how to actually build a personal brand

Here we are, back at it.

I’m not sure where to begin this journal entry of mine so I’m just going to be typing off the dome.

As I mentioned in last week’s journal, I’m reading an amazing book called “Steal Like An Artist”.

The book places a big emphasis on creativity.

Explaining ways to enhance your creativity and express yourself.

Through various art forms such as music, writing, painting, etc.

One of the key suggestions in the book for creativity that stuck out to me was when he advised us to minimize screen time.

More specifically, minimize the time you spend thinking and generating ideas from your keyboard.

He recommends prioritizing writing on paper and having something physical to show for.

And it made me think about how most of our world today is stuck in this non-creative state due to the lack of creative juices flowing through us.

Entrepreneurs are especially guilty of this.

Typing in front of your keyboard all day without tapping into a creative, flow-like state.

I find that there are not enough storytellers in this generation.

There is this notion circulating social media that to become successful, you have to do what other people are doing.

You have to follow the trends.

You have to provide value to the marketplace.

You have to be mentored by the right people.

These are all true statements but within these truths, we often lose a part of ourselves in the pursuit of the end goal.

We lose our authentic touch.

We build a business, we make an impact yet we forget to leave our personal stamp.

The book “Steal Like An Artist” reinforces this notion of copying what others are doing and stealing ideas.

But there’s one key difference between that book and what social media gurus tell you.

It’s that you are unique as it is.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

You already are a wheel, in itself.

You simply just have to share your unique perspectives, and gather ideas, and incredibly, your creation will be your masterpiece.

It’ll become your piece of art without needing to have a patent.

That’s how powerful a true, authentic personal brand is.

At the end of the day, there are far too many people in the same box.

Not enough entrepreneurs are bold enough to step into their own box and embrace it.

Everywhere online, I see another “how to scale to 10k a month” kind of guy.

It’s as if the internet copied and pasted these guys all around us and has infected our social media feeds.

I’m tired of it and I’m sure you are as well.

These last months have been quite a wake-up call for me.

I had a goal to move to Miami by the end of the year but that destination quickly changed.

Why? Because living in Miami and doing what everybody else is doing feels inauthentic to me.

I want to travel. I want to be more cultured. Learn new languages (learning Spanish atm). Meet new people. Go on more adventures.

And overall, I want to stand out from the crowd.

So if you got anything out of this entry and me rambling for the last little bit, it’s to build a REAL personal brand.

How to do that?

No, don’t simply post content for the sake of getting more followers.

Horrible advice.

You need to have the intention behind the image you would like to portray online.

The first steps:

Get to know yourself better: journal, try out new hobbies, meditate, etc.

Become more interesting: read, travel, go on spontaneous adventures, etc.

Talk to more people: cold approach people, film content with others, etc.

I don’t consume much content but there are a few key guys I’ve been watching recently in which I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration.

For the most part, they are doing something along the lines of what I’ll be doing shortly (with my personal touch & unique style, of course)

Here’s each of their recent YT videos, both bangers:

All I gotta say is that I’ve never felt more inspired lately.

It’s truly one hell of a feeling and I hope you can feel the same way.

Weekly reminder: focus on things that fill your cup, you can’t pour from an empty cup :)

Have a great week.

Much luv,

Jared