Getting In Touch With Your Super Powers 3 Branding Lessons I Learned From The Characters Of X-Men
The power of Personal Branding is all around us. Recently, while
getting in touch with my inner child, I took a spin to my local theater to
catch the last part of the X-Men trilogy, “The Last Stand.”
Although the movie itself is targeted towards teens (what was I doing
there you wonder?), the message of embracing your unique gifts
applies directly to the principles of personal branding.
What makes Personal Branding different from Business branding is that
we’re connecting who you are with what you do in an
unforgettable way. This requires that we move towards positioning your
unique skills, talents, and super human traits that are unique just to you.
So how do you tap into those “special gifts” and set yourself apart in an
unforgettable way from all the rest?
Let’s take a cue from the characters of X-Men:
1. Understand, really understand, that your unique and special
talents, no matter how quirky, make you special not
unusual. In a world filled with massive competition, the thing
that helps you stand out are the talents and unique skills that no one
else can deliver quite like you. Each X-Men possesses their own
unique gift (a super power) from lightening speed reproduction, the
ability to walk through walls, to telepathy.
What’s your super power? Go back in time, get in touch with your inner
child and remember the things you were most passionate about. Did
you enjoy organizing tea parties? Were you the performer of the
bunch? Was your home the neighborhood favorite because you always
kept everyone comfortable? Are you communicating those special
talents in your business or hiding them?
2. Know that setting yourself apart takes courage. It sounds a
little new agey but the truth is when we free ourselves from our own
limitations, we make others uncomfortable. In the world of branding,
those that are uncomfortable with your unique traits are simply not
intended to work with you.
A clear and concise personal brand not only allows you to communicate
your unique edge but you do so to your ideal clients. Your ideal clients
are those that you “get” and that “get” you. Isn’t that what we’re all
looking for?
Even in the world of Marvel comics, you find the struggle between
conforming and innovating. In life, as in comics, being unforgettably
distinctive and innovative wins! The question is, are you willing to take
the last stand?
3. As competitive as the marketplace is today, there is more than
enough room for everyone. The key is to identify your brand
essence, communicate that clearly to your ideal target and watch the
Law of Attraction work its magic. We’ve long experienced a shift in the
economy in which traditional ways of selling are no longer effective.
Although an overused adage, it’s true that we do business with people
that we know like and trust and we’re making those judgments quickly,
within mere seconds. Therefore, we are searching for those people that
immediately relate to our needs and are in it to be of service versus sell
us.
Our super human powers come disguised in many forms. Like the
character Storm, you may share the incredible ability to enter any
environment and make it magical - changing mood and thought.
Perhaps like Wolverine, you possess that unshakable warrior-like
ability to dust yourself off and regenerate no matter what the obstacle.
Or, maybe you have the uncanny gift of laser-focused intuition and can
read people exceptionally well like Professor X.
Whatever your gift, embrace it with courage, shout it from the roof tops
and remember that like all X-Men, your super powers are what make
you more than merely normal, they make you uniquely special!
2006 Copyright, Liz Pabon. All rights reserved.
About the author: Liz Pabon, “The Branding Maven,” is
inspiring, motivating and empowering - but most importantly, she’s
effective.
A speaker and author on the topic of personal branding, Liz
delivers insights and principles that are proven to achieve WILD
SUCCESS.
Liz publishes the weekly Keys2Success ezine. If you’re ready to
ATTRACT amazing clients, set yourself apart from the pack, make a lot
more MONEY, and have a lot more FUN in your small business, get
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