Personal Branding…it’s about FEELING, not thinking
I’ve always been one to “get my thinking cap on”. And thinking can help you in a variety of areas. But when it comes to personal branding, the more important cap to wear is your “feeling cap”.
Participants in this week’s A Brand That Speaks Workshop are doing just that. So I thought I would give everyone else an insight into what wearing your “feeling cap'“ looks like.
A definition to get behind
You know I love a good definition, and Merriam-Webster defines a thinking cap as, “a state or mood in which one thinks”. So, a feeling cap, by extension, is, “a state or mood in which one FEELS”.
Let me ask you: how many times in a day, especially in the course of your business, do you give yourself the opportunity to feel? And then let’s go one step father…how much time do you spend feeling ON PURPOSE?
I like to use the phrase “on purpose” with duality.
Firstly, to show that you are doing something deliberately.
Secondly, to show that you are doing something that is aligned with your purpose.
So, let’s put that all together: a state or mood in which one feels on purpose.
This is the state you are going for when you’re wearing a “feeling cap”.
The space to be you ON PURPOSE
Let’s be honest. The percentage of people who wear their feeling cap on a daily basis is small. Tiny. Probably even miniscule.
We have been taught that thinking is the answer so most of the things we need to deal with in a day. The truth is, our problem solving ability increases tenfold when we are wearing our feeling caps vs. thinking caps.
Why?
Because you tap into your innate ability to answer questions in a way that FEELS right. Without an assumption that something else needs to be taken into account; like what other people think. Considering external factors before how we feel is the fastest route to choosing a solution that isn’t aligned with you. One you wouldn’t choose.
It’s not that I’m saying not to consider what other people truly feel. What I am saying is that basing your decisions on what someone else MIGHT THINK is folly.
If everyone was wearing their feeling cap, and was brave enough to be honest about what was right for them, the likelihood that we could problem solve in a way that works for everyone is much higher.
A personal brand can’t exist just from thinking
Personal brands are driven by feelings. Not running through a checklist of “to-do’s”. It’s an experience that people have with you. And the number one thing that people take away from any given experience is how they FEEL.
Cue the classic Maya Angelou quote: I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
How do you want to make people feel?
And how does that make YOU feel?
It all comes down to feelings. Your feelings about how you show up.
That’s why it can’t be created by anyone else but you.
There is a lady I follow on LinkedIn - a personal branding consultant - whose tagline is: “I brand people, not businesses”. NO ONE ELSE CAN BRAND YOU. You brand you.
So, put on your feeling cap. Wear it once a day for at least 10 minutes. Or, sign up for the next A Brand That Speaks Workshop, and learn how to get comfortable wearing that hat over 4 days. And create a real connection with your personal brand.
