Personal Branding for Life

Our brains make connectionss and links associated to labels and brands. People are no exception (think Jamie Oliver and Julio Iglesias!). We are all judged based on impressions, whether purely on appearance, a conversation or simply what you do for a living. Virtually every little action contributes to your personal brand. From how you dress, to what you eat, how you talk, etc. Personal branding is unavoidable.

When people think of branding they mainly think about perception and image. There are 2 distinct forms of personal branding. One is external, how the world sees you and the other (the most important) is internal, how you see yourself.

Last week I discussed creating a brand for yourself at work, this post is about creating your personal brand for life. In order to learn more about yourself and embark on a personal branding journey, consider the following:

Exercise 1

1. Describe 3 qualities you know you possess.
2. What are your top 3 values?
3. Now, pick 3 adjectives that you would use to describe yourself.

Exercise 2
1. Ask 8 people who know you well what they think of you. Remember to be specific in your request. Ask them to give you 3 adjectives they would use to describe you.
How do these correspond with how you see yourself?

Your personal brand will be stronger if what you are trying to portray is actually the real you. For example, if you are a neat and tidy person, you are unlikely to wear scruffy and dirty clothes. Sometimes, it is not easy to get your external and internal image to match. Say you work in a job where you are required to wear a suit yet your personal style is more jeans and trainers, there will be a mismatch.

We all play different roles in our busy lives. There are times when you will be a parent, a sibling, a friend, a partner, a lover…You name it. You’ll wear many hats, yet the core remains the same. You are still you. YOU have special attributes that nobody else has. You are special.

The idea behind personal branding is not that you become someone different. The purpose is to figure how who you are, what is important and what you stand for. It is about being you only better and more often. It is about staying true to yourself and becoming who you Aim to Be.

What is your personal brand in Life?

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Written by Ana Antunes da Silva.

Image provided by Pondspider.

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