Branding yourself + the importance of looking back

Tell me, how do you stay motivated?

I recently watched YouTube videos of the branding expert, Timothy Maurice Webster. In one of the videos he mentions that one of the key pillars of branding is looking back.

He says that successful influencers use challenges/ stumbling blocks they had to their advantage. They then use it to climbover the next wall (challenge) they have to climb.

I WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THIS
It makes me think of many challenges I had to overcome in my life. I often remind myself that I HAVE BEEN TROUGH WHAT I HAD THOUGHT WAS THE WORST thing that could ever happen to me.

So surely, there will be worse than what I am going through now. Then I tell myself: THIS IS TEMPORARY.

When talking about “how to build your personal brand” Timothy mentions the African term ‘ubuntu’ which means ‘I am because of’. His talk revolves around the importance of having a community. He even says: “If I separate myself from the collective, there is a problem.”

Timothy added: “If we are in a community together and I thrive, you thrive. If my brand is strong that means your brand is strong.”

Hey, doesn’t that make you think of the saying old people give you: “You must choose your friends right” or “You are who you associate with”?

Heavy.

WHO IS WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY?
I have learned the past few weeks the importance of having people who are smarter than I am within my industry. These people mentor me even if some of them don’t know it. Like a sponge I suck up the knowledge they share with me and I try to ask the relevant questions.

That’s the thing, we should always ask questions even if it seems stupid.

For example, while being on my blogging journey I have identified professional bloggers who I learn from. I regularly check their content and learn from it. A few days ago I even found myself getting new ideas for blog posts from reading the experts’ stuff.

GROW YOUR COMMUNITY
My advice to you: if you want to try something new (or you have already), try to find a like-minded group to belong to.

For example, when I became a mother in December 2015 I joined Mamahood or Mommy groups on Facebook. I joined the La Leche League South Africa group to get more insight on breastfeeding.

You even get groups for bloggers on Facebook.

In these groups, people ask A LOT of questions that you might have on your mind – so scroll down and see what’s on the timeline.
You can learn a lot OR you’ll just find like-minded people that will identify with your experience.

Think about what you thought was the most heaviest challenge ever that you had to go through. What did you do to overcome it, or did it just go away?

Do you ever remind yourself of this challenge or stumbling block?

Also, are there people within your community that you have identified to help you grow?

Thank you for reading about my journey. I hope you’ll have a great day.

xoxo