Identifying, defining, & building your personal brand!

By Shamilla Amulega

The constant pressure in society drives many people to become anything and everything that fits into any mould. As depicted in the movie, “The Runaway Bride” we become everything the other person wants when we don’t even have a clue of who we are.

We neglect experiences, lessons, and character defining moments needed for building a true brand. I got tired of making excuses, and decided to go back to the drawing board, and identify what I was made of, define what I was looking for in a relationship and life in general, and build on what it would take for me to achieve the vision and goals for my life. To do that, I had to have a role in the kind of people, jobs, and opportunities I attract, maintain and buy into as an individual brand.

It wasn’t what, he said, what they said or what she said but, but what I identified, defined and decided to build my life on that counts. In other words, I decided to take charge of my dreams, time, and choices as they play a major role in defining my destiny. True happiness and fulfillment comes from identifying, defining and building one’s personal brand; everything in life develops from this premise. Instead of using the outside to build the inside, I’ve learned to redefine the inside and use it to change my outside world. It’s the voice inside us, which breeds reason & gives meaning to our life and identity as a people. What kind of brand are you? Here are 3 keys to consider as you identify, define and build your personal brand:

Identity – every product on the market has an identity/brand or product value that appeals to a different clientele. For example, Cars, houses, and clothes so it is crucial to identify what kind of brand you are; and customize your efforts in building a network that appreciates you, and contributes to the product/brands development. Are you the type of brand that someone buys and returns it back to the store because it doesn’t have any value? Or are you a type of a brand that is just satisfied as a list on the shelves until it expires? Everybody plays a role in their own product development (identity). It’s important to know what role you play or contribute at large. How much would you want people to spend on you if you were a product?

Personality – every brand has a way it carries itself “persona” or character. What’s your personality like? This is one thing that helps define a brand, be it in a job interview, a jury deciding whether a person is guilty or not. Personality/character plays a major role in developing the product’s image. Get to know your personality and what is admirable about it. What kind of people or products does your personality attract – the clothes you wear, people you associate with, and books you read? Don’t forget your speech! As my pastor says, “deep calls to deep”, “if you speak to the king inside me, the king inside me will respond, and if you speak to the fool inside me, the fool inside me would respond”. People gravitate towards different personalities; knowing what makes you stand out from the crowd and using it effectively gives you an added advantage as a brand.

Purpose in life – every brand has a purpose to which it has been created for. There are some brands that are meant to last forever, and there are some brands that are seasonal. It’s important to identify your life’s goals and work towards them. Many products go through vigorous processes before they can be truly identified as a brand. The process is as important as the final product. Never under-estimate small beginnings in life, as they became building blocks for tomorrow’s brands. Having a purpose in life enables you to build a stronger inner core, that gives you the framework, and foundation to pull yourself back together in case of any challenges. When a brand/product experiences a crisis, it is either pulled off the shelve, repackaged, and resold; as humans we need to find different ways of repackaging ourselves by dealing with our weaknesses and maximizing our strength, as we continually build on our personal brand.

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