Right here, on this feed, the other day, a dear friend of mine, told me, that the photo I posted, of my loft, in Austin, was so “on-brand”. I smiled back.
Of course, she was right, the photo was “on-brand”, the brand called me.
I don’t have an “off-brand”. At least I hope I don’t.
There are really only two brands to pick from: “The Brand-Called-You” and “The-Brand-Called-Someone Else”
“The Brand-Called-You” is your “on-brand”.
It is the power and persuasion you use to describe, to others, your genuine-article attitudes, attributes, and actions.WYSIWYG.
Every else is “off-brand”.
Fuck the off-brand. They don’t work. Ever. Never. And are shallow, one-sided, empty, dishonest, untruthful, deceptive.
The real reason people adore you, is not because of some half-ass, imaginary, fabricated construct of how you paint and picture yourself publicly. It’s because of the genuine, no bull-shit, original, honest-to-goodness you. Done.
When influencers and marketers attempt to “brand” themselves, they usually attempt to do so, by portraying an unrealistic, idealized, often skewed, version of their life and lifestyle.
That is bullshit and stupid. Most see right through this.
The brand called you (and me) needs to be the brand of transparency, authenticity, vulnerability, and most of all, include lots of warts, wrinkles, and zits.
Most identify with your weaknesses, not your strengths.
I’m not sure exactly what it is, but we all seem to be obsessed with mostly showing our highlight-reels rather than our BTS (Behind-The-Scenes) reels. WTF. This is crazy.
Because, we get confused with thinking that, if we show our inerrant, blemished and imperfect sides and messes, no one will like, admire, or follow us.
Bullshit again. The opposite is true.
They would love you all the more. Show people your shit.
People love you, ultimately, for who you really are, not who you pretend and posture to be.
Imperfect is the new perfect.
Maybe, at our core, we get confused about who we really are, with ourselves and others.
The brand called you, really you, veritably you…is the only brand that really matters.
Be you, always.
Click,
Jack
