RE: You're An Entrepreneur (...even if you're not...)
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Great post, and one I agree with, but it may ruffle some feathers. Some people are triggered by the word 'brand', or the mention of 'business' in any part of life, or even a whiff of something that might 'turn corporate.'
But they're usually people who a) accomplish very little with their handful of years on earth, b) are in for a rude awakening in a few years when they realize their views don't serve them, or c) are jealous of people who've built up great 'personal brands.'
I was all three.
As a kid I spat on 'shallow celebs' like Britney Spears because her 'art was fluff.' Now I celebrate her incredible impact and successful personal brand evolution over the years. My multiple winters homeless humbled me into a rude awakening that my ridiculous hatred of economic growth, success, or branding was harming me and those around me. And the whole time, all I wanted was to make an impact, be valuable, and shine bright, like the incredibly well branded heroes I looked up to.
Ah well, we all have to learn the hard way, or in our own sweet time, sometimes.
Hopefully others take your words to heart and learn faster than I did.
Also, thanks for sharing your experience, great writing (and 'slow' reading, lol), and including me alongside other such successful and high-value hivers. I'm honored. Wishing you a great day! 🙏
P.S. Just in case it helps, some quick tips to polish one's personal brand on Hive is here: 5 Often Overlooked Details To Get Votes & Follows
Bro! 🤯
I actually saw this message on my phone and immediately went for my keyboard. Homeless?
Bro!
(yes... I said it again...)
I've been there...
I spent years on the streets with nothing but a guitar (lacking a few strings) and the clothes on my back and many a winter outside both in snow (not on the coast) and in rain (on the coast). I know the anger alienation and seclusion can cause in a person's heart all too well.
I know what it feels like to be judged harshly by people who don't even know you - just because you don't have $$. That's when all that "runnin' and gunnin'" I was talking about started.
I still remember singing this little thing I wrote walking down the road:
I feel it bro. Glad we both made it out!
Cheers!
I'm honored to have spurred you towards your keyboard.
Yeah, I was homeless for about 2.5 years on the cold (and sometimes sweltering) streets of Toronto. I wrote about it a bit more in my post From Homeless Jerk To Teacher Of Rebels and my post How I Solved My Homelessness With Piss-Poor Law Of Attraction Skills.
Interesting to meet someone else who's been there. I avoided most judgment because I managed to appear 'well-off' and 'dignified' using some tricks and relatively positive-vibes when interacting with others. I remember a few times homeless (?) people asked me for money and I inside I laughed thinking "You have more in your hat than I have total, sir"
Seems like your experiences at least sparked some musical and lyrical creativity. (I like this line - "Cars sailin' by but I'm unseen by the fleet,") Mine caused me to write this:
"There are those who touch our lives
Like miracles that help us thrive
They inspire greatness in our hearts
They get us writing, making art
They do these things with little praise
They ask no credit, make no waves
But their value's beyond measure
And you're included, you I treasure"
And yes, glad we both made it out indeed... and now I'm a 'brand' happy to trigger any 'money-is-evil' hippies I can, lol! 🙏
Haha! 😂
Maybe the next mindset shift is: "A Personal Brand Isn't A Brand. It's A Way Towards Clearer Self-Perception."
Because a brand ALWAYS starts with you (or whoever creates it). It doesn't start with the people who see it. And before we ever catch a glimpse of a new brand, there have been hours of careful thought and planning put into it.
Questions upon questions asked about oneself in the name of "defining" the brand.
The voice. The style. The tone. The colors. The avatar. The "motto". And the billion other ever-changing trends of traits that come and go - they're all "tools of perception" that help us more clearly define who we want to be.
So... ya... creating a brand is just a market-ey way of saying, "Defining who you are" or "Getting to know yourself better."
😁
Yep, I tend to see 'brand', for anything, more as the 'reputation', 'narrative' or 'collective perception' of the thing (whether a corporation, person, product, etc.)
People get triggered by the word 'brand', but everything has a reputation or perception by the collective.
And as you say, that perception has been shaped by many actions/choices (intentional or not) beforehand.
We're all defining 'who we are' at all times, consciously or not. 🙏
It's easy to complain about the rich and blame them for our woes. I think it's one thing that can unite just about any working to middle class person. If you disagree on everything else, just mention how the elites and super wealthy look down on us and take us for everything we've got. 😉 There's never any point in dwelling on it and blaming in the end, though. You accomplish nothing from it.
You're so right. And it seems much easier to blame, finger-point, and complain, than it is to use one's own mind, mood, & limbs to self-elevate... so people usually latch onto the former, despite, as you say, "accomplishing nothing from it."
Thanks for always making such thought-provoking comments, I appreciate you. 🙏
It's always good to chat with you, I enjoy a bit of thought provoking debate. Thank you for the tip, by the way. That was very generous.
The feeling's totally mutual, and you deserve that tip and more, thanks for being a light on the blockchain :) 🙏
Yep... all comes back to responsibility at the end of the day. We're all playing the hand we're dealt. Life's not fair. Never was. Never will be. But the best way to level the playing field is to start from where we're at and start moving up.
In order to do that, we've gotta' get firmly planted in the reality we're starting in. 🙂