We often hear about the importance of showcasing our strength and accomplishment while building our personal brand but what about our mistake? What about the times when we failed, the times we wanted to give up or give in, Why don’t we share these moments as well?
The truth is most mistakes can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even painful, but they are also an integral part of life. We all make mistakes, in our businesses, careers and personal lives, and while they can be difficult to navigate, they can also present opportunities for growth for us and inspiration for others.
Contrary to what some people think, sharing your mistakes and past failures actually shows how strong you are. They show what you’ve been through and make your journey a source of motivation to everyone going through a rough patch. With your failures, people can easily connect with your brand and this makes you relatable which is the spice of every brand that desires to stand out.
Before you go sharing your mistakes, there are a couple of things you must know to protect yourself, inspire your audience and attract your desired opportunities.
They are:
Embrace Your Mistake
The first step in leveraging mistakes for your personal brand is to embrace them. Don’t beat yourself up about them but recognize that they are a natural part of the learning process and that they can be a source of valuable lessons. Believe that they are only in your past to push you forward. Accept them and embrace them by doing this, you demonstrate vulnerability and authenticity, which can help to build trust and connection with your audience.
Acknowledge The Lessons
The second step is to learn from your mistakes. This involves reflecting on what went wrong, what you could have done differently, and what you can do to prevent similar mistakes in the future. If they are mistakes in your business or career, recognize the cost of it and adopt a growth mindset approach to see how you can turn them into opportunities for improvement, which can help to build your brand as a resilient professional or entrepreneur who learns from the past and moves on.
Share The Lessons Not The Mistake
When you do the first two, this part becomes easier but must be done focusing on the outcome of your failure and not the failure itself.
Create content around the lessons you learned from that mistake or failure and how you are applying these lessons. If the application of these lessons have led to a win, use that to your advantage. This way you are not talking from a place of pity but of strength. You are using that mistake of yours to prevent others from making it, inspire people who have made it and teach them how to push through after making it.
The goal is to brand yourself based on what you learned from the failure – not the failure itself.
While sharing this you should focus on:
- The investment you made (You can keep this as vague as possible)
- What made you realize your business wasn’t ready for it
- The lessons you learnt as a result
- How your business recovered
- How you knew your business was finally ready for the investment
- Your progress so far
- What this means for your business
This way, you are:
- Being human and building an emotional connection with your audience through your mistakes
- Inspiring other entrepreneurs and teaching them from your failure
- Inspiring other people who may not be entrepreneurs but can learn from your failure
- Showcasing your expertise through your progress
- Promoting your business and positioning it for opportunities
Most importantly, it is coming from a place of strength and you don’t feel bad about your mistakes anymore because you’ve learnt from it and are now leveraging it to attract opportunities and connect with your audience. You are flipping the coin on failure and taking advantage of it.
In a world where perfection is often expected and mistakes are viewed as failures, it can be difficult to imagine how making mistakes can actually be a good thing. But with this article I have shown you that it is possible. I have shown you that by leveraging the power of personal branding, you can turn your failures to opportunities.
About the Author
Blessing Okebe is the game-changer for experienced professionals and entrepreneurs who want to stand out in crowded markets, attract high-level opportunities, and make a lasting impact. She does this by helping them amplify their work and voices while building thought leadership in their respective fields. Reach her via okebeblessingifegwu@gmail.
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