Would you rather fit in or belong?
Sounds like a random question but it is not.
Dr. Brené Brown explains the distinction between fitting in vs. belonging this way:
“Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.”
It would not surprise you then when I say, personal branding, the kind that I teach my clients, is all about belonging.
I never used to fit in. I’ve been, for a lot of my adult life, an outsider. I stood out like a sore thumb. But all that time I was not fitting in, I didn’t feel I particularly belonged to any place or to anyone (outside of my marriage) either.
Then there was this mentor who saw me for who I could be (to my mind) and who I really was (to his mind). From that point onwards, I started to be me. Who I am. I started to belong to myself.
The key to sustainable and successful personal branding is really about belonging to oneself.
It requires courage.
If you believe a set of nice photos could fix your personal branding problem, I would like you to believe that, first, you need be courageous and accept who you are.
If you’re not quite sure how to belong to yourself, let me show you the way. Many women in business are taking this opportunity to become brave and to be the face of their business.
How about you?
