Want a More Peaceful Life Filled With Meaning? Try Building a Personal Brand
The Medium Writer’s Journey to $100 dollars on Medium #1
A lot of people are confused about one thing.
They don’t know whether the creator economy is sustainable in the long term.
And I’ve had my doubts as well.
But after actively taking part in it, I’ve realized:
- Why everyone should build a personal brand
- How to go about shaping it.
- What can you expect to gain? (=What’s in it for you)
- How hard is it to start one (Time, Money, Work)?
- How I’m building mine.
Let’s get right into it.
You will forever remain invisible
Unless you force something to happen.
And make yourself seen using the internet. But you can’t do that without a strategy, or a plan. Therefore a personal brand is the solution. But how exactly?
Do you just post random stuff? Do you have to sell something? Is a “niche” needed?
We’ve all had these questions…
Me included. And after a lot of research, I now know:
To shape your brand is to shape yourself
You grow as you learn.
You learn as you do.
You pick one meaningful project on which everything else will rely.
And any information you gain will be used to fuel the fire of that project. You will fail, yes, but those failures will add up into eventually a finished piece. Something that you are proud of.
That’s why you should:
- Pick a problem to solve for yourself
- Learn and educate yourself on what it takes to solve it.
- Build something of your own documenting everything along the way.
- Everything you learned will be filtered through the lens of building that project.
For example…
I’m building my first product.
From now on everything I read is noted down, taken into consideration.
And each time I write I pull from that pool of data.
I document everything here. And stack my skills along the way.
What you see here, are exactly my thoughts and the actions I take to achieve a certain goal.
It’s a deeper look into my mind. It’s personal.
So no, you don’t have to sell stuff. But you do have to build stuff that you would buy.
The stuff you post is supposed to help people who were once you (one step behind) achieve what you couldn’t on your own and without learning.
Don’t just post random stuff.
The niche is you.
You build something you love.
Something you truly care about.
But how do you discover your interests?
- Pick a goal
- Establish a set of tasks needed for that goal
- If it feels bad not doing those, then that’s an interest.
Now, let’s talk about what you gain.
So besides:
- more insights into your own persona
- an ever-lasting self-projected online that will last forever through the content you create
- a project you’ve built that you can eventually sell to people who were you (automatically that means that if you can sell to yourself, you can sell to them)
I have nothing else to offer but this.
It might not be much.
But it’s a lifelong goal for me which makes me get out of bed in the morning (sometimes earlier, sometimes later)
It’s something you’ll end up enjoying.
Creating content, writing, creating videos…
Being a creative is just second nature to humans.
You have to be tough as nails
So how hard is it exactly?
It’s harder than it looks, that’s for sure.
You have to go through 1000 phases of failures before you realize exactly what you need to do. What activities move the lever forward.
But don’t worry.
That’s why I’m writing this series.
To help you build your own personal brand on Medium. But the truth is.
The principles I talk about can be applied to any social media.
At the end of the day, if you are a creator…you compete for other people’s attention.
It’s hard to get someone to notice you unless:
- You talk about something that interests them
- You are consistent in trying to talk to them
- You have the leverage of having talked to enough people (so more people know you, you know how to help them, etc…)
The point is to be a social butterfly.
But still though as nails.
Don’t compromise your beliefs for fame or money. Stay true to yourself. And act truthful. Or else people will see right through you.
I’ve started this because
Because the idea of being forgotten ruins me from the inside.
I want my story to be heard, I want to be appreciated.
But I don’t want it just for myself.
My “selfish” reason is to help those around me live a better life.
And I can’t do that unless I create something of my own.
- More time spent building a brand => Less time in the future worrying about where your next meal is going to come from.
- More work put into it now => Less worries for me, my family, my friend…
- More time put into it will save me a lot of headaches. Because I can’t stand the idea of building someone else's dream.
I want to live on my own.
And I KNOW you want this as well.
Conclusion
- Everyone has a story to tell. It’s human to want to form deeper connections with people. Find your own tribe.
- You can start it right away by picking a project to build. Learn the skills to make it come true. Share your journey along the way by documenting how YOU got results for yourself.
- The only thing you’ll truly care about is something of your own.
- It WILL take time, a strong work ethic, and some money to invest in your education. There’s no question about that.
- But at the end of the day, you’ll feel more fulfilled with your achievements and so will the people around you.
Thanks for reading!
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