Personal Branding

As the saying goes, you are your own brand. Nothing and nobody else is able to define what brand you actually are. That being said, I think that we should make a conscientious effort in managing our own image and brand. Because in the end, the ultimate impression people will get of us will be based on how much effort we put into branding ourselves.

1. SELF AWARENESS

The first thing we should be cautious about is self awareness. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, and that's true in every aspect of life. We should pay attention of our emotions and how we work, instead of being oblivious to the effects that result from our actions. It may be difficult and tricky, to be fully aware of ourselves. As explained by the Johari Window, there are blind spots that others see while we don't.

Being unaware of ourselves in such instances can lead to unfavorable impressions. For example, in the past, I unknowingly tended to flaunt my strengths to others, thinking it was normal. One fateful day, my friends told me that I sounded arrogant and it was annoying, to my surprise. This taught me the importance of self awareness and to learn to see myself in the perspectives of others. What may be normal to me may appear otherwise to other people. Hence, I now try to pause before I say something about myself I think is very impressive, so as not to damage my personal brand.

2. SELF ESTEEM

As Beyonce said, 'Your self worth is determined by you. You do not have to depend on someone telling you who you are', and I totally agree with this statement. Self-esteem is about how we value ourselves, our perceptions and beliefs in who we are and what we are capable of. Our self-esteem can be misaligned with other people's perception of who we are.

With self esteem, I am able to brand myself based on what I think I am worth. Without it, I would not be able to do so and instead, constantly seek approval from others and brand myself based on what they think. To me, personal branding speaks for itself - it is PERSONAL, (not what others think of you). Personal branding is based on an individual's personality, and I am confident about myself and what I believe in.

3. SELF DISCLOSURE

This is a great way to build trust, and I hope to be better at self disclosure in future to build my personal brand. I would like for people to have the first impression of me as a trustworthy and reliable person. Therefore, when speaking to groups/ in class, I would try to share a little about myself as a person, so as to overcome depersonalization barriers to group communication. I think that sharing a relevant personal story is better than opening up with a stale joke.