How much of your private life must you sacrifice in the service of your business?
We are now less than a week away from my Earning Your Wealth-Respect with Humor & Humanity event. It’s part of a series of talks I’m giving, not based only on my expertise, but because these are topics my audience has expressed an interest in learning more about.
This July 31 talk is about tapping into our value, on all levels, and associating that with our target audience, before we put a price on what we provide. This may sound counterintuitive, but “the market” has nothing to do with it. Paying what the market will bear is cute, and it’s a starting point, but the goal should be to deliver value way beyond what the market currently delivers.
Before we commoditize ourselves, why not commodiprize ourselves? Don’t worry, I’m not gonna make you say that back to me. I’m not the call-and-repeat guy. And while I do have catch-phrases, I’m more of a subversive Ricky Gervais type. “Are you havin’ a laugh?”*
But seriously, as my colleague, coach, and friend Nancy Zare Ph.D. (who will appear as a guest on 7/31!) says, “Remember, you are the prize.” Many of us forget to think that way.
My talks are free and they’re “no-sell” events. So, there’s no deal or package or “sign up today” thing. I put myself out there everyday in everything I say and do. It’s called life. Each of us is a Personal Brand – and a Legacy Brand – whether we think of it that way or not. Which is why “Selling the Truth” is so appealing to me: we don’t have to be one person in business and another in life.
Which brings us to your Personal Life vs your Personal Brand.
The next talk (coming up on August 21) is called Maximizing Your Success Without Being Famous. This is another topic with a wellspring of interest spurring me on. I haven’t started promoting it yet (well, I guess I have now lol), but I want to put a few thoughts out there.
I used to have the “fame bug.” I wanted to be famous. I was a standup comedian hungry for stage time. From the age of 17, I had no problem sitting down at the piano in fancy hotels (and not as a guest, in those days), playing and sometimes singing, even though I have no training and would not be hired to perform music in any venue. It’s strictly a fun and sometimes funny avocation.
So, why am I not famous? Have I failed? Well, the truth is, while I once thought I wanted it, fame was not my objective. It wasn’t me. I’m a performer. But not every performer wants to be a “star.” I chose instead to perform within the context of a larger mission, engaging in deep, holistic brand transformations that change the way you see yourself and the way others see you.
What do these two upcoming talks have in common? A LOT. See, we can be the prize, without having all eyes on us. We can represent, without sucking up all the oxygen. We can share our gifts with humility. We can sell the truth without selling ourselves short. We can find the sweet spot, where we do not deny our power, nor do we make it all about us.
And that’s really the message today: Celebrity is its own pursuit. It requires a lot of hype and noise and calculation. A degree of personal exposure is demanded. Discipline and skill are also important. Defining and deploying your Personal Brand is another matter entirely. More communicating than shouting. More passion than hype. More standard-bearing than role modeling.
Can we present strong Personal Branding in tandem with Celebrity? Yes. But that’s a topic for another day.
*Extra points if you know where that catch phrase comes from. Drop your answer in the comments!
Wanna chat? Let’s do it!
