What it feels turning down $27,000
I just turned down $27,000 worth of business and it feels amazing.
Running your own business is stressful.
You don’t have the security of continuous income.
You don’t know what you will earn next month - if anything at all.
It’s daunting.
But it is your choice to use it as motivator or detractor.
I chose the later.
One of the reasons to run my own business is the freedom of choosing the people I want to be surrounded by as these are the ones I really can make an impact on.
Your Brand is the sum of everything YOU do, say and portrait but also the people you surround yourself with.
I quit a very well paid job because I felt like I’m selling my soul.
Coming to work felt a big burden and wore me down in the second I entered the building.
Even though the role seemed like the perfect fit, it was the people and their values that didn’t resonate with me.
So I decided to say NO and quit.
That’s when I realised that saying NO means saying YES to things and people that matter.
Saying NO also means standing your ground and making your value very clear to others.
It takes having guts and integrity.
This is also what helps you to make the biggest impact you possible can make on those who already share your values.
Wasting all your energy on those you have to convince means you don’t have anything left for those who will benefit from what you can offer.
This is exactly what Personal Branding is.
It is about making it easy for others to understand how you can make an impact on them through something special you can bring to their lives.
Personal Branding is not about building an ego.
It is also not for those who see spending money on themselves and their development is an expense rather than an investment.
Personal Branding is for those who realise they can make a genuine impact on others when they can communicate their value clearly.
So every time you have to make a decision - may it be to take on a new role or a client, ask yourself the question 'does it align with my values or if it is pure blood money?'.
Start today and make a conscious decision what you will say NO to today in order to say YES to something else!