RE: You're An Entrepreneur (...even if you're not...)
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Bro! 🤯
I actually saw this message on my phone and immediately went for my keyboard. Homeless?
Bro!
(yes... I said it again...)
I've been there...
I spent years on the streets with nothing but a guitar (lacking a few strings) and the clothes on my back and many a winter outside both in snow (not on the coast) and in rain (on the coast). I know the anger alienation and seclusion can cause in a person's heart all too well.
I know what it feels like to be judged harshly by people who don't even know you - just because you don't have $$. That's when all that "runnin' and gunnin'" I was talking about started.
I still remember singing this little thing I wrote walking down the road:
"Pavement, killin' my knees,
"The cigarette between my fingers, makin' me wheeze,"
"Wastin' all my time starin' at trees,"
"Takin' my time, takin' time - scrapin' off fleas..."
"Yea... Yea..."
"Gutters drainin' music to the beat of my feet,"
"Cars sailin' by but I'm unseen by the fleet,"
"They see my dirty hands and they don't wanna' greet,"
"Cause I'm the type a' mutha' @#$@a' that they don't wanna meet.."
"Yea... Yea..."
I feel it bro. Glad we both made it out!
Cheers!
I'm honored to have spurred you towards your keyboard.
Yeah, I was homeless for about 2.5 years on the cold (and sometimes sweltering) streets of Toronto. I wrote about it a bit more in my post From Homeless Jerk To Teacher Of Rebels and my post How I Solved My Homelessness With Piss-Poor Law Of Attraction Skills.
Interesting to meet someone else who's been there. I avoided most judgment because I managed to appear 'well-off' and 'dignified' using some tricks and relatively positive-vibes when interacting with others. I remember a few times homeless (?) people asked me for money and I inside I laughed thinking "You have more in your hat than I have total, sir"
Seems like your experiences at least sparked some musical and lyrical creativity. (I like this line - "Cars sailin' by but I'm unseen by the fleet,") Mine caused me to write this:
"There are those who touch our lives
Like miracles that help us thrive
They inspire greatness in our hearts
They get us writing, making art
They do these things with little praise
They ask no credit, make no waves
But their value's beyond measure
And you're included, you I treasure"
And yes, glad we both made it out indeed... and now I'm a 'brand' happy to trigger any 'money-is-evil' hippies I can, lol! 🙏
Haha! 😂
Maybe the next mindset shift is: "A Personal Brand Isn't A Brand. It's A Way Towards Clearer Self-Perception."
Because a brand ALWAYS starts with you (or whoever creates it). It doesn't start with the people who see it. And before we ever catch a glimpse of a new brand, there have been hours of careful thought and planning put into it.
Questions upon questions asked about oneself in the name of "defining" the brand.
The voice. The style. The tone. The colors. The avatar. The "motto". And the billion other ever-changing trends of traits that come and go - they're all "tools of perception" that help us more clearly define who we want to be.
So... ya... creating a brand is just a market-ey way of saying, "Defining who you are" or "Getting to know yourself better."
😁
Yep, I tend to see 'brand', for anything, more as the 'reputation', 'narrative' or 'collective perception' of the thing (whether a corporation, person, product, etc.)
People get triggered by the word 'brand', but everything has a reputation or perception by the collective.
And as you say, that perception has been shaped by many actions/choices (intentional or not) beforehand.
We're all defining 'who we are' at all times, consciously or not. 🙏