The world has developed beyond our imaginations and things are just moving as fast as they can ever be. One of the things that have called for urgent reactions in this developed and developing world of ours is the issue on ‘PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT’.
The need to address the issue of personal development is important because it is an individual exercise which everyone should engage in. Personal development in an individual shows off growth and a move towards maturity. Personal development is inevitable in the life of an individual because it brings out the abilities of an individual and how they can combine them to produce something worthwhile. In personal development, an individual carries out or engages in activities that are meant for the good of the society. This is because many will be affected by the developed nature of an individual. One of the aspects of life that features personal development is ‘SELF BRANDING’.
For you to live amongst your mates and even surpass them you must adopt the concept of ‘self-branding’. According to Wikipedia, “self-branding is essentially an ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual, group or organization”. I see self-branding as presenting a represented image of ‘YOU’ to the world. I can present self- branding in another way as “packaging you”. It involves defining yourself. Your brand tells who you are, what stuff you are made of because the quality of your personal development relies on it.
Branding has a lot of things embedded in it and this is because it cuts across various aspects of life. According to the Holy Bible, “The Lord looks at the inward (heart) and man looks at the outward (physical)”. This quote from the Bible makes it clear that man judges a book by its cover, so at this juncture I’ll say that an aspect of branding is ‘DRESSING’.
Dressing is the easiest way to tell the kind of make- up an individual has and this is because it is part of the physical looks. I’ll say more on dressing because we are at a stage where there is need to talk about it.
There is a nursery rhyme that talks about standard living. The rhyme is mostly done with various children depicting the kind of career they wish for by the clothes they put on. Based on this rhyme I’ll like to say we should start dreaming big from now and we should not wait for the time to come before we know the kind of clothes to put on. A popular saying is, “the way you dress is the way you are addressed”. If you dress in a reputable manner you will be addressed with honor. Looking at the university, we have ample time to show the world what we are really made of. START DRESSING WELL TODAY, as it is a way of preparing for the future.
Another way of packaging yourself is by grooming your body well. Proper care of your body is essential to your brand. The way your hair looks, the way you take care of yourself generally matters. If there is anything you need to do to make yourself presentable, DO IT.
Other things that affect your self- brand include your attitude and communication. The way you address people matter a lot. Address people as if they were kings because you do not know where you will meet in the future. Do not see yourself as being unequal to others. Mind what people say about you because they see the picture of who you are. Have a positive attitude towards the success of others and be a part in the society’s development. Speak good grammar and learn more if you are not too good at it. Have a good attitude to yourself and others and be good at what you do.
Finally, self- branding is a continuous process that should not be stopped till its full aim is achieved. Start what you have to do because THE FUTURE IS NOW…
–JAY
