Shopping for your Personal Brand
How many times have you heard “Those shoes are so you” or “That dress really suits your personality”? Personal style is a form of self-expression. Neon-colored tights may say “I’m a risk-taker.” An a-line skirt and a turtleneck may say “I’m conservative”. When we purchase pieces of clothing, we are defining our personal style. In a bigger picture, our personal style is but a small piece of our personal brand.
We generally associate the word “brand” with a company or a product. However, there is a very important brand that we often overlook – our own. Why do we choose the majors we choose in college? Why do we choose to work in the companies we work for afterwards? Why do we vote in the presidential election? Why do we recycle? The decisions we make, the paths we walk down, and the goals we work towards in life are all pieces that define our personal brand.
What exactly is personal brand? That’s the thing, there is no set definition. It is what you want it to be.
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• It may be a cause you stand for. The CEO of TOMS Shoes created the “One for One” ideology for his company that for every pair of TOMS shoes sold, one pair would be donated to a person in need, specifically ones from third-world countries.
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• It may be a passion you want to explore. Ken Jeong (best known for his role as Mr. Chow in The Hangover) actually has a medical degree from UNC Chapel Hill, but gave up being a doctor to pursue his love for stand-up comedy.
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• It may be the image you want to portray. Lady GaGa is an extremist in our generation. Some would say she is “outrageous and weird”, but in fact it is her outrageousness and weirdness that inspires people to be unafraid to show who they truly are.
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• It doesn’t have to be one aspect either; it can be a combination of many.
There is a Chinese saying “無限的可能” meaning “infinite possibilities”. Don’t let society limit who you are and what you want to represent. Start exploring yourself, your beliefs and your dreams. Ask yourself “who do I want to be and what do I want to accomplish in my lifetime?” Establish your personal brand and allow that brand to take you to many great places in life, just like a good pair of shoes.
Contributed by: Tiffany Lan