I thought everyone saw the world like me

E96: Embracing your uniqueness for a more effortless life

© One of my favourite restaurants in Spain – La Siesta – but it does need some interior adjustments… // photo Eric Ho

"I always thought everyone saw the world the way I do—until I realised they don't."

It was only when one of my coaches suggested I read the book Move Fast. Break Shit. Burn Out: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well that I realised something important about myself.

To be honest, the book’s title didn’t sit well with me. I’m not a fan of gimmicky hooks solely designed to lure you in. But my coach encouraged me to look beyond the title and dive into the content.

And I’m glad I did.

What I found was a total eye-opener: it turns out, I’m a catalyst.

Discovering the catalyst within

What is a catalyst? They’re individuals who:

Connect the dots where others don’t

See the big picture before anyone else does

Move at lightning speed

Consider themselves changemakers

The realisation that I was someone who experienced the world like this made me reflect on how I’ve been moving through life all along.

Seeing the world differently

So how does being a catalyst show up in my daily life?

Take restaurants, for example. I love food – cooking it, savouring it, exploring new culinary spots and techniques.

But unlike others who might get hung up on the decor or ambience over the food, my mind operates differently the instant I step inside.

The thing I do every time I walk into a restaurant — it could be any restaurant — is I start reorganising it in my mind.

Identifying pinch points where staff might struggle with trays of food.

Rearranging chairs and tables to maximise space and improve flow.

Adjusting lighting to create a more welcoming atmosphere.

Redesigning the entrance to prevent drafts from chilling diners near the door.

These insights come to me effortlessly, almost instantaneously.

One moment, I'm pushing open the door; the next, a blueprint of the entire restaurant is imprinted in my mind before the maître d' even looks up.

It turns out, this is how I’ve been thinking all my life. And for the longest time, I assumed everyone thought like this.

But when I started realising that most people didn’t, I felt different.

Embracing what’s different

Feeling different isn’t new to me.

I looked different from the other kids at school.

I got better marks than they did.

I went to Chinese school every Saturday, but even there, I felt different. My Cantonese wasn’t fluent like the other kids’. They pointed out how differently I spoke—with an English accent and off-tone pronunciations.

For a long time, I played down these differences, thinking they made me stand out for the wrong reasons.

I'm not sharing all of this to make you feel sorry for me.

I’m sharing this because I’ve come to realise that these very differences are my greatest strengths.

When I feared deep water (thalassophobia), I took up scuba diving.

When I suffered from vertigo (especially on man-made structures), I took up rock climbing.

When the going gets tough, I look for ways to make it effortless - especially for my clients.

Finding effortlessness in authenticity

These things that we often hide from the world – our quirks, unique perspectives, and even our fears – can be the keys to living more effortlessly.

When we stop resisting and start embracing these aspects of ourselves, they have the potential to give us strength - potential we didn’t realise we had.

By embracing these differences rather than hiding them, I've unlocked strengths I didn't realise I had. It's allowed me to navigate challenges more effortlessly and help my clients do the same.

👉 Over to you!

What unique traits have you been hiding?

This week I invite you to reflect on one aspect that you’ve kept under wraps.

How might embracing it lead you toward a more effortless way of life?

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ps If you're an entrepreneur, lawyer, or high-performing professional seeking to pause, recalibrate, and lead with more effortlessness, get in touch and let’s have a conversation.

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That’s it for this week!

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To your health, joy, and success—one step at a time!

Eric