This past Tuesday I had the honor of delivering a keynote on personal branding at the VA-1 Tourism Summit, followed by a breakout session to help members turn the inspiration into action.
What struck me is that after each talk, an audience member asked me for advice on how to forge a strong personal brand when what they really wanted to do was something other than what they were now doing.
Common Theme
In one instance, a woman had a day job that she enjoyed, but it was her part-time job that she really loved. She said, “Someday I want to do that full-time!”
Then a man shared that his real passion was a side business he started with a partner some years ago. But between his career, his family, and “life,” he had never really given it the attention required to get it off the ground. He said “someday” he really wanted to see if he could make it work.
Now the gentleman who spoke before me has a different story. He spent 20 years in the convention and tourism industry before switching gears to follow his passion and focus full-time on big data in a marketing agency.
You’ve Got To Start Somewhere
It’s a similar story for Katherine O’Donnell, the woman who kindly recommended me. She completely re-invented herself just like I did. In 2012, after a decade in marketing, she applied her talent to pioneer a community relations department for the Richmond Region, and in three short years has become the primary voice of the travel and tourism industry for the area.
Don’t Wait For Someday, Start Today!
I get that you can’t just drop everything and start anew, but you CAN do SOMETHING. You must! What can you do today? This week? This month? What is one small thing you can take on to move forward?
Because saying “someday” is rather like saying “I’ll try.” In other words, it’s meaningless.