The Art Of Being Unique: 20 Rare Qualities Of People Who Are Truly Unique And Special
They don't try to stand out — they just do.
Tan Kaninthanond | Unsplash Every person on the planet has something truly unique and special about them that sets them apart from other people, even identical twins. Every single person is a unique individual with personality traits and life experiences that make them special.
But there are many commonalities from one person to the next that allow us to relate to each other. Some of us would like to believe that our actions and actions and behaviors make us unlike anything anyone has ever seen before, but there are specific qualities and traits of a unique person.
To be unique means to be an interesting person whom people tend to gravitate to because of the unique traits you have. Uniqueness is your social identity combined with your self-identity. You could have: good habits, looks that stand out, a positive attitude, the ability to create positive experiences, a great sense of humor, or negative experiences that you’ve learned and grown from.
Unique people are the types of individuals that you come across once in a lifetime. The dictionary describes them as “being the only one,” “being without a like or equal,” “unusual,” or “able to be distinguished from all others of its class or type.” In a world full of ordinary people, unique people are extraordinary.
Every person is born unique with their own hand and footprints. As life progresses, some people develop their own quirks, perceptions, passions, and talents that make them markedly different from anyone else on the planet. They think outside the box and march to the beat of their own drum.
Here are 20 rare qualities of people who are truly unique and special:
1. Their attitude
Your attitude is contagious. If it is negative, it can spread like a virus, impacting everyone around you. A positive attitude can uplift and inspire. Having an attitude that makes people want to be in your presence makes you unique.
Research has demonstrated that when people spread positive moods to others, it leads to improved cooperation, reduced conflict, and better perceived performance in groups. People are naturally drawn to those who prompt positive emotions in them, increasing interpersonal attraction by creating a sense of positive energy and optimism.
2. Their personality
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Every personality is adjusted long-term as people go through different things in life. The culmination of all of those things is what makes you stand out from the crowd.
While someone else might face similar circumstances, they'll never process them through your exact lens, with your specific history informing each reaction. This is why two people can go through nearly identical situations and emerge as completely different individuals.
3. Their experiences
We know that your unique experiences, along with who you are genetically, are responsible for who you become. Everyone has differing experiences, and no two people have gone through the same thing.
According to life coach Mitzi Bockmann, people who successfully navigate difficult times often build self-confidence through their life experiences, as they develop proof that they can handle whatever comes their way. Bockmann notes that when asking clients what resources they have to deal with difficult times, she always explores what kinds of experiences they've had in the past that they can draw from, recognizing that past experiences become valuable tools for navigating present challenges.
4. Their creativity
There are so many ways to be creative. The ability to come up with new ways to solve problems or great ideas is one of the many traits that make you a unique personality.
Creativity involves the ability to innovate and move beyond what is already known, to consider things from uncommon perspectives, and to explore loosely associated ideas, research has shown. Your creative thinking is a fundamental expression of your unique way of engaging with the world.
5. Their habits
Having good habits like reading, exercising, and meditating is not only good for your mental health, but determines the heights you can grow to. Everyone has their own limitations, and those who transcend theirs are unique beings.
Their habits reveal a deeper commitment to personal evolution that sets them apart from the crowd. Truly unique people cultivate rituals that align with their values and aspirations.
6. Their taste
The type of food you eat, the clothes you wear, and even the people you date are other characteristics that make you special. While others are okay with run-of-the-mill, your taste is outside of the ordinary.
Dr. Cortney Warren, a clinical psychologist, explained that deeply authentic people question choices that feel out of sync with who they are. This means that the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and even the people you date are intentional reflections of your values rather than default selections based on what's popular or expected.
7. Their perceptions
How you see the world is a perspective that is uniquely yours. You exchange ideas and obtain wisdom, keeping an open mind and having a willingness to change your point of view as you continue to learn.
Studies show that cognitive flexibility and perspective-taking skills are strongly interconnected. Individuals who can readily adjust their behavior according to changing environments demonstrate a greater ability to shift between conflicting perspectives and appreciate another person's point of view.
8. Their hobbies
What you do for fun matters when you are deciding if you have a unique personality. It tells the world what kind of person you truly are and what you do to achieve happiness in life.
These hobbies often reveal unexpected dimensions of their character. What you choose to do when no one's watching, when there's no obligation or audience, speaks volumes about who you really are beneath the surface.
9. Their goals
Some people are much more goal-oriented than others. Your goals give you motivation and direction, and exhibit what your growth mindset looks like and how far you are willing to go to achieve what you want.
Alignment with your goals serves as the most critical factor in achieving them because it represents a state where you're mentally, emotionally, and physically open to the outcomes you've intended. Life coach and energy healer Christy Whitman explained that when you're energetically aligned with your goals, ideas for achieving them flow easily and abundantly, putting you in the zone where you're at your most creative and resourceful.
10. Their work ethic
Setting goals is one thing, but working to meet them is another. How you work, your dedication, and commitment are key to what kind of and how unique you are.
Research demonstrates that attentive individuals tend to be reliable, punctual, detail-oriented, and show genuine commitment and purpose in their work. This distinctive work ethic becomes a defining characteristic that sets exceptional people apart, through the steady, purposeful pursuit of excellence that reflects who they truly are at their core.
11. Their passion
In order to get what you want out of life, you must be passionate. The level of passion you have about what you claim is important to you is one of the things that makes you original.
Their passion becomes their compass, guiding decisions both big and small, and it's this unwavering commitment to what sets their soul on fire that distinguishes them from those who merely go through the motions. You can't fake this kind of intensity, and that's exactly what makes it so rare and so magnetic.
12. Their purpose
Knowing why you are here is not something that comes easily. If you have looked within and done the work to uncover your purpose in the world, you are leaps and bounds ahead of the average person.
Discovering your life's purpose requires deep self-discovery work that most people never undertake. Life coach Lisa Petsinis explains that finding your purpose involves a journey of connecting with your authentic self through exploring your needs, drives, values, interests, passions, talents, and gifts.
13. Their belief system
What you believe, like how you perceive the world around you, is developed over time. If you use life experience, education, empathy, and compassion to create your belief system, you are definitely unique.
Belief systems develop from multiple sources, including environment, events, knowledge, and experiences, rather than being fixed intellectual concepts. Research in cognitive neuroscience reveals that beliefs serve core functions in providing consistent representations of our social and physical world, offering explanatory frameworks, and facilitating social functions like identity and relationships
14. Their intellect and curiosity
Everyone can’t be the sharpest tool in the drawer. Some people are highly intellectual and smarter than most other people. But a high IQ combined with an ever-growing curiosity is what makes you truly unique.
These are the people who ask 'why' long after everyone else has accepted the surface answer, and who approach the world with childlike wonder no matter their age. They want to understand how things work, why people behave as they do, and what lies beyond the boundaries of conventional thinking.
15. Their relationships
Relationships can either make you better or be to your own detriment. How you choose to engage with people around you, like family, friends, romantic partners, and social circles, influences your individuality.
Relationship coach Larry Michel emphasizes that maintaining your unique identity within partnerships is crucial for healthy relationships. When partners resist merging their lives completely, the healthiest response involves respecting their need for space while the partnership develops a different identity that both people co-create together.
16. Their confidence
Not everyone is blessed with a high level of self-esteem. There are several factors that can affect your confidence levels. Unique people know how to maintain confidence no matter what goes on in life.
Resilience research has found that high self-esteem acts as a protective buffer, with resilience factors including confidence in problem-solving abilities, self-efficacy, having a positive outlook, realistic expectations, and the ability to accept uncontrollable events. This stable sense of self-worth allows unique individuals to maintain their confidence regardless of external circumstances or life's inevitable challenges.
17. Their sense of humor
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In life, you can’t take yourself too seriously. Your sense of humor is one of the key factors that can make you uniquely different from anyone else in the universe.
What makes their sense of humor particularly special is its authenticity. Their laughter and the joy they bring to others flow naturally from who they genuinely are, creating moments of connection and lightness that no one else could replicate in quite the same way.
18. Their intuition
The higher your intuition, the more confidence you have, and the more mentally and emotionally stable you are. The ability to trust your gut is one of the traits that make you a unique person.
Cultivating your intuition brings peace, stability, and self-confidence, according to transformation coach Jean Walters. She explains that by developing this inner connection, you gain a constant sense of what's happening and why, essentially becoming spiritually invincible.
19. Their communication skills
How you communicate is learned behavior, a combination of nature and nurture. Some methods of communication are healthier and more effective than others, and how you choose to talk to others and actively listen dictates how unique you really are.
Some methods of communication are healthier and more effective than others, and how you choose to talk to others and actively listen dictates how unique you really are. Research demonstrates that the ability to communicate effectively is not innate but rather a learned skill requiring ongoing practice and refinement
20. Their authenticity
It is hard to be authentic with so many influences around us every day. Unique people are able to shut out the noise and remain the truest version of themselves.
Their authenticity becomes a quiet anchor in a world that constantly pushes people to perform, conform, or curate a carefully filtered version of themselves. Most importantly, they permit others to be authentic too, simply by modeling what it looks like to live without pretense.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She focuses on lifestyle and human interest stories that deliver informative and actionable guidance on interpersonal relationships, enlightenment, and self-discovery.
