Morning Gratitude Day 94-2018: Personal Brand

Your personal brand — what a fancy way to say who you are. Companies are not the only one who build a brand image. We do it too. It’s the face we present when we meet people, at our jobs, on social media, etc. In fact, when a company forms, the company brand is an extension of its founders. There are times, just like with companies, when our brand image does not match our real brand. Sometimes it is because people make assumptions, but perhaps it is because people orchestrate their image. I thank God for giving me the courage to show more of who I am every day.

Personal Brand and Brand Image Align — Easier Said than Done

My daughter told one of her cousins that he was living the life. He was going to the cabins with some friends. He responded that she was “living the life” too because of her Instagram pictures. She said, “That’s just filters.” Her statement stuck with me. There are people who “filter” or masks their life to portray the person they want to be — and then there are the rest of us.  There are social norms — filters — we learn as we grow up. How to be polite, don’t stare, never let them see you sweat, etc. Some of those norms are rightfully in place; however, some do not align with who you are.

My Gratitude: The Courage to Align Who You See With Who I Am

Aligning who people see the person you are is not easy. The truth is that you may stick out like a sore thumb. I don’t fit politically, philosophically, or spiritually with norms. Sometimes being me is the very thing that takes my anxiety up a notch. And by sometimes, I mean it happens less and less because I work at it. And by less and less, I mean rarely because as I following my calling — my purpose — I understand why I am different. I am supposed to be — you are supposed to be. The truth is there is something unique about each of us, and we are supposed to take what’s unique about us and give it back to the world.

I thank God for the courage to show who I am, the best I could. Without that, I would have never had the courage to step out more in my purpose. Gratitude has given me that courage — along with therapy and letting go the limits that caretakers put on me — but that is for another time (if ever). When you thank God every day, your ability to reflect opens your eyes to blessings you never notice.

You don’t have to do it out loud or share, but I dare you. Every day jot down your gratitude. It is very challenging. Maybe not at first but trust it can get hard; that is until it becomes a routine. Then the blessings flow.  You’ll see, the gratitude improves your attitude and increases your blessings.

xoxo