Let's start with the part that I love, being a quiet introvert who liked brainstorming and connecting dots; words didn't come easily to me, so when I first heard of personal branding, I was intrigued.
I think that's what intrigued me to personal branding, it gave me words and a roadmap on how to share my voice and show up to the world.
A way to describe myself, my values, what I wanted my work to stand for and who is the ideal client looking for what I offer.
I know personal branding can be understood as egotistic, naive and fake but it doesn't have to be. It can be a powerful tool to help you show up, be seen and create a roadmap to share something that matters.
Truthfully, I hate the description "personal brand" because I feel like it can be miss leading... so here's my approach to personal branding:
A few years ago, I heard the translation of this Aya:
"قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَىٰ شَاكِلَتِهِ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَىٰ سَبِيلًا"
"Say everyone should work according to the forms and shapes that they were created in, For your Lord knows who's on the straightest path."
And it stuck in with me.
To me, this is the base of personal branding.
How so? I'll tell you...
I believe we are all on a continues journey in life to understand who we are, what shapes (abilities) we were created with and we all have our personal challenges.
Our job is to make something out of it.
And that's the process of uncovering a personal brand.
To me, personal branding is bigger than "self-promotion."
It isn't about "me" or "you'.
You (and I) are more than our job titles and the roles we play, and our personal brand grows as we grow.
Your personal brand is a work in progress and will continue to evolve as you continue to evolve and grow. It's a collection of who you are, where you're coming from and where you want to go. And with every step in life, there's something new to learn about yourself and your abilities.
Here's another secret:
When you start working for yourself, a sudden pressure to “market” and "promote" yourself pops up!
And when that happens all those doubts and inner-gremlins surface as well. Voices that go something like "is what I am offering really valuable?" and "am I good enough?".
I know this, coz I have been there myself and have worked with women who have felt the same way.
If you are a driven female entrepreneur making an impact and find it sometimes overwhelming dealing with those inner critics and want to find more energy and get in control of those inner-dialogs I have a 12 week package designed for you.