How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
I love that title. Mostly because I honestly believe 95% of the business men and women out there are adhering to the “fake it til you make it” model. Some are just better than others at faking it and progress rapidly within a company. But the 5% who actually know their stuff? The 5% who can succeed in business without really trying?
I can’t even make a list for you because I can’t think of anyone…businessperson, scientist, educator, etc. etc….where everything comes to effortlessly to them. (Maybe Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting…he can comprise the 5%).
What does the Talkboy have to do with this? And why have I started using my “Marketing” category? Because I can’t shut up about March and all the inspiration that’s coming to me this month both in my personal and professional life. Recently a co-worker and I were discussing all the positive changes we’ve been making in our lives, even down to the superficial things, that make us better/happier people. I’ve already done my “I want to make my dreams reality” spiel and one of the steps to getting there…anywhere these days really…is to continue to build my personal brand. Sadly, I have to try, work, and fail in business to succeed. While it’s great to be a nobody and fail, when you succeed, you’re also still a nobody. My theory, then, is to slap my name on every one of my failures and successes. Start to look at my entire life as a giant marketing opportunity.
Good. Glad I have that sorted. And then what?
A shoutout to all the 20-somethings born in the late 80s/early 90s, that’s what. Remember Home Alone? Baby faced Macaulay Culkin? Remember the Talkboy?!
It was like the Walkman only better because you could RECORD audio. Not just listen to cassettes. Height of 1990 technology right there.
But cassettes soon turned to CDs (I sadly own The Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys in both forms) which soon turned to MP3 players which turned into just…smart phones. We, or at least I, don’t have a dedicated music player anymore. Yeahhhh the Talkboy was cool, and I may still have mine around at my parents house, but that puppy is a thing of the past. It’s nostalgia.
In life, in your career, you need to stay relevant. And this isn’t just blanket advice so I can finally use my Marketing category. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a HUGE news and information junkie. I’m talking “this girl may have a problem” obsessed with webcasts, podcasts, and twitter (where I follow more than just celebrities and friends, thank you). I’ve always understood the importance of being current just because I never want to be that person in a conversation where someone goes: “Did you hear the POTUS is pulling more troops out of Iraq?” and I respond: “Where’s Iraq?” “What does POTUS mean?” or, God help me, “Why are there troops in Iraq?” (I actually feel embarrassed for these kinds of people).
With all of that said, what am I doing with all of this information swimming around in my brain? Not much, to be honest. It’s taking my personal brand nowhere. And that changes in the near future. On my journey towards my dreams and improving my overall happiness I don’t only want to have relevant information in my head, I want to BE relevant and a curator of knowledge and ideas.
I have my thoughts on what that might entail (and I’m sure it’ll become apparent online after awhile) but you can take it for whatever you’d like. If being relevant to you means attending more conferences and networking, great. If it means creating a Facebook page for your business (or personal brand), fabulous.
But take at least one step towards achieving relevancy that builds your personal brand because growth is exponential and no one, unless you’re a child of the 90s having a walk down memory lane, remembers the old Talkboy.
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Bottom line: Leverage every aspect of your life to start working towards building your brand, if you haven’t already, obviously. How? Stay relevant. Keep your head…and your name…in the game.