Conduct a personal audit to determine your values and vision, your future goals and strengths for you and your company.
Defining who you are aligns with your deepest passions. A clue to discovering the feeling or emotion of who you are, is to identify where you are and what you are doing that makes you truly happy.
Look at your skills set - are you doing what you're good at? It's great to stretch yourself outside your comfort zone and learn new skills. But to be truly in alignment with your self-brand you need to project confidence and excitement in the work you do. And yes, you can learn those skills and gain confidence.
At the end of the day, if you're passionate about what you're doing and have the right attitude, that will shine through. Most employers believe that people can learn skills for the job but having the right attitude and mind-set about your work is something that cannot be taught.
Does your job align with your personality? Do you prefer to be mixing with lots of people each day or would you be more suited to the solitary work of a writer - enjoying your own company?
What sets you apart from the crowd, what is your unique "shining" point? What achievements and accomplishments, dreams or desires reveal the emotional, inner side of you?
What do people say about you, how do they perceive you? Pay attention to how others describe you when they introduce you and how they treat you. Are you described as fun loving, compassionate, professional or creative? Do these descriptions align with your values and what you stand for? What other personality traits do you have?
Personal manner plays a part in how others perceive you. Be aware of plus and minus personality characteristics such as self-confidence level, your way of talking, manners and social skills.
Take a look at some of the outside factors that represent your personal brand, such as the company you work for or the company you keep. Who are your friends, alliances and partners? What networking groups do you belong to?
It pays to look closely at all of these elements and make a long list of all your skills, passions, personality traits and outside perceptions. From these words, you can begin to write a personal branding statement that truly reflects you and your unique brand.
You also need to look at your target market, audience, clients or desired customers and see where your perfect "fit" is. The people you work with and your chosen industry all impact on your personal brand.
For example - Now that you've narrowed down your skills and passions, are they in tune with creative, artistic people? Perhaps the high finance world is more akin to your personal brand. The people you work and network with will greatly impact on how you feel about your working world.
Time to narrow your summary down into one sentence:
Spend some time writing and rewriting this sentence until it is succinct and truly resonates with you and how you feel.
Read the article "Reveal Your Brand"
Read the article "Brand Visibility"