What Is A Personal Brand?

Summary

• Personal brand is about the things you choose to associate with, like ideals, businesses, and people.
• Early on, it's common to want to say yes to every opportunity, but this can be challenging if you don't genuinely like everyone you engage with.
• Our brains can't process negatives effectively; they focus on positives. For instance, if you're told not to think about a pink elephant, you'll still imagine one.
• You can't unbrand yourself; you can only make positive associations. To build a strong personal brand, avoid certain things, similar to pruning a garden, to make the remaining associations fruitful.
• A significant part of branding is deciding what not to associate with and refining what's left to create a powerful personal brand.

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How To Take Action

How to Implement Personal Branding Lessons

I would suggest implementing a few key strategies to build a strong personal brand effectively and efficiently. Let’s focus on low-cost, high-value actions.

Choose Your Associations Wisely

Start by carefully selecting what you want to associate with. Think about the ideals, businesses, and people that align with your values and goals. This means you don't need to say yes to every opportunity. Instead, be selective about what you take on, ensuring it genuinely resonates with you.

Avoid Negative Associations

A good way of doing this is to actively avoid things that don't fit your brand. Imagine your brand as a garden; you have to prune away the weeds to make your flowers bloom. If an association doesn’t fit your vision, avoid it. This helps your audience see only the positive traits and values you want to project.

Positive Pairing

Our brains focus on positive associations. This means you can't just say "I don’t want to be known for X." Instead, think about what you want to be known for and reinforce that. Highlight your strengths and achievements in your communications and content.

Simplify Your Choices

Make things easier by narrowing down your choices. Decide in advance what types of opportunities you will accept and what you will pass on. This reduces the stress of decision-making and keeps your brand consistent.

Consistent Refinement

Brand building is not a one-time effort but a continuous process. Regularly assess and refine what fits your brand. As you grow and evolve, so should your brand.

By applying these strategies, you’ll create a personal brand that is strong, clear, and aligned with your goals, without spending a lot of money or time.