So old you can count my age in zeros and ones.

So old you can count my age in zeros and ones.

I was having a pleasant conversation with an old friend I haven't seen in entirely too long and the whole idea of "personal branding" came up. I mentioned that I didn't give it much thought when it came to me, but I did notice the efforts of other. He said, "You've been around for so long in this space your brand is already fully built, so why would you even think about it anymore?"

And he was right, to a point. My brand was built long ago. One plus of being visibly active online for the last 15 years is that a lot of the heavy lifting was done long ago and i was allowed to develop who I am in my own time. And I am extremely thankful for that.

At the same time I do not just blunder blindly along thinking that everything i do is valid because it adds to my "personal brand." I am neither a fool nor do I think THAT highly* of myself. So maybe it wasn't wholly truthful to say I don't give my own "personal brand" that much thought. It would be more precise to say that I give it so much thought that it's just become another reflex, something I do as naturally as breathing. This may be one reason why in those first few awkward moments I meet folks face-to-face in real, breathing life, people are usually somewhat surprised to see I am almost exactly as they expected me to be.

Well, maybe not exactly. Some folks are surprised I'm taller than they would have thought.

And handsome to boot.**

So how about you?

*Take a couple deep breaths. It's true. I have my humble moments.
**Couldn't resist. The humility was wearing on my frame.