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The 2016 Presidential Election is behind us. Whether your candidate won or not, a new political order looms upon us come 2017. There is no doubt this election was unpredictable, but one thing remains—the winning side ran an effective campaign: marketing, selling and positioning it’s brand to come out as the victor.
In reflecting on this, here are my take away points on how to boost your brand.
1. Be You
Being You while may sound easy comes with intentionality. It pays to be authentic, but getting there can be hard to navigate for some because it means you will be swimming upstream. This may mean you will offend some, be rejected by others, take in some punches while at it. Still it’s worth it. Your ability to hold your cool, be gracious to self, own your ills, flaws, good, bad and ugly at any given time will give you an edge in the long run. Being You therefore is your single most valuable asset and you should guard it with all might. After all, people will love you or hate you because of the very essence–you! So, why not be hated or loved for being you? We see this in life, business and other areas in life where some remain loyal spouses/customers no matter what. Because people understand that we are each flawed human beings, and those who own up to their ills publicly while maintaining a sense of humility tend to call us to our highest, truest, best version of us. Why, because we identify with them knows that they are not saints but flawed like all of us. So, own YOU, own your it, whatever that is, your brand/message/calling because when you do, you call others to their own it, brand,call, authenticity and position. And this is what we all long for–and this is frankly our only true love and contribution to the human race for a better life all!
2. Know Your Why
Be clear on your motivation from the get go, and do not waver. There is a saying that remarks, “a double sided man does not get anything” or simply put by not being clear on what you want, you end up loosing everything. Once you’re clear though, you must follow through by being willing to give an account of why you choose to do what you do communicating that message with clarity, passion and convictions. This allows for a deep connection with your constituency on an biological level i.e.emotionally.
3. Be Bold
Only the bold and courageous accomplish anything worth accomplishing. Therefore, if you want to be a change agent you must embrace the art and science of stoicism. It is said that good leaders posses one critical skill, the courage to face a daunting situations and challenges head on. Those courageous have the kind of thinking that goes like this, ‘if I die I die.’ but I press on to the end. So, your ability to be unmoved by other’s opinions, pressure even when all factors and data points say otherwise is an admirable gusto. Being bold means you STAND even if it means your head will be chopped off.
4. Believe
Believe, believe believe!!! I cannot emphasis this enough. This is the hallmark upon which all others elements of your achievement are built upon. Like author, James Allen noted, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” Consequently, if you believe you are say, X or Y, that is exactly what you are and you will begin to exude that to the world around you in no uncertain terms. This happens without your consent, its from your subconscious mind where you speak loudly enough, and not in spoken word form but rather in essence of who you are–your presence.
5. Be a Billionaire in thoughts, speech and actions
When you have a Billionaire Mindset, the billions and all else will ensue. Simply put, it starts with your paradigm of you. Followed by your inner resolve and conviction to be consistent with your thoughts, speech and actions. It’s kind of like when you have an idea or a service or product, and those who know you dearly mock you by saying things like ‘you think you are all that’, ‘get over yourself’ or make comments like ‘get a real job’–but if you ignore them pursue your goal and prevail, the very people come around to hail you as the brilliant visionary or whatever. I’ve learned that nature has a way of directing us to our true north, and only those with a billionaire mindset tune to nature’s voice prevailing in the end. Thus, determine to cultivate a winning and positive mindset now, and then embrace the truth and conviction of knowing that you know.
6. Be Present
After you’ve done all the above… it helps if you consistently remain present and stick to your message, live your brand and be YOU! Note, you may get knocked off the course a few times, and for a moment you may feel or appear contradicting for while. When this reality sets in, remember to endure and trust the process. Embracing your essence ultimately helps your presence and in being present—being the authentic you. So that despite their (the pundit’s opinions and analysis) you cannot deny that it’s not their wish, will, favor, money or fame that draws them to you, but rather your ability to engage in the moment while being true to YOU in your cause.
In summary, the key in life, career and in business is to be CLEAR on what you want, and then communicate your vision to prime market that is, then market that message consistently remaining congruent to your unique brand and messaging. In a nutshell, you want to:
- Be clear on your Brand Identity from the get go
- Focus on a Unique Niche—specialize don’t generalize
- Keep it Simple (KISS)—don’t make things complex
- Emotionally seek to connect with your target audience
- Accentuate and harness your Unique Brand—BE YOU!
Once you are clear on these critical indicators, move forward consistently positioning yourselves to where your constituencies are. Although some may disagree with your message and others distance themselves, in the end; authenticity and truth always win. However, once your win is sure, and you get to the top, you MUST be open and willing to hear other voices in order to harness your brand–and this is the staff that constitute your legacy.
Now, that you know my thoughts and take aways of the 2016 presidential elections, I would love to read yours too. Please share your comments below, thank you.
