Why a brand built on being yourself is both easy and hard
So I was watching the new George Clooney movie this week – Jay Kelly – about a famous movie star who reflects back on his life, gains new self-awareness, and struggles to detach himself from his actor self identity.
George Clooney in Jay Kelly. Credit: Peter Mountain/Netflix
The movie opens with this quote by Sylvia Plath:
“It’s a hell of a responsibility to be yourself. It’s much easier to be somebody else, or nobody at all.”
Do you think that’s true?
I guess I can see it both ways.
On the one hand, it’s exhausting to be something you’re not, put on a mask, and pretend.
On the other hand, it can feel easier to ‘play the part’ rather than ‘rock the boat’ and potentially upset people.
And it can feel easier to numb yourself than to face yourself, as George did when he revisited his past and came face-to-face with uncomfortable realities.
In business, we get attracted to the template, formula or script that someone claims “is proven to work” or we might even copy a competitor vs. taking on the risk and time involved to:
clarify our own thoughts
express our own ideas
and formulate our own strategies.
Why? Because we naturally crave Safety. Security. Belonging. An easy shortcut.
The problem is, it’s not helping us stand out in the sea of coaches, in the sea of sameness.
That said, being fully YOU is also a hell of a responsibility. A burden. Because authentic self expression takes courage.
Listen to these 2 powerful questions asked by Alok Vaid-Menon.
Beyond courage, this kind of authenticity requires deep introspection, vulnerability, letting go of perfection and embracing all the multi-faceted and messy parts of ourselves, instead of smoothing them into something palatable.
But ultimately, when you craft a business and brand from THIS place – it’s incredibly liberating. Because there’s no need to perform, pretend, or act. Your brand becomes a living, breathing extension of who you are.
This is the cornerstone of the work I do with clients in THE BRAND RESET.
