Who Do You Think You Are, Anyway?
Howdy, Bubba! Hey, if you're new around these parts, I just want to say how much I appreciate you dropping by! Oh, and you may want to subscribe to my feed. Thanks, and a tip o' the hat to ya!
When folks see you, are they seeing the personal brand you want them to? In this day of blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, there’s practically no limits to the ways we can sortof present ourselves to the world.
But what will folks conclude about you by simply observing you for a few minutes? (And make no mistake about it; right or wrong, conclusions are being drawn!)
Now that’s a question worth considering, don’cha think?
Where’s the Fashion Police When You Need Them?
Back when I was still single, I had a roommate who considered himself something of a musician. (Strangely enough, for the 9 months or so he lived with me, he never played a note. But I digress.)
One of the most memorable things about him was his – to me, anyway – atrocious choice in clothing. I’m tellin’ ya; I lost track of the times he wore the gaudiest stuff imaginable without even batting an eye. Every time he came out of his room it was like, Augh! My eyes! My eyes!
Yeah, I know what you’re probably thinkin’. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Y’know; I remember hearing that somewhere. And I will admit to the fact that I was not really all that qualified to judge what constituted reasonably fashionable clothing. At the time I was, er, far from being a snappy dresser myself – at least until I met Mrs. MZM. But still, shouldn’t there be limits?
One day he came out wearing this absolutely hideous green and yellow plaid jacket. Now, to me it looked like something you might have found in the trash can out back of Bubba’s Discount Barn. But to him, it was a fashion statement.
Needless to say, we got into a big discussion about clothing.
“We’re Musicians”
“It’s because I’m a musician,” he finally told me. “The fact is, musicians have a thing about unusual clothes.”
OK; I could buy that. I had to agree that most bands had their own “look”, and that usually included, um, unusual choices in attire, hair styles, and automobiles – among other things. But still, this was about stuff you wore every day, not something you’d wear on stage.
He then told me this story.
Once, while in a used clothing store looking for something for himself [probably something with a high neon quotient - Ed.], he noticed three young men gathered around a rack of men’s jackets. They were intensely pulling out and evaluating anything that could best be described as garish, extravagant, and outrageous.
This went on for about twenty minutes. Finally he went over and said, “Hey, I bet you guys are musicians!”
They looked at him in astonishment.
“Oh, wow, man; how’d you know?” one of them asked.
Back To You
The question, then, is this: when folks look at you, are they seein’ what you think they’re seein’? See, when people read the blogs, view the tweets, scan the social media sites, or whatever it is you’re puttin’ out there, then Bubba, you’d better believe that in their minds, they’re building an image of just who they think you are.
Are they getting mixed messages?
So have you ever come to the realization that the message you thought you were sending out, well, wasn’t what you thought? How did you resolve it? Or have you?
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13 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
Nice post Robert, and great picture! Did you come up with the caption yourself?
It’s an interesting question too. Hard to know what the answer is though, because it’s impossible to see ourselves as others see us.
(Robert Burns said something similar:
“Oh wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel’s as others see us! It wad frae monie a blunder free us, And foolish notion”)
I try to present a fairly coherent picture of myself online, mainly by staying true to my values. But I suspect I paint a different picture on Twitter than I do on my blog because I’m more chatty and at times flippant too.
Joanna
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Never Give Up: Interview with Lillie Ammann
Oh, I don’t know, Joanna. A good relationship with honest friends can give us a fair amount of feedback. It’s probably the best we’ll get, though.
Personally, I think your Twitters actually complement who you are from your blog. It gives us a more complete picture, not a different one. I see no contradictions.
I tend to be much more
insaneflippant on Twitter too. I think it’s probably the spontaneous nature of the medium…Robert, your post and questions made me stop and really think – what message am I sending? In the days before social media, I could have answered that question in the blink of an eye but now I have to think – if someone followed my tweets, posts, comments to post, facebook posts, LinkedIn answers, discussions, status updates and forum messages (good golly that’s way too much) – who do they think I am? Am I demonstrating my values and character consistently? Have stray words typed from a stressed, tired mind contributed to a false or faulty image? Hmmm…well gee Robert, you have made me think very hard. One might say that’s a miracle.
I love the picture by the way and the post was inspired!
Karen Swims last blog post..How Comfortable Are Your Customers?
Robert,
Love the picture and love the post.
Lillie Ammanns last blog post..What I Learned from Government
@Karen – Sorry; didn’t mean to cause a brain strain or anything. But you make a good point. It’s the ol’ saying all over again: You can have a thousand attaboys, but all it takes is one single “uh-oh” to bring it all crashing down. And in these days of transparency – and permanency – it’s important that we be even more diligent in managing our reputations.
No if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go look for a jacket like these…
@Lillie – Thanks, Lillie; aren’t those jackets a scream?
I don’t worry about the message I’m sending. I write about things I care about and hope it will resonate with someone else besides me. If not, it’s still not wasted. I agree with Brenda Ueland:
“… at last I understood that writing was this: an impulse to share with other people a feeling or truth that I myself had. Not to preach to them, but to give it to them if they cared to hear it. If they did not—fine. That was all right too.”
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monks last blog post..What I Learned From Plato’s Republic
Boy that picture takes me back to the 70’s and early 80’s. It takes me back to Florida today too
Love your blog. Keep the good work coming.
Melinda Slades last blog post..Picked up a house cheap
Honestly, Robert. Most of my friends said that I’m a talkative and also a “walking encyclopedia!”
By the way, this post’s title reminding me of the Spice Girls’ song, “Who Do You Think You Are?”…Love the old day!
@Jean – I agree with you to a certain extent, Jean; the art of being ourselves is never out of style. But still, sometimes the opinion of others should count for something, don’t you think? Reputations are important, and none of us, after all, is an island.
@Melinda – Thanks for dropping by the Zone!
@Wilson – A “walking encyclopedia, eh? Hey, maybe you should try out for a spot on the “Jeopardy” game show!
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