Do You Have a ‘Personal Brand’?
The over-complication of self-discovery
We’re all obsessed with:
#PersonalBranding.
The problem is:
We’re too busy trying to create our own personal brand.
Your brand already exists. You are it.
The Glorification of Personal Branding
Personal branding is totally overused – it’s talked about so much that we’ve forgotten what it actually stands for.
The thing is…
By trying to create a personal brand, we’re missing the very essence of personal branding. We’re imposing an artificial concept on something that’s meant to be so genuine. You.
So stop trying so hard.
Instead, get to know yourself.
Spend some good, quality time with yourself.
Understand your emotions.
Work out what makes you tick.
Don’t fear time alone.
But for the purpose of this post, we’ll stick to using the term in question.
Personal branding.
Finding your personal brand
Before you can develop your brand, you’ve got to define it.
Coined by Tom Peters in 1997, ‘personal branding’ is ‘the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others’ etc. etc. etc. It’s a term with humble beginnings, but one that has been twisted and wrangled through society to create a concept with a thousand different meanings.
“Be yourself” – Everyone
Two of the most overused words on the planet. Two of the truest in the journey towards self-discovery. You can’t force yourself to be someone else. Maybe you can in the short run, but it won’t last. It’s not sustainable, and you won’t be fooling anyone worth fooling.
The real definition of the personal brand comes from working out who you really are.
But what happens when you just don’t know?
You actively take measures to get there. First, you make an effort to identify your quirks. Then, you celebrate those quirks. Diversity is becoming more attractive by the second, so instead of trying to replicate the standard model of ‘success’ or ‘inspiration’, hone your own special talents and turn them into something worth following. Embrace your unique selling point(s), and you’ll be in a position to set your own trends.
You won’t get your personal brand handed to you on a plate. So you should probably get the ball rolling, because it will only come from you.
But joining ‘real-life’ societies, clubs, or groups to find those talents takes guts. Confidence isn’t always natural.
Solutions?
The Internet is a fantastic starting place. Take an online class on Udemy, watch a YouTube tutorial, or have a browse of Quora (an incredibly underrated digital network, by the way). Join online communities and learn from the generosity of other people. People who are quite literally providing expertise, knowledge and opportunities for free. The Internet is the greatest source for self-discovery, but so many fail to capitalise on it.
Perfection isn’t necessary
You’ve started to discover the inner workings of yourself. Your brand, even. And with the discovery of your brand comes the opportunity to manage it.
What does that mean?
Identifying your brand is one thing. Keeping the momentum going is another.
Managing your brand is about finding the best ways to bring out the very best version of yourself. It’s about setting up your surroundings to complement your personality. It’s about putting yourself in situations that allow your true nature to shine through.
You are your own project manager.
You can take steps to minimise damage, costly actions, and potential implications. You can maximise your online (and offline) exposure, you can project yourself in a certain light, and you can build up the skills necessary to form effortless and long-lasting relationships. Relationships that will expand your brand. But it has to be authentic if you want it to last.
Having a personal brand isn’t based on perfection. It’s based on you, and you’re based on progress and change. And progress and change can never be perfect.
On the contrary, the process of development should involve mistakes. That’s the beauty of learning, transition, and transformation. You cannot be faultless, and no one expects you to be. We like mistakes — we can relate to mistakes.
The Questions to Ask Yourself
Sometimes, personal branding needs a bit of prompting.
Start by auditing your current situation:
- Who do you look up to?
- When are you most productive?
- What social media platforms do you use? (Pinterest for the creative, Twitter for the newsreaders)
- How do you define success?
And then audit your hopes for the future:
- Who are you looking to have an impact on?
- What do you want to be known for?
- Would you save or invest? Is saving investing?
- How do you want to define success?
Ask yourself questions and answer them. Dig as deep as you can, and create your five-year plan.
Enjoy the Journey
You won’t find your personal brand overnight. In fact, you’ll probably never find it, because it’s more of a journey than an end result. There’s no single ‘aha’ moment — instead, a series of ‘aha’ moments leading to the next. The next steps of honing your wonderfully unique character.
Enjoy the challenge of challenging your personality, don’t fear the bumpy road, and be open to adapting. It’s ok to change your mind. It’s actually one of the fun parts. Debate is fun.
Talking about #PersonalBranding is OK if it’s used constructively. But more often than not, #PersonalBranding represents the artificial, when it really should represent the genuine.
So start by reassessing your definition of the term, and then take the steps to find and develop yourself. Be patient, be kind to yourself and relax. Don’t succumb to the pressure of throwing yourself halfway across the world if it isn’t for you.
The discovery of your personal brand is often closer than you think.
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