I'm Branded Are You?

So, first I want to say thank you for taking the time to read my article. I realize that you could be doing a number of things other than consuming my content. I also want to thank you, because by participating, you are helping me fulfill my dream to share my message with others.           

            I will never forget the first time that someone asked me what my “brand” was. I was caught off guard so badly by the question, all I could do was laugh. I had only ever known that phrase to be associated with companies like IBM or GE or Disney. I did not realize that I could also have a brand as well. As a result of my response, the person that was talking to me assumed that I didn’t have an answer to the question, and they were right. They went on to explain to me that just like major companies and organizations have attributes about them that they are known, so should I. The person I was speaking with went on to tell me that I should be thinking about what I want to be known for.

            After the question of “what I did I want to be known for” was posed to me, my mind would not stop wondering. I thought about what I wanted to be known for in every facet of my life. I thought about how I wanted to be known in my family, at my school, in my community, and on my team. I began to think about all the things that I could be known for and all of the things that I wanted to be known for. I began to wonder how long that feeling/thought that people had about me would last. But then the harsh reality of only getting one first chance at an impression set in. After I got over the fact that I should not work to change the bad decisions that I made in the past, and instead focus on how I could make good decisions in future, I was set. I was happy because I knew that I could define the way that people perceived me. Unfortunately, I had never really thought about that either. So, I decided to think about my brand in terms of the positive traits of people that I admired.

            I decided that the best approach was to look at all of the influential figures in my life and take the traits that they had, and I wanted. The process was an invigorating experience because I was able to take all of the good that I want and leave all the bad. So, I was able to take the style of wall street bankers or my favorite athlete, the moral obligations of my mentors, and the mental fortitude of my mother. I felt like I could become a super human, and all I had to do was focus on my personal brand. I soon found out that every overarching theme that I wanted to emulate was neither simple to implement or cheap to do in many cases. So, I decided that I was going to ask people that were close to me how they decided what they would do to create their personal brand. The responses were mixed. I received all types of feedback that included comments that ranged from “I never really thought about it,” to “well I’m glad you asked, here are 10 books that shaped my life”. I thought it was funny to get the advice about the books, because they and I both knew I was not going to read 10 books about anything. Fortunately for me, I also got much more practical advice as well. I was told that I should not strive to be exactly like anyone. I should strive to be better, while only working to be the best version of myself that I could be. So, I do just that.

             I strive to be well dressed, well spoken, curious, reliable, honest, productive, an active member in my community, an active member of my family, a good significant other/ boyfriend/ husband, and treat everyone the same. I figure if I can come close to doing all these things well I will have a brand that I can live with.