How's Your Vision?

“A College Admittance Application”

How’s Your Vision?

Most of what it takes to complete a college application on-line is time.  The time I’ve spent doing it has been time well spent; since it’s been with my daughter.  The other day she pulled out her computer and we sat down to answer a few questions together.

The questions we were answering were easy and we breezed along until we hit one question in particular. “What will you have accomplished within the next five years?”

“Why do they always ask such stupid questions?” my daughter asked.

My thoughts went back to interviews I’ve seen with small children.  Most of them don’t hesitate with an answer to a similar question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Their answers flow freely and confidently; a cowboy, a teacher, astronaut, doctor, firefighter, lawyer.

“I don’t have any idea!”

“Yes you do.” I replied.  “You’ve told me over and over again.  Would you like me to tell you what you told me?”

“Yes.”

I spent a few minutes listing the things she had told me in the past.  They were exciting and challenging things.  They were the things she has been spending the last few years working toward.

“I haven’t thought about those things for a long time!”  She said.

We spent the next few minutes writing, thinking about and crafting the vision of her future to complete her application.  It was a good exercise for us to go through.  We talked about the fact that this vision was the basis for her success in college and for her life as well.  It caused me to think about my own life and experience.

We were sitting in our house.  It is the house this girl has lived in virtually her whole life.  We have a photo of her standing in this same house, the winter it was under construction, in her snow suit with bare feet.  She has a huge grin on her face and when I look at the photo today I can still feel her exuberance.

“Had I not created a plan for this house, thought about it, worked to build it, would we be sitting in it right now?  The chances would be too small to even comprehend.  So is the future of my life any different?”

I’ve noticed that as I get older, my eyes don’t quite work as well as they used to.  Now I wish that was the only part of my vision that has been deteriorating!  Good thing I just finished a vision correction session with my daughter!

I’m going to spend some time making application for my future over the next couple of weeks.  It will take some time to create a plan, think it through and work to build it.  I’m sure it will turn out to be as comfortable and customized as the house I live in is. 

The truth is that we all live in our custom lives.  Is your life the way you want it to be, or do you need to begin a new set of plans?

 

Does Your Brand Have Value?

“Branding is some form of connecting.”
-Mark W. Hurst

Does Your Brand Have Value in Your Market Place?

Cattle trotting on a dirt road in the heat of the day are not something I’m used to seeing anymore. But, that wasn’t always the case. I have visions of dust bellowing up and swirling around brown and white cows as they march through my memories. Perhaps the strangest thing about this haunting is my still clear view of their hot, panting faces.

These cows had just been branded and dehorned so they had blood streaming down the sides of their cheeks. This accentuated the anguished look they threw my way as they passed. It was a scene fairly common to me at the time, but it always had a huge impact on me. I remember asking my parents why the cattle looked that way and why the local ranchers did it to them.
Branding, they told me, was necessary. It was the way a rancher marked his property. These cattle were now advertising to the world who owned them and what ranch they belonged to. It was a way of telling everyone who they were and what their purpose was.

Their horns were a different story altogether. My parents told me that the horns were removed so the cows wouldn’t hurt each other when they were in holding pens or being shipped somewhere on a truck. It was all very logical and business like. But it was never that way for me. Perhaps that’s why I never got into the cattle business. I just couldn’t live all those faces trotting around in my head.

So, at a tender age, I stayed in the soda bottle business. I’d spend all day walking the ditches looking for discarded bottles. They were easy to gather up and return to the small store in town in exchange for coins I could use to purchase candy and other bottles filled with refreshing, cold bubbling drinks. I didn’t understand it then but these bottles were branded as well.

All of these memories came roaring back to me this week as I listened to Mark Hurst make a presentation about branding. I really hadn’t thought how much branding had been such a big part of my life until I sat there listening and pondering.

“I wonder what my personal brand is telling everyone around me.” I thought to myself. I don’t have a burn mark on my skin telling people where I’m from and where my life is centered. But I do consume products. I drink branded beverages. I wear branded clothing. I drive branded cars. I eat branded food.

All of these things communicate something about me. The people selling these brands have taken the time get to know people like me. They know what I do with my life and they’ve created a pretty good connection with me.

For example, I can always tell you what Mountain Dew is going to taste like. I can describe what the label looks like. Each “Dew” holds a promise that must be delivered with each sip. It tells me that I can always count on receiving a consistent product. It tells me what kind of quality to expect.

Now I have to wonder if I deliver the same quality of product to the world. Do the people I live and work with know exactly what they’ll get from me? Have they come to know what kind of grooming I’ll do? Do they know they can trust me to give them my best effort every day? Do they feel good enough about me to invite me into their office or their home?

Take a while to really think about yourself as a major global brand. What kind of people would you want to take you home with them? What kinds of activities would you like to be invited to participate in? If someone was to put you on display in their home what room would they place you in? How much money would people be willing to pay for you? Would others want you as part of their life?

When people speak your name, I hope they do so with loving thoughts. I hope they think kind thoughts about you. I hope they want to introduce you to everyone they know.

You can create your own brand! Do your market research and determine who you want your customer to be (who you want to live your life with). Make sure you’re able to tell your story to them through your words and actions. Put yourself in a position to have great conversations with your customers (Family, friends, co-workers). Really connect with them on a deep level.

The truth is that your personal brand is all you have. Make sure it’s a great one!

P.S. Monday’s Warm Cocoa is now easier than ever to give to others. Ask your friends to go to http://www.mondayswarmcocoa.com/ so they can enjoy what you’ve been enjoying.