Passionate Theme of the Day: Identity

“A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.”
“The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.”
~Al Reis and Laura Reis, from The 22 Immutable Laws of BRANDING

Often when I’ve gathered links and research and am putting the finishing touches on a post…I find that someone or several people are talking about the same topic!

I’ve been all set to write about a reoccurring theme that’s been showing up with a couple of clients and something we touched on at SOB Con, and then I cruised by Liz’s blog to find Branding: 5 Ways to Help You Find Out Who You Are.

Liz packed some powerful tips in such as:

#1 Pay attention to your history – “Let the pain go. Find the learning.”
#3 Pay attention to people who care about you – “Get to know yourself as others see you.”
#4 Pay attention to your inner truth, you have the intuitive detail – “Hearts speak the truth if we quiet ourselves to listen without letting other voices in.”

While surfing around, I found this article at Fast Company online by Tom Peters, author of several books and creator of the Brand You concept.
What did I dig about this article? Here’s a tiny sample:

“…reinvent yourself on a semi-regular basis. Start by writing your own mission statement, to guide you as CEO of Me Inc. What turns you on? Learning something new? Gaining recognition for your skills as a technical wizard? Shepherding new ideas from concept to market? What’s your personal definition of success? Money? Power? Fame? Or doing what you love? However you answer these questions, search relentlessly for job or project opportunities that fit your mission statement. And review that mission statement every six months to make sure you still believe what you wrote.”

Words to live by. I also agreed with his points here:

“No matter what you’re doing today, there are four things you’ve got to measure yourself against. First, you’ve got to be a great teammate and a supportive colleague. Second, you’ve got to be an exceptional expert at something that has real value. Third, you’ve got to be a broad-gauged visionary—a leader, a teacher, a farsighted “imagineer.” Fourth, you’ve got to be a businessperson—you’ve got to be obsessed with pragmatic outcomes.”

He wraps up the article with this juicy nugget:

“It’s this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else.”

Then I found Guy Kawasaki’s post featuring The Nine Biggest Myths of the Workplace by Penelope Trunk, author of the book Brazen Careerist The New Rules for Success.

Which one caught my eye? #9 Create the shiny brand of you:

“There is no magic formula to having a great career except to be you. Really you. Know who you are and have the humility to understand that self-knowledge is a never-ending journey. Figure out how to do what you love, and you’ll be great at it. Offer your true, good-natured self to other people and you’ll have a great network. Those who stand out as leaders have a notable authenticity that enables them to make genuinely meaningful connections with a wide range of people. Authenticity is a tool for changing the world by doing good.”

The common thread I found woven throughout? Be YOU. We joked at SOB Con that the word authenticity is played out. Maybe it is, but it works, and it’s TRUE. I write a lot about owning our uniqueness. Whether you’re looking to steamline your personal style and image, or figure out what the heck your purpose is on this planet – the key to unlocking Pandora’s Box of goodies is being OK being YOU.

NOT trying to be some half-assed version of someone else. Nor is it trying to please everyone else in your life and being an actor, changing the mask you wear depending on who just walked into the scene. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, life doesn’t have to be a soap opera, full of over the top mellow drama, pain and tears.

It can be a beautiful documentary, a simple, but eloquent indie film or even a major summer blockbuster, all with YOU playing the starring role. But if you’re operating in reaction mode, not responding to life, but reacting to (or even worse over-reacting to) everything…it’ll feel more like life is happening to you, vs. you co-creating the beautiful life you deserve.

Great Kam. Thanks for the pep talk. But where do we begin?

Gaining clarity and focus about who we are and who we want to be is key.  Just as we would when creating a brand for a business, so should we for ourselves. You wouldn’t create a product, service or business without creating a clear vision for the path it would take, would you? Wouldn’t you strategically plan the types of clients, customers, users you’d like to attract? Why wouldn’t you want clarity on the types of relationships, friendships, and business partnerships you’d like to engage in and attract for yourself?

Unless you take charge of the creation of YOU, you’ll end up with the default setting, and that’s not usually very creative. Since I have much more to say on this topic, I’ll make this a series of posts and pick up next time with actual steps you can take to begin unearthing, excavating and polishing up that shiny gem that IS brand you!

I’ll leave you with this to nibble on till next time:

Choose 3-4 words that describe how you’d like people to perceive you upon their first 5 minutes of meeting you. Jot those down and keep them handy for next time…

I am Truth. Beauty. Love. Spirit.
Kam