Whether you stumbled on my content for the first time or have been seeing my posts for a while you'll notice something. My profile name doesn't quite make a lot of sense. After all, it's only a number. Why don't I decide to share my name like everyone else or pick a name that has a regular meaning? There are a few reasons for this but the truth is I'm not necessarily hiding who I am. With any bit of digging, you could very easily find out who I am.
But the significance of the name is a lot deeper than only a number. For a long time, I thought I needed to come up with some elaborate story on how the name came to be. The truth is whatever name you pick doesn't matter. It's the person behind the name that makes it noteworthy, not the other name around. So often I see business people struggle to find the 'perfect' name for their business. Meanwhile, it doesn't matter.
It's the wrong approach to take toward a brand. Einstein didn't get to pick his name yet he became very well known. How many other people were named the same but didn't accomplish anything? Keep this in mind as we explore this further. My username was chosen out of simplicity. I didn't want to publish who I was for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the reasons why I chose 507.
Privacy is important
While I said you could look me up and follow breadcrumbs, you'll eventually know my name. But I don't shy away from this. You can call me John if you want to put a name behind the number. Yet what 507 helps me do is to bring an additional layer of protection between me and the internet.
You simply never know any person's intention. And over time I find that this helped me have better control over my digital footprint as well. In a world where employers scan to find out who you are and what you do, I don't need the supervision of others. I would rather navigate and post the things I feel like in peace. That doesn't impede on anyone else's rights. But since we have to live in this technology world it's best to have as much control over what you can.
It might be easier not to be on the internet at all is what you might have thought. But to live in this functioning society you need a presence. Big or small is not relevant. But on the small chance things do become bigger you have that base covered.
It's more than a number
Another important reason for being a number is that the possibilities are endless. We go through life wanting to be unique. Yet every business or government entity knows us as a number. So we want to break free from that. You may think you're more than your social security number. You're right. We all are. That's the beauty of associating as a number.
To me being known as a number helps to show that I'm much more than that. If you've read any of my posts for a while you'll see some of the things I've done. Learning a new language, writing for over a year straight. Publishing ebooks and most recently, starting a Youtube channel.
The paradox of being known as a number is also that I'm more than that. And on top of that, I'm no one special. I simply practice consistency and teach it to others. So if I can do it so can you. And my username is a constant reminder of that. No one wants to be known as a number and that is actually what also gives this 'name' strength.
It's easily replaceable
What happens if it all disappears? If all of a sudden all my content gets cancelled or I get banned off of all platforms? It's happened before to others. I'm not saying it will to me but there could be a chance. And also what about scaling? What if things turn out to be great and I'm able to grow as a creator?
The power of a number is that it's indistinguishable from another one. You can tell the difference between people by their first and last names, or nicknames. But with a number, everything looks like a blur as long as everyone uses it. This allows me to cherry-pick any number as a name. And this helps control once again the digital footprint and further reinforces the message.
It's not a crazy amount of significance but it's something that came to me one night before going to bed. I was stuck in trying to find a good name since I didn't want to use my own. So the first thing that came to mind was this random number 507. Since that day it stuck.