Quotes to inspire you to discover–then deliver on–your personal brand
By nature, we are all aspirational. We want to make a difference in a world. We want to have profound impact and leave a lasting, positive legacy. What we want to do speaks to our personal brand.
Quotes from role models and leaders can be helpful in inspiring us to discover what lights us up so we can reach our fullest potential.
Consider this quote from Howard Thurman, author, philosopher, theologian and educator:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.”
Thurman’s quote calls people to figure out their personal brands—what makes them unique—and then come alive to deliver. The time-proven ETA™ process helps us as executive leaders to not only “excavate” our brands, but shows us how to talk about our brands with conviction. When we feel our brands in our bones, we transform ourselves and our organizations.
Here are more inspirational quotes for each step of the three-step process.
Step 1: Excavate Your Personal Brand
We already have all the answers about who we are and what we are meant to do; sometimes we just need to dig them up. Maybe the words of women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton will inspire you to take the first step in the ETA process, “excavate.”
“Nature never repeats itself. The possibility of one human soul will never be found in another.”
In keeping with this, the famous writer Ralph Waldo Emerson encouraged:
“Listen to your inward voice and bravely obey that.”
When you undertake the ETA process, you’ll dig into who you are and what makes you stand out.
Step 2: Tell Your Personal Brand
Can you carry the conversation when someone asks you what you stand for? What if they ask you about it again the next day? Can you continue to tell your compelling brand story, clearly and concisely? It’s not enough to excavate your unique brand. To have full impact, you also need to be able to talk about it. As the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said:
“Knowing yourself is true wisdom.”
The ETA process will help you know your purpose and talk about it with conviction.
Step 3: Affirm Your Personal Brand
After you discover your personal brand and as you’re learning how to articulate it, the ETA process helps you to “own” it, with quiet confidence. This is done by capturing affirmations spoken in your own voice, typically “I” statements as “I am often sought out for …” and “I lose all sense of time when I ….”
The great, non-violent Indian leader Ghandi said:
“A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
What’s the one quote, mantra or key phrase that stirs your soul? It speaks volumes about your personal brand.
If you are inspired by the quotes in this article or if you are doing some soul-searching on how to excel in your career, please sign up for the Revealing Genius e-newsletter. If you are looking to powerfully articulate your expertise and your “why” to fulfill what you desire most professionally, please join me for a complimentary 45-minute webinar to learn more about the ETA process.
