Curious about Mavericks, Rebels and Renegades: Which Are You? Is It Helping or Hurting Your Life and/or Business?

This past week, with the Republican Convention in full swing, we all heard the word “maverick” from the candidates mouths and the press over and over again. I thought it would be fun to consider what and who mavericks are, and how it works for all of us.

Unfortunately, I found so few quotations, I decided to reconsider and bring in the cousins – “rebel” and “renegade.” I also discovered how alike and different all three are. So, let’s get started with the definitions:

Definition of Maverick: In the southwestern part of the United States, a bullock or heifer that has not been branded, and is unclaimed or wild; -- said to be from Maverick, the name of a cattle owner in Texas who neglected to brand his cattle. This way he could claim unbranded cattle (which you can imagine angered other ranchers).

Definition of Rebel: Pertaining to rebels or rebellion; acting in revolt; rebellious. One who rebels. To be disobedient to authority; to assume a hostile or insubordinate attitude.

Definition of Renegade: One faithless to principle or party. An apostate from any form of religious faith. A common vagabond.

Do any of the above pertain to you and/or your approach to life and business? I feel that they all hold a common thread by describing those who don’t “go with the flow” and who don’t embrace all of the accepted rules and procedures.

My main reason for being so interested in not always following the norm is the fact that I have become involved with network marketing. I have discovered that, along with many others who have joined a network marketing opportunity, that the traditional advice about the steps to take to become successful can prove disappointing in results.

So, you can imagine how excited I was to find Ann Sieg and her Renegade System and Mike Dillard’s Building on a Budget and/or his Magnetic Sponsoring Course – all off the beaten track and all making sense and all creating a new level of success in the network marketing industry. Be a maverick, rebel or renegade and check them out. I am using all three systems and loving them!

Now, for a few of the quotations I did find (many more for “rebel” showed up than the other two):

• “The whole world loves a maverick and the whole world wants the maverick to achieve something nobler than simple rebellion.” - Kevin Patterson, Canadian writer
• “What is a rebel? A man who says no.” - Albert Camus, French philosopher
• “Sure, I always chose rebels to identify with - I still do - but to me a rebel isn't so much someone who breaks the law as someone who goes against the odds.” - William Petersen, American actor
• “Defy your own group. Rebel against yourself.” - Cathy Guisewite, American cartoonist
• “I started out as an opportunistic renegade. By now, I've lasted long enough to become sort of an American Original Respectable Renegade.” - Wolfman Jack, American entertainer

And a few more in addition:

• “Maverick is a word which appeals to me more than misfit. Maverick is active, misfit is passive.” - Alan Rickman, British actor
• “Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a 'universal' without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere.” - Chaim Potok, American author
• “It is human nature to instinctively rebel at obscurity or ordinariness.” - Taylor Caldwell, American author
• “I've reached a point in my life where it's the little things that matter... I was always a rebel and probably could have got much farther had I changed my attitude. But when you think about it, I got pretty far without changing attitudes. I'm happier with that.” - Veronica Lake, American actress
• “It seems people are more willing to let other people control their minds now and recreational drug use doesn't seem to have that same renegade sense of adventure that it once did.” - Marc Maron, American entertainer

So, I ask again. Are you one or more of the three? Let me know. I would love to hear your story.