And there are 6943997742 people on the planet (at the time of this writing.) I’m pretty sure you can find at least 1,000 who are exactly the kind of people that you like to work with.
9. You get to work with people who “get” you…and leave the others to find their own rockstar to work with.
   When you’re a rockstar, part of your job is to be yourself to the nth degree. That’s going to attract certain people like honey. Mmmm…honey. It’s also going to repel others. And that’s a good thing. Being a rockstar, there’s only so much you available. Pleasing everyone is not good for business or life. (Take it from this born people-pleaser.)

Guys…I seriously look around me in the supermarket and wonder why everyone is not on some path that leads to doing what they love. My best conclusion is that they just don’t know that they can. That it’s not a weird scam or pie-in-the-sky dream. Because when you love your work, you don’t have to work anymore. Isn’t that lovely?