The Mirror Test
December 10, 2007 | In Making A Diff. Lifestyle |
Table of contents for Personal Branding
Building a personal brand is about giving with passion, giving from the heart not just the wallet, and about acting consistently towards the image you want to present. The last part is what I call the mirror test - can I look at myself in the mirror and know that I’ve done all I can to build my personal brand? How do I gauge this anyway? I look at the following factors:
1. Did I use my talents? I’m not always going to be giving in a way that uses all my talents. Whether I’m using my natural talents or not, I’m going to do my best at whatever I’m doing. However, by striving to give in a way that does use my talents, then I know that I’ve truly done the best job I can. If I’m not very good at something my best may be mediocre. If, on the other hand, I’m giving in a way that I’m naturally good at, then my best is outstanding.
2. Did I settle in any way? Did I stand up for my beliefs and do what is right, or did I let things slide in favor of a more comfortable existence? Granted, not every day is going to be a great day, and there will be times I don’t have the energy to give. On the other hand, if I’m having a great day, but didn’t give in accordance with my higher energy level, then I know I settled and didn’t do my best.
3. Did I do work I loved? This brings back the passion element. Did I give in a way that engaged my passion? Asked another way, did I get passionate about my giving, or did I go through the motions? Not every blog post I write, or every day I live can I give directly to my cause. However, every day I can be passionate about giving in some way, no matter how small, because I know that I’m doing a small part of a larger project. If I engaged in my giving with passion, then I didn’t loose sight of the greater goal.
4. Did others see my dedication? Did I share my passion? Did I try to get others to join me? When I blogged, did I leave room for comments; did I ask for comments? When I gave in other ways, did I ask for help; did I get my husband involved? Even if I had a down day, did I still give in some way because I knew it was the right thing to do and therefore show others that I live up to my commitments?
As you can see, these are very high standards. Taken alone, I might not be able to live up to them every day. That’s why, no matter what the answers to the above questions, I must always ask myself one more:
5. Did I do my best? I’m not perfect, I’m human. However, in every moment I have the opportunity to do my best for who I am at that moment. Given the external circumstances and my emotional state, did I do the best for who I am right now?
A personal brand is not easy to create, but it is possible. By tying together all the different ways we give into a deliberate plan, or blueprint, we get that much closer to creating our personal brand. I’ve outlined my steps in this series of posts, and now I invite you to leave your ideas below in the comments.
Let me know what you think and how you are building your personal brand. Did I forget anything? Do you have any additional ideas on how to keep the momentum going? Please let me know below.
Want to make sure you don't miss future posts? Subscribe via RSS  Subscribe via e-mail |
Print This Post
Links to related topics: Making a Diff. Lifestyle, Personal Branding, Personal Power, Presenting Ourselves, Self Expression
Or go directly to a related post:
Comments (RSS) | Trackback URL | Comments Policy
No comments yet.