Getting in touch
with your Super Powers:
3 Branding Lessons I learned from
the Characters of X-Men
By: Liz Pabon
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 Keys 2 Wild
Success! 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
Liz’s FREE WEEKLY TIPS by going NOW
to www.thebrandingmaven.com!
NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint”
this article online as long as it
remains complete and unaltered
(including the “about the author”
info at the end), and you send a
copy of your reprint to liz@thebrandingmaven.com
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