If you want to soar with eagles, you can’t be hanging around with turkeys. If you envision yourself as being valued, respected, and appreciated, you need to build a plan to develop a personal brand that will encompass and project all of that.
The ‘crowd’ you hang with now, like most human beings, may be perfectly happy where they are. Or even more likely, they are scared to stretch and grow so they will do whatever they can to make themselves feel better by keeping you right where you are alongside them. When you share dreams and aspirations with them, they will tell you things like: “Why do you want to do that? You don’t have a chance. You will fail. People will laugh at you.” In fact, I was given this not-so-motivational speech by a friend when I told him I liked a girl in school – that ‘girl’ is now my wife.
The way to stretch and grow is to by doing something different. And in order to do that, you have to leave the safety and security of what you know. That means talking to new people, getting a mentor or coach, or joining a mastermind group. It means hanging out with people that share your aspirations. It also means that you have to leave some stuff behind. A mind once stretched will never return to its original dimensions. Same is true for you and your brand.
Robert Murray is a Vancouver, BC based Business Strategy Consultant, partner at Incrementa Consulting Inc., #1 Best Selling Author, and International Keynote Speaker. For further advice, insight and inspiration on how to unlock your inner leader, follow Robert on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Tags: Brand, Branding, Communication, Networking, Personal Branding, Self-Awareness, Vancouver BC, Vision
