Your uniqueness is your brand….

Every child is born unique but for varied reasons a large majority lose their uniqueness in the life journey, failing to go beyond routine and end up as a mere number making up the large crowd. Very few actually go beyond and live the life they desire rising to be a Tata, Ambani, Ford or a Porsche to name a few, creating a brand name which the world looks up to. While every individual cannot rise to be a great sportsperson, a big business tycoon or a successful politician but still every person requires to build a unique image of his own to succeed in life.

The process of personal brand building starts the day the child is born. The selection of name in every community/ religion is a long drawn process involving invoking the blessings of the God and the saints, meeting the numerology standards and what not just to ensure that the child doesn’t face any hurdles in his/her life time. If that be so, then why very few grow to be unique while the majority just forms the crowd?

The difference between the potential leaders and those likely to remain part of the crowd start emerging during the school life itself. While the family name one is born with matters but that by itself is not good enough to sustain for long if the thoughts do not match the actions. It is in the high school and college that the passions start finding roots and the ones who are willing to dedicate time to follow the dreams and are open to taking risks usually outshine the others.

In the college, the personal grooming, unique style gets added to the lifestyle of the ones who work in pursuit of excellence. They understand that it is not just the grey matter alone but the way it is presented matters in making the desired mark. Everything does not come naturally for developing unique styles and in most cases deliberate efforts are required. Some prefer to follow their role models while some develop their own ways. Everything including the way one thinks, walks, talks and acts helps in building the image of the individual.

In the college and beyond starts the creation of network of people. Networking is not just to show numbers but should involve a sincere effort to build relationships some of which may stay with the person for life. The spoken reputation precedes your actual arrival on stage by miles and days. It is the relationships an individual builds which are instrumental in creating the virtual image which attracts the high end recruiters who believe in scanning the social media accounts of their potential candidates to understand their mind and character before actually meeting them. The social media accounts/ the profile are to be made with a foresight and maintained with due deliberation and application of mind; every line one writes or picture one posts matters; the character is likely to make more impact on the mind of the interviewer than the marks or the degrees obtained. Just possessing the quality is not good enough, the capability of selling the idea, convincing the concerned people of the abilities is what will carry one through. At times whom one knows may matter more than what one knows.

Once a brand image has been created it takes double the effort to sustain it but then at that stage one would have most likely acquired the ability to hire professionals to help. Whatever methods one may adopt for building the brand just remember that it is the authenticity and the uniqueness which will matter the most in creating and sustaining the image. The value of the brand will also depend more on what one can give/ is offering than what one is expecting in return; so be ready to offer more and expect less. Once the right profile, the right image has been created the attention, respect, and money what one is looking for will flow in for sure.