Few things hurt like we thought they would.
The speech you were dreading to give. The infamous flu shot. The 15 year mortgage. Pausing for breakfast. And maybe the most avoided of all, vulnerability.
It’s those things we didn’t see coming in our peripheral that bear the most pain.
Awareness, we need you.
In business, find customers.
In relationships, find connection.
In life, find your music.
People.
Books.
Ideas.
Think of them as such, find your way, handle them with care, and may the odds be in your favor.
Chaplin.
Sinatra.
Crosby.
Picasso.
Timberlake.
Jobs.
Gates.
Buffet.
Bloomberg.
Wynn.
Now let’s leave fame, because the brand is there long before any name recognition is realized.
Dad.
Mom.
Friend.
And what about you?
Branding is about ora…it’s about what lingers even when you’re not present. Branding is what is held in the reflection of one’s memory.
If it’s not on your resume, consider it branding. Because you can’t do branding. You simply live in a way that gives out an energy, taste, vibe, or experience that in the end is the brand.
Day in build, polish, mold, test, and discover what it means to be you and develop your brand. Day out, repeat.
It’s work to stand for something worth remarking on.
Let it be.
…and by free, I mean earned.
It’s your humanity that gets shared, gets talked about, sticks with the recipient, and is what you want to see in your rear view mirror.
You’d be surprised what a Super Bowl ad can’t do.
Ashton.Gustafson 