Yesterday I had a meeting with a corporation located in Charlotte.  Most of our clients are located around the world, so it’s not often we get to meet them face to face and I get to wear something other than my pajamas.

I started to get ready for the meeting and I hunted down my one pair of dress pants and I grabbed a pretty blouse. As I stood in the mirror, making sure everything looked as it should, I realized how uncomfortable I felt.

Not because the clothes didn’t fit, but because the person I saw in the mirror wasn’t me.

I was pretending to be someone else, someone who wore dress slacks and blouses. It wasn’t intentional, I wasn’t trying to be misleading or fake. But for some insane reason, I was equating “professional” with my attire, instead of my attitude…instead of the service we provide and the expertise, we bring to the table.

We talk a lot about brand messages with our clients, and here I was, being completely untrue to our own brand.

• We are not corporate.
• We are not an agency.
• We are not suits and ties and dress pants and blouses.
• And we love that we are none of those things.

So I tore off that ridiculous outfit and grabbed a nice pair of jeans and a shirt, along with my fluffy comfy clogs and I was all set. When I checked myself out in the mirror, I felt completely comfortable, confident, and professional.

I’m not saying you need to go out there in cutoffs and a wife beater – but be real. Don’t be afraid of who you are or try to fit into a mold of what you think something should be.

Have you ever caught yourself trying to be someone you think other people want you to be or expect you to be?

If so, STOP IT THAT SHIT NOW!

People will either love you or hate you and it’s far better to be hated for being who you are than be loved for someone you’re not. The latter is much too exhausting to maintain anyway.

No one else can be who you are, so take advantage of that.

It’s life lessons people, even in branding. Go figure.

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