After eight months of freelancing, and furthering the development of my personal brand, I was approached to represent a local company. Honestly it was difficult at first to see my transition into a 9-to-5, but considering what I had been able to do for myself and the clients I was attached to, it seemed like new challenge for me.
There were a lot of doubts in my head on a few things, not that I lacked the confidence in what I do, but rather doubts on whether this was the right move for me, especially at this moment in my life. Still, it was something that I quickly got over, once I stopped caring what others thought and focused on what made me happy, creating content.
Surviving the Battle of Self Preservation
I think it only natural to be concerned about lending your credibility and noteriety to a company, especially with so much at stake, but then again, it was never about me to begin with. As shocking as that sounds, I'm not doing what I'm doing to fulfill any self gratification, but rather, it's my nature to help elevate others. The benefit of what I do is that I enjoy it, I can make a living off of it, and other are still elevated, whether it's an individual brand or a company brand.
I've not lost myself, thought the transition into new employment and the addition of a new family member made it hard to find my stride again, but I know who I am. I have no intention of giving up blogging, no intention of giving up podcasting, and no intention of giving up producing content because it's a passion I have that I won't let go of.
Clarity
I had some great conversation with Chris Brogan and Frank Eliason regarding maintaining your identity and still representing a brand. It's a battle of self preservation that I was trying hard to overcome and they provided excellent clarity.
Frank specifically reminded me that there should never be the need to be two things at once, you are who you are, without the need to be one person for the brand, and one person for your personal brand. Your brand is who you are, the way you talk, the way you communicate, how you share with others, and most importantly, the person you are day in and day out. This exchange made everything so clear and it settled the battle inside.
Just as Frank is Frank when he works with Comcast, I am who I am working with the company that I represent. I work to help build their social media presence as well as develop strategies for others to help increase their visibility and level of engagement.
So I thank Chris Brogan for his well written, well thought out posts on personal development and Frank for offering such a concise breakdown when it come to representing yourself and a brand online. I guess it's proof that we sometimes make things harder than they need to be.
So do I just fade away and become another brick in the wall? I challenge all up and comers in the world of social engagement to focus on developing who they are; be real, be genuine, be yourself, and no matter where you find yourself, it's you that's reflected in your efforts.
Photo Credit spunkinator
