“If any man despises me, that is his problem. My only concern is not doing or saying anything deserving of contempt.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
If someone were to ask you “What do you stand for?”, would you be able to answer? This seemingly simple question opens a philosophical doorway into yourself. It’s intended to put focus on your personal brand, which is arguably the most important thing you will build over your lifetime. Your brand represents how others perceive your actions and beliefs. As your approach to life changes, so does your brand.
Everyone has a personal brand. If you’re not convinced, think of a few friends and how you would describe them. Anything from “fun” to “depressing” could come to mind, and those adjectives are their brand from your perspective. Now perform the same action for yourself. What words come to mind? Most importantly, what descriptors would your friends/family come up with? In a perfect world, the two summaries would align. If they do not, this is an example of having an inconsistent personal brand.
The goal of a personal brand is presenting yourself to others exactly how you perceive your best self. If you view yourself as easy going, but your friends describe you as a complainer, this is a failure of personal brand. Actions will always register stronger than speech. You can tell everyone you’re ‘x’ but when your actions show you to be ‘y’, people will associate your brand with ‘y’.
The benefit of a brand is that it will mature and change as you do. Companies have demonstrated this ability in both positive and negative ways. The same holds true for all of us. A once negative brand can turn positive with focused drive. This can also be true in the inverse sense — a positive brand can become corroded by negative actions. The conclusion is that your brand is within your control and you have the power to shape it over time.
Action: Ask yourself “What do I stand for?”. How do your friends view you? Reflect and improve.
Further Reading:
None – focus on yourself
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