Rebranding - Inner Discovery For Outer Presentation

Written by: Anna NIemira

“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, pave another one.” -Dolly Parton

Corporations often rebrand their products, improving the content and changing the packaging to increase sales. Celebrities reinvent their looks to catch our attention and grow viewership.

Personal rebranding can be a powerful tool in advancing our career, changing our business, building our entrepreneurial ventures, and, most importantly, positively influencing our private life.

Outside impact

"Inspiration exists, but it must find you working." - Pablo Picasso

The environment around us changes quickly. We do our best to fit into new situations and circumstances. In the process of these adjustments, we might lose a sense of who we are, where we want to be, and what is important to us. Sometimes, we are complacent with external trends and influences despite their conflicting effect on our values, talents, and passions.

At the same time, the challenges we encounter might toughen us up, prompting us to question ourselves and our conditions. We aspire to more meaningful transformation, building our confidence, fulfilling our ambitions, utilizing our talents and skills, looking for more profound self-definition, and reaching our set goals.

We wish to feel happy, inside and out.

Desire for change

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” - Albert Einstein

We want our personal life to be fascinating and fulfilling, in harmony with our merits. Yet, preoccupied with our daily routines, we may settle with accepting the situation, delaying reinventing ourselves.

To monitor our progress, advancement in life, growth, and development, it is beneficial to do periodic checks of where we stand in life, whether as an individual and as a professional.

Without this process the energy of change accumulates, striking us unexpectedly with unpleasant life events, triggering a necessity to reinvent oneself. It is much better to be proactive and in control of our destiny, systematically moving forward, rather than being conditioned by it.

Hello new persona

"To find yourself, think for yourself." - Socrates

Various makeover articles and television shows present us with instant image changes. A new outfit, hairstyle, and a few cosmetic treatments make for a modern-day Cinderella transformation. However, these programs almost never follow up on how sustainable and long lasting the changes were.

Usually, we tend to fall back into our default unless the changes we make are profound; most importantly transforming our inner persona to achieve the desired outer appearance.

Such transformation is a creation and reinvention of oneself based on the inner voice, personal talents, and abilities. It takes time and effort. This deep process of self-discovery and growth is a marathon, not a sprint.

Rebranding process

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." - Steve Jobs

Creating our new image is a very individualistic process.  It is not about styling to resemble someone else or posing to copy the life of others. It is a self-discovery process structuring the being from the ground up, building a foundation to understand natural talents, acquired skills, and personal style. It is about forming and following own path.

First, we focus on personal development.

"Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own." - Bruce Lee

Take time to connect with yourself. Go as far as your childhood, if necessary, to work on your traumas and subconscious reactions to different situations to solve deeply rooted issues and limitations. Think of your difficulties in life and how they correlate directly to you, your behavior, reactions, and actions, or lack thereof. Examine alternative scenarios of various events and circumstances to determine how you could have achieved a positive outcome, but do not become obsessive about it, always remembering that the past cannot be changed. Instead, use your experience to be better prepared for similar circumstances in the future.

Contemplate all your thoughts, reflecting equally on your positive and negative impressions. This will allow you to ground yourself and have a well-rounded perspective. Success is the effect of our analysis and our actions. If we do not experience desired effects, we should look into inner limitations blocking us from attaining our goals.

Your talents are your cores, your signature. Analyze them. What are you naturally good at, and what activities bring you joy?  Return to your hobbies and passions if you have abandoned them and think of ways to implement them into your work, if possible.  Identify your value proposition by showcasing your acquired skills and natural attributes.

Second, we work on our bodies.

"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde

Our body reacts immediately to stress-related situations, increasing the amount of cortisol. We might feel the tension in our muscles, a headache. Fever and chills may indicate a weakened immune system. Mental factors such as stress, internal conflict, and anxiety may cause a physical reaction.

Stay true to yourself and your values. This will help you to remain calm and composed in various difficult situations. Understand the level of your compromises. Follow your intuition by listening to your inner voice.

Acknowledge if something is off, either in your personal or professional life. Once the initial emotions lesson, discuss the issue with your partner, a family, or friends, tactfully, yet courageously.

A healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as self-development, might help us to battle our tension. Choose alternatives to sugar, replacing daily dose of sweets with fresh and dry fruits such as dates, figs, nuts, and magnesium-rich dark chocolate. Option for a low-carb diet and herbal teas. Exercise regularly. Select activities that are best for you, depending on your mood and body type. You might want to take meditation or yoga classes to calm, balance, and unify your system, or opt for cardio and strength training to release tension.

We cannot control the outside world; however, we can control our reactions to what is happening around us. We need to analyze our surroundings, accepting what is good and beneficial for our growth and development.

Detaching from what is around us, no matter what circumstances, gives the rest to our body and mind. Allocate "me" time to find inner peace and relaxation, staying away from daily noise and routine. 

Third, we change our look.

"If you're your authentic self, you have no competition." - Scott Stratten

Hear and speak from your heart. Being real, genuine, and authentic will instantly change your look, and your expression. Kindness will place a smile on your face. Happiness is natural to us. Boost your enthusiasm by appreciating little moments, nature's beauty, and small gestures. Glow with inner contentment, calm demeanor, and affection.

To underline our inner changes, we can then decide to refresh our wardrobe to align with our new path. We might want to consult a trusted stylist to help us choose the right colors and modern styles according to our body type and our new image. We might need to part with many outfits that no longer suit us and instead create a perfect capsule collection reflecting our rebranded personality. To conclude our transformation and add an extra spark, we might visit a hair salon to bring liveliness and an edge to our hairstyle.

A brand ambassador or accredited business consultant can design our website, the right fonts, and logo and advise us on presenting our new image in social media and business if we are a face, a direct representation of our venture.

Defining values

"Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are." - Malcolm Forbes

It is good to know what we like and want.  It is equally important to understand what we do not tolerate, cannot do, and are not fond of. Defining our boundaries gives us a structure and helps us to stay true to our principles.

From fashion to lifestyle, we hear how we suppose to look and live to be "it". We might pretend to be someone we are not. We might surround ourselves with items, which we do not need. We succumb to trends and standards, compromising our values and unique, individualistic approach.

The key is to acknowledge that each person represents a distinctive character, experiences, skills, and talents, and keep developing and mastering such qualities, creating a role and an image alignment with our self-representation.

To find a particular path, start with an open and honest look into your life, exploring the past, analyzing the presence, and then defining the future.

Own your life and your story

"The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique." - Walt Disney

You are number one. Love and respect yourself, your opinions, and your story. Your life is your unique journey. Not everyone will agree with you. There is no point in wasting time convincing others of your principles.  Instead, thoughtfully and politely accept the individuality and uniqueness of others, for them to return the same esteem to you.

Keep it real. Be proud of your profound rebranding changes, of creating a more meaningful relationship with yourself.  This will help you to form valuable connections with others as well, in personal and professional endeavors. Embrace your imperfections. These flaws helped you to rediscover yourself and initiate the process of creating your new persona.

Trust yourself and be honest with your choices. It is not about what others want or how they want you to be. Follow your vision remaining congruent and in harmony with yourself, your objectives, and your lifestyle.

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -  J.K. Rowling