The Unique ID Paradox: Leveraging Your Unique Attributes for Breakthrough Success

Have you ever wondered why so many talented people remain stuck in mediocrity?

They follow the right courses.

They read the right books.

They copy successful people’s habits. Yet somehow, they never break through to extraordinary success.

The answer lies in what I call “The Unique ID Paradox.”

The Database Principle That Determines Your Success

In database design—a field I’ve worked in extensively as a software engineer for over 10 years—there’s a fundamental concept that powers nearly every system you interact with daily.

Every record in a well-designed database must have a unique identifier.

This isn’t just a technical preference. It’s an absolute requirement. Without unique IDs, records get mixed up, data becomes corrupted, and the entire system eventually fails.

When you order something online, send a message, or check your bank balance, unique IDs work invisibly behind the scenes to ensure everything functions correctly.

But here’s what fascinates me: The same principle that makes databases function is exactly what makes people succeed; at least that’s how God designed it.

The Human Application

Most people spend their lives trying to duplicate others’ success formulas.

They:

• Copy the morning routines of billionaires
• Take the same courses as successful peers
• Follow identical career paths as industry leaders
• Mirror the styles and approaches of their role models
• Read books recommended by successful people

It’s like they’re trying to insert duplicate IDs into the database of life.

And just like in a database, this approach inevitably creates conflicts and errors.

Why? Because the system wasn’t designed to work that way.

The Paradox Revealed

The paradox is this: We all know we’re unique individuals, yet we constantly try to suppress that uniqueness to fit proven paths.

We see someone succeeding and think, “If I do exactly what they did, I’ll get the same results.”

This approach seems logical, but it fundamentally misunderstands how success actually works.

When I was teaching myself programming way back when I started my career as a software engineer, I initially tried to follow the exact paths of successful developers I admired. I copied their learning resources, their projects, and their approaches.

And I kept hitting walls. I was stressed, and then impostor syndrome hit me hard.

My breakthrough came when I stopped trying to be a duplicate and embraced my unique situation and strengths:

• I couldn’t afford constant internet access, so I developed extraordinary note-taking systems
• I didn’t have a formal education, so I became exceptionally self-directed
• I was responsible for my siblings, so I became extremely focused and efficient with my learning time
• I understood the Nigerian context, so I reset my mindset to embrace challenges.

These weren’t disadvantages. They were my unique identifiers—the very things that would eventually distinguish me in the global marketplace.

How Unique IDs Function in Success

In a database, unique IDs serve several critical functions:

1. They prevent conflicts and errors
   When you try to be someone else, you create internal conflict between your authentic self and the persona you’re trying to adopt.
2. They enable precise retrieval
   The more distinctive you are, the easier it is for opportunities to “query” and find you in a crowded marketplace.
3. They facilitate proper relationships
   Your uniqueness determines which connections and opportunities will be most meaningful and productive.
4. They ensure system integrity
   Embracing your authentic strengths creates sustainable success that doesn’t collapse under pressure.

Finding Your Unique ID

Your unique ID isn’t just one thing—it’s a combination of elements that nobody else possesses in exactly the same way:

1. Your Specific Experiences

What have you lived through that others haven’t? My experience of teaching myself programming with limited resources gave me problem-solving abilities that no bootcamp could teach.

2. Your Natural Strengths

Which abilities come so naturally to you that you might not even recognize them as special? These are often hiding in plain sight.

3. Your Values Hierarchy

Everyone has values, but your specific prioritization of them is unique. What matters most to you that might be secondary to others?

4. Your Perspective

How do you see the world differently? Your viewpoint is shaped by countless factors that nobody else shares exactly.

5. Your Specific Combination of Skills

The intersection of your various abilities creates a unique profile that can address problems no one else can solve in quite the same way.

The Implementation Challenge

Here’s where most people struggle: discovering and embracing your unique ID requires deep self-awareness and sometimes painful honesty.

Ask yourself:

• What am I pretending not to know about myself?
• Which of my natural tendencies am I suppressing to fit in?
• What would I do differently if I weren’t trying to impress anyone?
• What strengths do I take for granted?

One exercise that helped me: List all the things that made my journey “harder” than others’ paths. Then challenge myself to reframe each as a potential advantage.

For example, my lack of formal education meant I wasn’t constrained by academic approaches and could solve problems more creatively. This was before I got admission to study computer science.

The Marketplace Reality

Here’s the truth about today’s economy: it rewards uniqueness more than conformity.

In a world where:

• Routine tasks are being automated
• Standard knowledge is freely available
• Global talent is increasingly accessible

The premium is on what makes you different (your personal brand), not on how well you fit standardized expectations.

Consider these examples:

• The programmer who combined healthcare knowledge with coding skills to build medical systems
• The content creator who brought their unique cultural perspective to global audiences
• The entrepreneur who used their personal struggles as inspiration for innovation

None of these success stories came from duplication. They came from people leveraging their unique IDs.

The Strategic Approach

Instead of asking “How can I be more like them?” start asking:

• “What unique combination of traits and experiences do I bring?”
• “Which problems am I uniquely positioned to solve?”
• “How can my differences become my competitive advantage?”

When you reorient your thinking this way, everything changes.

You stop seeing your background, circumstances, and natural tendencies as obstacles to overcome. Instead, they become the very building blocks of your distinctive value.

The Liberation of Authenticity

There’s something profoundly liberating about embracing your unique ID.

The exhausting effort of trying to be someone else falls away. The anxiety of measuring yourself against others diminishes. The clarity of your own path emerges.

I wrote about how to break free from the shell of your lower self. Check it out here.

When I finally stopped trying to be like other developers and embraced my unique perspective as a self-taught programmer from Nigeria, doors began to open. My solutions addressed needs that others with more traditional backgrounds overlooked.

This isn’t just about feeling good—it’s about effectiveness. Authenticity conserves energy that would otherwise be wasted on maintaining a persona that doesn’t quite fit.

Your Next Steps

1. Identification: Document the experiences, strengths, perspectives, and values that make you distinctive. Look especially for things you might have considered limitations.
2. Reframing: Challenge yourself to see how each distinctive element might serve as an advantage in the right context.
3. Application: Choose one project where you can intentionally leverage your unique attributes rather than following standard approaches.
4. Amplification: Gradually bring more of your distinctiveness into your work and communication, noting where it creates the most positive impact.

Remember: The database rejects duplicate IDs for a reason. The world works the same way.

Your distinctiveness isn’t something to minimize or overcome. It’s your greatest strategic advantage in creating a meaningful and successful path forward.

Remember: Start scared if you must. Learn fast when you can. Build boldly as only you can.

—Destiny

Have you been trying to duplicate someone else’s success formula? What unique elements of your own identity might you be overlooking? Share your thoughts in the comments.