Personal Branding: Theory vs. Practice

Like most things that take ACTION in life, knowing the theory is all well and good, but if it’s not put into practice, it doesn’t become part of your behavior.

You can theoretically understand how to ride a bicycle, but until you get your feet on the pedals, you don’t truly know how to ride.

So it is with personal branding. You can listen to all the training and concept sharing you want, but until you starting practicing leading with your personal brand, you’ll only remain a student, not a master.

If you want to be stuck as a Padawan your entire life, theory will suffice. But if you want to become a personal branding Jedi, you must put your personal brand to work. How? Let’s let some Yoda guidance lead us :)

“In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.”

Now, let me start off by sharing that personal branding is an on-going journey. In order to bring our authentic personal brand to light, it takes continual learning, or as Yoda shares, “a little more knowledge” to light our way.

Even though you must pick a point in time in which to start practicing, and we start practicing with the knowledge we have today, you will continually learn and grow, which means your personal brand does as well. There’s no such thing as “perfect” when it comes to practicing showing up with your personal brand. So, start now, and know that you WILL know more about yourself in the future.

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

Classic Yoda here. Unfortunately to get good at ANY skill, you have to commit to working on it. It’s not something you can try now and again if you want to get GOOD at it. It takes a true commitment.

So DO it.

Don’t try to do it ;)

DO IT.

And bonus points if you TELL someone else you’re doing it! An accountability partner always helps.

“Fear is the path to the dark side.”

Fear. It’s the reason most people don’t practice a skill. And let’s be clear, leading with your personal brand, or showing up with your personal brand leading the way, is a SKILL.

My hope is that with the permission from the point above-in knowing that you have all you need today to start, and that you will grow and learn-you will be able to push through this fear. But in case that’s not enough…

Remember, it IS scary to step out and show your authentic self for the first time. And it won’t be any less scary if you wait a week, a year, or 10 years. It’s a fear that will ALWAYS be conquered in the moment, and your moment is now.

So pick your moment. And harness your courage. Because you’re worth it.

“To be a Jedi is to face the truth, and choose. Give off light or darkness, Padawan. Be a candle or the night.”

We all have a light within us. It’s fueled when we allow ourselves to be true to our hearts. And once you conquer the fear of sharing yourself, you now have a choice. A choice to share that light, or keep it to yourself.

One personal brand ignites other personal brands. And when we choose to show our vulnerable, authentic selves, we subconsciously allow others to do the same. So, as a Jedi uses the force, you can use your personal brand to give off that light.

And when you practice, it should actually FEEL like that. You should feel lighter. In the dual sense of weightless and bright.

Yup, sorry gang. You can’t get out of practicing this skill without tapping into some feelings ;)

"You will find only what you bring in.”

Your personal brand is rooted in your personal values. Those things that you hold dear. NOT in things another person gives you. Or tells you. Not even a personal branding coach.

Our jobs…my job…is not to give you anything. But to show you the path to connect with that which you already carry with you.

So get rid of your “shoulds”; those are things that have been imprinted on you by someone else. And bring only things that are of true value to you to your practice.

“Patience you must have, my young Padawan.”

Oh, it would be wonderful if we could all get it right the first time and then it just becomes a habit right? But like all skills, this is not the case with personal brands in action. You WILL fail. You will feel inauthentic from time to time (even I do after YEARS of practice). You will feel the fear creep back in. You will continue to peel away layers of the onion as you grow and learn.

Again, this is normal.

When it comes to personal branding, we must also practice the habits of self-love and giving ourselves grace. Because we will never be perfect at this skill, we must, must, must have patience with ourselves.

“Always pass on what you have learned.”

There is no one right way to practice bringing your personal brand to the table. It’s about YOU. There are ways that will feel authentic for you to show up, and there will be ways that won’t. These may or may not be different than the ways other people show up authentically. They may be different than the way I show up authentically. No way is right or wrong. It is simply YOUR way.

As I’ve mentioned a few times in this article, you sharing YOUR journey empowers others to take their first step.

So don’t assume their path is the same. But DO share your journey. That knowledge lights the way of the next generation.

If you’re ready to take your personal branding theory into practice, let’s chat.