How to Manage Your Brand and Design Your Life
At the end of the day the point of having a stellar personal brand is to love the life you’re living. Not just your business or career, but your whole life. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite strategies and tools to help you manage your brand and your life, with intention.
Building your brand and designing your life is not a solo endeavor. If you want to make sure you’re showing up as your best self in everything you do, you need to make sure you have at least one trusted confidant. I’m talking about more than someone who will keep your secrets. Make sure you surround yourself with people who always have your best interests at heart, even when showing up for you means they have to speak the hard truth you might not want to hear.
The best way to make sure you have these people in your life? Make sure that you are showing up in your relationships in this same way. Not every friendship is going to withstand this test, and that’s ok. But no one succeeds in life alone. Make sure that you have the support system you deserve.
Commit to an organizational system. I still love an old-fashioned planner, but the system you choose to use doesn’t matter. Your goal should be to figure out what works best for you and your lifestyle, and then commit to the habit of planning your time and managing expectations accordingly. In addition to my business calendar, I also manage our family calendar and our childcare schedule. It’s taken some trial and error, but I found a method that works for everyone, and that’s the key. I have a wall calendar for our family schedule and childcare needs that everyone can easily make notes on, while I use my phone for meetings and appointments and a planner for business tasks and strategic plans. This might sound confusing, but this is the best method to encourage everyone I need to stay in sync with to stay involved. Anything else just doesn’t last.
Identify a few simple tools that will help you stay organized and then put them into action now. The more you use them, the more natural it will feel. Overtime you won’t even think about the habit bur you will feel better knowing you are organized.
Create a kick-ass self-care routine. This is SO important to loving your life. If you are not taking some time to care for yourself, how are you going to have enough to give to anyone else? I’m sure you’ve heard this message before, I’m here to encourage you to take it to heart. It took me decades to embrace this belief. Learn from my mistake and make sure you are making yourself your number 1 priority. Wondering what I do to make sure I’m taking the time I need?
Here are my favorites: I exercise every morning while my family is sleeping; I’m learning to meditate (key word is learning), I prioritize meal prepping on the weekend to make sure I have healthy options during the busy week, and I make sure to spend quality time with my loved ones (admittedly it’s a juggling act!) Oh, and bubble baths, a lot of bubble baths!
Create a signature look that you can throw together in a flash. If you’re anything like me, you feel your best when you are happy with how you look. This isn’t about what others think of me, I’m talking about how I feel about myself. I am happier and more confident when I’ve taken a few minutes to get dressed and “polished” in a way that feels best for me. I like a little make-up and I attempt to style my hair. During this stage of my life this doesn’t happen every day and I’m ok with that. But it’s still important to me that I stay connected with my most authentic self, and do what I can to honor her every day.
Focus on community. Think about how you can give to others and dedicate some amount of your time or resources to helping your community. How you do this is up to you. I do this in many ways, from volunteering with Dress for Success, to donating items we no longer need to local charities, to being real on social media, to reaching out to people I know who are in need of some extra encouragement or advice. Think about things that are meaningful to you, and then make an effort to do something every day that benefits others in your community.
Creating a life that you love and a brand that you are proud of is a long-term proposition. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The best thing you can do for yourself is to commit today to enhancing your brand and building your life with intention. I recommend small, repeatable steps that you can do daily to help you achieve your goals. When you manage your life in achievable increments, you’ll be in awe of the progress you’ve made by this time next year.
What are some of your favorite tips?