Be yourself, everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde had it right all those years ago but there were less of us and it wasn't anywhere near as crowded as it is today. So nowadays it's all about how to stand out in the huddled masses, how to have an identity, how to have visibility, how to shine brighter than the person standing next to you and most importantly how to then sell yourself. Seems everyone is keen to be the next one, the next celebrity, the next online sensation, the next big personality, the next one to stand out more than the others, the next big brand.
The online world is littered with information, forums, literature and experts who will give your accord a successful identity, establish you as a brand and make you the second coming of your favourite impresario or entrepreneur. As much as people are striving to give themselves a makeover via a branding application, the world isn't looking for a copy of someone else, rather it is looking for more originality and innovation. Trying to be like someone you admire and hold in reverence is telling the wrong story about who you really are and most likely covering up your best attributes. Your uniqueness already has a chronicle that makes you different from everybody else and if you can articulate that story better, then you can compete and be noticed, all without the falsehood of so called brand attachments. Do you have something to sell, do you have something to offer are very product driven questions that have taken on an individual bias and have accelerated the over abundance of personal branding messages aimed at your appearance, your personality and your competencies.
You already have a personal brand and if you were to look at it from a product base, maybe it needs a polish or update to realign people's perception of you. Today everything seems to be about brands as we surround ourselves with products, services and leaders that cloud our vision and ability to tell our story and stand out in our own way. It's not about becoming someone else but being noticed and appreciated for what you bring to your relationships, your work environment and your community. It's not about packaging yourself along the lines of the latest personal marketing management techniques, it's about your reputation for doing the right things, having integrity and credibility and always keeping an eye on not turning into someone you aren't.
Branding isn't so much about the packaging, self promotion and event marketing, it's about the authenticity and personal trust you wake up with every day and it's about not wavering in the face of self help gurus looking to be the next great brand, via you. It already exists in you and all you need do, is build your story around the things you do best, no matter how trivial you may think they are, you have something different to offer, you are someone no one else can resemble and as such are one in seven billion. Congratulations you are brand you.
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