Both in yoga practice and personal branding, there are Yamas (ethical guidelines according to Patanjali’s texts) that you should follow in differentiating, communicating, and promoting your personal brand to ensure it aligns with who you are and what truly drives you.
Especially remember, if you want a personal brand that endures over time and makes you feel comfortable and fulfilled, you will need to:
- Maintain COHERENCE between you and your brand and all its elements.
- Have well-defined VALUES representing your brand (maximum of 3).
- And above all, remember what Oscar Wilde said: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
1. Ahimsa
Non-violence: DO NO HARM, RESPECT IN YOUR COMMUNICATION.
Communicate kindly without aggression, and do not be aggressive with yourself either — in your speech or your content. Let yourself flow and be kind when communicating your brand to others and yourself.
No one likes to feel threatened or tense, so it’s essential that the tone you use is in harmony with you and your project. If you start generating communication in your brand where people learn things, I assure you that if they are interested, they will begin to listen to you more attentively, not wanting to miss anything you have to say, and eventually, they will be ready to consume your services or products.
2. Satya
Truthfulness: DO NOT LIE, IT’S NOT NECESSARY. JUST BE YOURSELF WITHOUT EMBELLISHMENTS.
Speak with sincerity and honesty; you don’t need to lie or promise things you’re not sure you can achieve even if others do and seem to be doing great.
It’s not just about making money, though of course we want to make money, but how? By doing something that truly fulfils us inside, with a brand that makes us want to get up every morning and give it our all without feeling tension because something is off and doesn’t make us feel 100% good. So don’t lie to yourself.
Find your true nature and stick to it. Be honest and align your words with your actions through deep self-knowledge and understanding of your brand.
So, you don’t need to lie to anyone, least of all to yourself. It’s important to invest time in getting to know yourself well so you can lead with that honesty that will make you feel great.
3. Asteya
Non-stealing: DON’T TRY TO BE SOMEONE YOU’RE NOT. YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IS YOU.
Appreciate who you are and what you have. Don’t try to compare yourself or be like someone else, no matter how amazing they are, because you’re not them.
You don’t need to be anyone other than yourself; you don’t need “x” things to start your project, and you don’t need to copy anyone. Trust that it will work out. Find your own voice. People seek authenticity in everything; they want to get to know you.
Once you’ve established your values and philosophy, if you’re going to work or collaborate with someone else, they should align with those values. This doesn’t mean you have to share the same values, but they shouldn’t clash. For example, if one of your values is veganism, working with a meat-based burger joint wouldn’t make much sense, would it? And don’t be afraid to say no because you’ll be saying yes to yourself.
Above all, consistency. You don’t need to please everyone because it’s impossible, and you’ll wear yourself out. That’s why it’s important, besides having your values and philosophy clear, to define a specific market niche to focus your efforts and content on something, or better yet, someone more concrete.
Sometimes we want to reach everyone and don’t specify, and what happens when we do this is that people perceive us as generalists, and we don’t stick in their minds as solvers of a specific problem.
Feel like you’re closing yourself off? Not at all, you’re specifying, being more specific. And what happens when you specify? You gain confidence, generating more interest in your services and, therefore, more sales opportunities.
Brahmacharya is about finding balance. In personal branding, this means not overwhelming your audience with too much content or information. Find a rhythm that works for you and your followers. Quality over quantity should be your mantra, ensuring that each interaction adds value and maintains interest.
4. Brahmacharya
Moderation: AVOID UNNECESSARY ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN SALES.
Don’t force any sale. Don’t try to push someone who’s not yet convinced to buy from you. No one likes the feeling of being sold to.
The trick here is to sell without selling. Let the person who regularly consumes your communication convince themselves that they want to use your services.
How? By providing lots of valuable free content. Communicate valuable content consistently on your communication channels, whether on social media, your blog, or wherever you usually communicate — that’s where your audience should be.
And then don’t I sell? Of course, you do. This type of communication must be strategic with the intention to entertain, inspire, or educate; everything else is not strategic and distracts. If you’re consistent with your posts, regularly showing your face and communicating strategically, sales will come, but keep in mind that each person needs different amounts of time to decide to use your services. So keep calm.
5. Aparigraha
Non-possessiveness: DON’T HOARD, LEARN TO DETACH FROM THINGS, AS NOTHING IS STATIC, NEITHER YOUR PERSONAL BRAND NOR YOU.
Life isn’t static, and neither is your brand. So don’t worry too much because your brand won’t be static either. It will change with you, evolve, and accompany you on your journey.
Don’t wait to have everything perfect to get started talking to your community, because between you and me, you’ll never get started because it will never be perfect. Just start, and you’ll pivot as you go.
Important here, if you’re selling many things, narrow down what you sell into three related concepts.
Why three? Because three are the elements that the brain usually remembers. And I’m not making this up; neuroscience says so, so we should listen, don’t you think?
It’s important to learn to let go of everything else and make sure these three concepts you choose are well-connected with you, your values, who you are, and how you want your brand project to be.
Developing a solid personal brand is essential if you want your project to take off and sustain itself. For this, you need to delve into yourself and align your project with who you truly are. And if you have any questions about this, write to me HERE, and I will be happy to answer.
