On the surface, the idea of a personal brand makes sense, at least conceptually. The problem lies in two areas: the misconception of what defines a brand and the increasing obsession with superficial being good enough. When these two combine, what is created can accentuate the issue one is trying to solve: Standing out and forming meaningful connections.

A brand is an outcome…

When we think about the idea of showing up, of fitting in or standing out, we can be drawn to the superficial and the projected; we can think that this is all about identity when, in fact, it is about your presence.

Who are you being in this moment?

I like powerful questions, questions that stop you and make you go, ‘Huh, I never thought about that’. And that is one of them.

But what I find more interesting than the question itself is what comes up when you hear it for the first time. What other questions do you ask yourself, and what thoughts pop up in search of or to avoid answering this?

You know that feeling when you get turned down for a job, lose a client, or a candidate takes another job over the one you have offered them? A relationship ends, or you feel excluded from a social group or didn’t get picked for the sports team. Even if this happens to someone close to you, you can feel like it happened to you.

Meet rejection. We feel it in all these situations, and it can wield an incredible, even debilitating, force over us.

Belonging isn’t something we openly talk about much, certainly not in the work context, yet its presence or lack of it influences our self-image, motivation, behaviour, health and well-being, and the lengths we will go to fit in, often at the expense of our own identity.

Think back to a time when you found yourself in a situation where you felt out of place, and that familiar voice in your head whispered, “I don’t belong here.” Can you recall the rush of emotions that followed that thought?

The Show Up Paradox that we are living with right now is where we need to be seen and form meaningful connections more than ever at a time when we have never been more invisible.

It is not just external factors such as distraction and diluted attention that contribute to this; the choices we make, whether consciously or subconsciously, can gradually alter how others perceive us and even affect our own self-perception.

It has been more than a little while since I have had such a substantial piece of work reviewed, critiqued and analysed. I can honestly say I went in optimistically nervous. I was invested in the idea of having an outside perspective to make my work as strong as possible, but if I am completely honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to it.  

Have you ever created a piece of work and agonised for days, weeks, even months after, while you collate, curate and further create – only then to begin to question whether it is correct, good enough, worth sharing, complete or ready for the world?