As the ultimate owner of your brand, you can choose when to accentuate, modify, or refresh its story. Turning inward and checking in on how you feel about yourself—mind, body, and heart—can help determine if your persona or narrative needs a reboot.
Your beliefs about yourself create your self-concept, which impacts your mindset, expectations, and how you show up. The more you trust yourself and appreciate what differentiates you, i.e., your values, strengths, and skills, the more self-assured you’ll be in your communication and interactions.
Improve your outlook with “positive expectations.”
Integrating “positive expectations” into your brand demonstrates your capacity and propensity to be optimistic. This means you look toward the future with hope, believe desired outcomes are attainable, and are empowered to take the steps needed to accomplish whatever you have in mind.
From an emotional intelligence perspective, optimism carries positive energy that helps you push forward when confronted with a challenge or feel pressured. You can increase the usage of this skill through intention and practice, where you welcome objectivity, reflect on your life holistically and live the “attitude of gratitude.”
Harness your YOU-ness.
Believing in yourself starts and ends with you, so embrace your uniqueness and treat yourself like a good friend. As Christoper Robin tells Winnie the Pooh in the classic film Pooh, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” And as Eleanor Roosevelt poignantly stated: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
As you boost your contentment and self-confidence, you unlock your potential for creative possibilities and can share your distinctive magnificence with the world.
Here are some steps to help you take ownership of your personal brand:
#1 Focus on your desired state.
If you’re looking to make a shift physically or mentally, it starts with a vision of what the change is, e.g., a goal, outcome, or state of mind, and then embodying the experience of it. Answering questions like, “What’s my desired state, and how will I know I’ve achieved it?” as well as creating a change-action plan with pragmatic steps can help you evaluate your current versus future state, pinpoint gaps, mobilize, and stay on track. If you feel uncertain about where to begin, here are some simple, structured ways to get started.
#2 Align your inner and outer worlds.
Living authentically means your internal system, desires, values, and goals are in harmony with your outward persona and actions. You’ll know when you’re in congruence because you’ll feel inner peace and approach your activities with certainty, authority, and determination. When your thoughts and actions are aligned with what energizes you, you can reduce any confusion or friction between your heart and mind to experience more joy and fulfillment. This includes tackling your belief system and eliminating “I must____” and “I absolutely should____” from your vocabulary and thinking.
#3 Tap into your Human Design.
Human Design is a form of personality typing that integrates the chakra system, astrology, quantum physics, and knowledge from the I Ching and Kabbalah. It uses your birth date, year, and time to provide a visual framework highlighting your traits, tendencies, energy blueprint, and soul and life purpose. It also provides insight into “conundrums” that influence your self-concept, i.e., inner conflicts that create repetitive patterns where you may feel stuck, confused, scared, or act in self-sabotaging ways. Once you are aware of these challenges, you can work on minimizing or eliminating the instinctual patterns and subtexts that form in response, e.g., inner critics, susceptibility to outside influences, and resistance to change.
#4 Shift to solution mode.
Actively seeking solutions to problems, taking accountability, and working towards a better outcome can help you reframe negative experiences. Also, rather than criticizing things outside of your control or feeling stuck, allocating time to strategize and collaborate can help you see things anew and gain buy-in from others. Furthermore, engaging all four mental functions described in Carl Jung’s typology can help you view things from multiple angles and possibilities and induce creativity. When you’re focused on solutions, you take a mindful communication approach to circumvent any unintentional “snafus,” recognizing that people form assumptions about who you are from what they perceive.
#5 Increase your self-worth.
Self-worth is your ability to sense your value and accept all parts of yourself, i.e., your strengths, weaknesses, assets, and liabilities. This also means you have realistic expectations regarding your goals and abilities and understand how your attitudes and opinions affect what you do, or do not do. Moreover, working through limiting beliefs can help you reduce forms of self-criticism, judgment, projection, or “impostor syndrome” while increasing your resilience, boosting your confidence, and elevating your self-worth.
Finding what works for YOU is key.
Your attitude toward your brand makes all the difference. With focus and intention, you can become more self-aware and mindful, using what you learn to make minor adjustments to improve your well-being, magnify your presence, and refresh your brand.
Activate your best with those around you.
Self-leadership is about getting to know yourself better and applying that knowledge to how you connect with others. As a lifelong student, certified professional coach, and consultant, activating the best in others through self-leadership, interpersonal relations, and team dynamics are passions of mine. My approach is personalized and customized, tapping into various assessments, disciplines, modalities, and techniques. Also, check out my “Micro & Mini Service Offerings” and try one session to inspire you. Sign up solo or with another person or group to work on a specific exercise or activity and split the costs! Contact me to get started.