You are Your Own Brand

Have you ever thought about this statement?

 

Have you tried to look around you and find out from your friends,collegues,acqaintances as well as relatives how they percieve you?What is it about you that they value?How honest do they think you are?

 

I ask this question because in the past few years I have met such people who on the surface are happily settled yet their perception of themselves is through such a prism of lies that reading their social network profile and knowing the real person is just such a world apart that it made me wonder how they justify their lies to themselves.

 

Might be that the word 'introspection' does not exist in their vocabulary.Yet do they not realise the futility of their life spent creating an impression of an active,productive individual with a clear social conscience!!

 

having spent an entire career in Sales,hundreds of manhours in training Salespeople how to sell a product and the I had a 'Eureka' moment.The product is secondary to the one who is selling it!I would buy an insurance policy or invest my money through someone who comes across as intelligent and who knows what they are talking about.Who seem honest.Who are approachable.

 

When trekking in the Himalayas I would ford rivers that flowed serenely with a less careful approach than those that rushed past with speed and a lot f white water.The two times I came close to drowning was when I recklessly waded into what looked like a shallow river but turned out that the current was stronger as it had hidden pitfalls!

 

We do 'judge a book by its covers'.That cover is the BRAND.That is you.That is moldable.But you have a choice:-

 

a)To be honest:show the world the person you are

 

b)To be dishonest:show a side that you think the world wants to see

 

Early on in my professional life I follwoed option (b) but soon realised that i could not meet expectations arising out of that style of working.Along with growing confidence in my own abilities I started owing up to my mistakes and foibles.Shockingly my collegues and clients loved the new 'human' me!!I have stuck with that as my brand since the last so many years.My conscience is clear,i do not need to avoid my mistakes-JUST LEARN FROM THEM.

Yet,whichever way you think its important not to feel guilty and not make the same mistake again.Let us not pity ourselves.We are where we must be,and we will do what we must.Life.