Spread your uniqueness like confetti
“Carnival learns us something about personal branding."

Carnival parade in my city. Not the biggest carnival lover to be honest (except for the Notting Hill Carnival, which I adored), but, you know, your daughter loves it so… you attend. When I hear the word carnival, I inevitably make numerous associations in my head: merrymaking, parades, mask-wearing, vibrantly colored costumes, celebrations and other parts of a circus-like atmosphere.

Carnival enjoys a reputation for gathering, singing, drinking, dancing and taking in the parades and floats. That’s the tourist’s interpretation in any case. If you are a personal brander like me, you may have a different appreciation for these festivities. The link with personal branding is easily made…

• Carnival celebrations are meant to be an expression of freedom. People set aside all possible limiting beliefs to be entirely themselves and throw themselves into party mode. They don’t care about ‘what is expected’ from them. The costumes are only limited by their imagination (or maybe still a sense of modesty). With their masks and designs they want to leave a long-lasting impression.
  
  How would that feel for you? Not just for one day, but to be your authentic self over and over again, to express yourself in a way that feels natural to you and to leave your fingerprint behind. Knowing who you are and what your personality is, and then spreading your uniqueness like confetti. 
  
  
• The majority of the floats are extremely colorful, original and bursting with character. Some of them really have the wow factor, others don’t. Each group of masqueraders competes to win the prize for the most beautiful float. The judges probably won’t look in first instance at which float is ‘better’ from a technical point of view than the other. They will mainly look at which float is really ‘different’ and catches the eye.
  
  You don’t want to be passed by. You want to be noticed and remembered. To do so, you have to be different. And there is nothing more unique about you than your own personality. No one can copy that. So you better embrace that and run your business or do your job accordingly. Let’s use the bells and whistles that match perfectly with your personality. 
  
  
• Indeed, you don’t want to be a float that just passes by and the spectators are just in for the throws. During the parade you expect to be bombarded by small items that the masqueraders toss into the crowd. But some throw cheap items, others really have a nice goodie.
  
  Within personal branding, it is important that you show your expertise. One way to do that is by offering value for free, just so people get to know you and your distinct value better. Of course, you don’t want to attract people who are only in for the free stuff. You should also have some personal stopping power. You might want to combine your remarkable 'costume' with a throw that stands out from the crowd…
  
  
• And then there is the naming of the different groups of masqueraders. Just hilarious, but also from time to time very inventive. Focus can be on their region (De Zichemse tonnekes), on their sense of belonging (‘t Kliekske), on their drinking skills (De kromme elleboog), on their friendship (De vrolijke vrienden) or on their need for parties (De feestknallers). (Just to give you some examples of groups I saw passing by during the parade in our city.)
  
  It is not only about knowing your distinct value, but also about capturing it in the right words. Once my clients have a deep understanding of who they are and what makes them unique, we always put in words how they fascinate people and we create a personality tagline. Once those words are known, we have a real ‘confetti moment’. 

Carnival asks for a long preparation before the party planning culminates into a dazzling parade. Personal branding doesn’t just happen overnight either. But the good news is, I also have some FREE carnival throws for you. You can discover them HERE.

In any case, let’s cue the confetti and celebrate ourselves! Alaaf!

If you are triggered and want to know how the world sees you, how you fascinate people, what is your distinct value and how all of this can be captured in hand-picked words, I can help you. You can book a FREE discovery call with me or have a look at my Your Personal Brand kickstart with Fascinate® program.