Of course you are. Personal brands are very important, yet underutilised. Authentic personal brands are more powerful than inauthentic personal brands.  Be true to yourself! 

Your authentic qualities will attract the right people and if they repel some, don’t let that bother you, that is just God protecting you from people and opportunities that are not good for you.  

Get your mind off trying to be something or someone else, and concentrate on just being you. Become your brand. Authentic brands set an expectation. People have an expectation when they meet you and because your brand has told them only the truth, everything else they find out in the course of doing business or life with you is the icing on the “you” cake (love this... the “you” cake). 

Firstly you will need to know/find out who you are.  We all think we know ourselves pretty well, but a personal inventory is an important step in building Brand You. It’s an objective look at your strengths, your weaknesses and your personality.  Start with your passions, what makes you jump out of bed in the morning, makes you want to conquer the World? What are your talents? What areas just don’t interest you? Where are you weak?  Remember, no one is good at everything, and nobody hires you to be perfect.  Understand what Brand You is best at.

In our culture there’s bias towards extroverts, people who are positive, outgoing, cheerful. Guess what? Not everyone is like that. In fact, some of the most amazingly gifted and productive people on the planet are introverts, serious, distracted, even socially awkward. Most people fall somewhere in between. But if you are an introvert, own it, share it, and be proud because it’s part of Brand You. Don’t force yourself to be someone you’re not. This rule also applies to social media. Maybe you’re a natural at blogging, tweeting, facebooking, etc.  and maybe you’re not.  If you’re not, then it shouldn’t be a crucial part of Brand You.  At least master the social media basics. The key is to be true to yourself!

It sometimes seems like the most aggressive (even arrogant) people get noticed, hired and rewarded. The fact is, there are many people who oversold themselves, weren’t able to deliver, and stalled their careers.  Be confident, of course, but don’t promise what Brand You can’t deliver. It’s a mistake HR people and leaders see all the time. Yes, shoot for the stars on every project, but let your results speak for themselves, and make sure that people know about your successes and that you get credit where it’s due.  Don’t hide your light under a talent, let it shine!

Our work lives are very important to all of us.  Let’s not forget…. They can be a source of fulfilment, challenge, excitement, financial, and social rewards and give real meaning to our lives. Brand You is about making that happen for you.  It’s about understanding yourself and then sharing it with the world of work and your social communities of interest.  It’s about bringing your heart, soul and head, your passions and promise to your career.  Build a Brand You that reflects all that and great things will happen.
 

You are a brand.  There is simply no escaping it. The decision is will you be organic, designer or counterfeit?

I say, go organic. It’s healthy... lol

Later...