Brand Your Edge

Brand Your EdgeFor the past several months I have noticed that I have been feeling a little bit blue. I wasn't sure why I was feeling this way. My family is great, I feel healthy, I love my work. So what was the problem?  I realized that I was feeling down because I was feeling frumpy. 

I don't think most people who know me would consider me frumpy, however, what I was seeing in the mirror did not excite me. I bought these clothes, I even liked these clothes. So what the heck was happening?  What I finally realized was I had lost my edginess which is a really big part of who I am. It's the part of me that gives me zing and energy. It makes me feel alive and slightly dangerous.  So why on earth would I give that up? 

It wasn't intentional, it was more by default. In an attempt to appear polished and pulled-together, I had checked my edginess at the door. I was guilty of a big sin which was giving in to a "should" way of thinking. I had an idea of how a professional person should dress and act. The only problem, which it turned out was a big one, was I ended up feeling only partly present dressing and acting this way. An important part of me and my brand was missing.  And it made me cranky!

Of course, I still believe in being professional, but that doesn't mean being stiff and uninteresting. The more you can infuse your personal brand into your professional life, the more appealing you will become and the happier you will be.  If you leave out a piece of your brand because you think you "should," you will be left with a vanilla version of yourself and your brand will suffer. On the other hand, if you can embrace those parts of yourself that feel most exciting, your brand will be truly unique, even if it feels a bit scary at first. Now if you will excuse me, I need to slip into something black and slightly dangerous.