Written on the 5th of March 2015 by Rachel Quilty, Personal Brand Strategist
50 Shades of Personal Branding
By now you've heard about or watched the recently released first instalment of the Fifty Shades Trilogy - Fifty Shades of Grey? Before you read on I offer a warning with this article, some of the contents maybe a little provocative but not too x rated - read at your own risk .
A great deal of negative commentary surrounded the release of Fifty Shades of Grey, specifically about the lack lustre love scenes. Many people asked where was the erotica??
If you haven't seen the film, I am sure you'll be shocked at the volume of nudity unless you were anticipating a movie with a XXX rating rather than R.
And well, if you've read the books you'll know firstly, a lot of the expected erotica is in the next book and secondly, the book series is not all about sex. All be it, there are a number of extremely steamy scenes within the pages of the book that had over 80 million readers fanning themselves.
People are shocked when I say the Fifty Shades series is not all about sex. I think the books are about determining your personal brand values and boundaries; understanding the psychology behind a healthy self identity; and ultimately recognising we are all worthy of love. Let me know your thoughts once I've explained my rationale below.
Personal branding is about finding clarity, about and within yourself. Removing or reducing the shades of grey and becoming crystal clear about who you are and what your mission is. Fifty shades of grey is where most people dwell - unclear and unsure of who they are, what they represent and where they're going.
The fifty shades line is significant. The frustrated revelation "Because I'm fifty shades of #$@!ed-up, Anastasia" is voiced by Christian Grey. His dark desires and lifestyle stem from a broken, traumatic childhood where control becomes paramount and disturbingly confused with childhood memories and experiences.
Anastasia however, after a conscious decision to taste the temptations of the dark side, retreats from the darkness; establishes her boundaries reinforcing her values and personal limitations. These measures intrinsically force Christian to question his values, what is important to him and the future expression of his love.
"This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he's lost. . . Somewhere in his darkness.
His eyes wide and bleak and tortured. I can soothe him. Join him briefly in the darkness and bring him into the light." Anastasia Steele E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
Each of us will be tempted, tested by trials and tribulations and forced to determine and maintain our values - what is important to us.
"We're coming near to the end of the bridge, and the road is once more bathed in the neon light of the street lamps so his face is intermittently in the light and the dark. And it's such a fitting metaphor. This man, whom I once thought of as a romantic hero, a brave shining white knightor the dark knight, as he said. He's not a hero; he's a man with serious, deep emotional flaws, and he's dragging me into the dark. Can I not guide him into the light?" Anastasia E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
This is at the heart of personal branding. Our brand is strengthened by our strong sense of self and our clear understanding of our own self identity.
Within our training series - Brand Yourself the Authority we case study the Fifty Shades Brand, so you can imagine we have a lot fun, laughs and red cheek moments (no palm-twitching pun intended). We look at the characters, the author, the brand attributes and the erotic brand empire which is Fifty Shades of Grey.
This article is not to discuss the brand attributes of Fifty Shades or the lifestyles reflected or its moral fibre but to provoke your thinking, like the book. In your life where are your Fifty Shades of Grey? Where is your area of calmity? Where is your area of clarity? What are your personal brand values? What or who may be tempting you to step away from your true self or your true calling? Where are your brand boundaries? What are your hard limits? Where have these been compromised? What can you do to move into the light?
"I don't have a philosophy as such. Maybe a guiding principle, Carnegie's A man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.' I'm very singular, driven. I like control... of myself and those around me." "You sound like a control freak." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Oh, I exercise control in all things, Miss Steele," he says without a trace of humor in his smile." E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
I often say our spotlight is in our story, in our shame. "There's a very fine line between pleasure and pain. They are two sides of the same coin, one not existing without the other." E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey. Christian Grey's fears, subsequent lifestyle and personal journey are what rivets the audience as he struggles towards the light. While Anastasia Steele's concise conscious consideration of her choices provokes our own internal debate about saying no, resisting temptation and remaining true to ourselves. Understanding your strengths and weakness is invalable to your brand and it is often said that your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. Case in point, Christian Grey's self control has made him financially successful while also manifesting in a darker issue, which he himself recognises and hence his comment about being fifty shades.
Finding your true self and your personal strengths is often the journey exposed as we establish and build our personal brand. Discovering and creating your personal brand is simply revisiting the foundations of your brand, your personal and professional values and establishing a blueprint for your personal brand growth.
"This is all I know, too. Perhaps together we can chart a new course." E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
Copyright permission: You have permission to use this article by respecting the copyright by publishing the entire article as it is with no changes and by agreeing to include the above reference at the end of the article, or where you quote the author in which case please include the authors name and company name. In the event you wish to use any or all of this content please advise Jump the Q.
The brand Fifty Shades of Grey and all quotes of EL James, Fifty Shades of Grey remain the property of EL James and associated brands.
About the Author:
Rachel Quilty is a Personal Branding Strategist. She is also known as the "Authority" on Personal Branding within Australia.
Rachel is the owner and CEO of Jump the Q Inc, a Personal Brand consulting firm with offices in Brisbane as well as in Las Vegas, in the US.
Rachel is also the Author of the book, 'Brand Yourself: How to design, build and position your personal brand' which is also now listed on Amazon.
Rachel regularly speaks on the importance of personal branding and strategic brand management. She assists her students and clients around the world to leverage their professional profile and expertise to establish their personal brand as the authority and recognised leader within their industry.
Rachel regularly speaks at seminars, conferences and workshops on personal branding, professional image and developing your signature brand. She has presented at Bond University, Gr iffith University Business School, Ernst & Young, Westfield, NSAA; conferences in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Tasmania, Gold Coast and Expos in Brisbane.
Rachel has also been featured in Australia on the Today show as well various national radio programs including 4BC & ABC. She recently featured in the Australian Institute of Management magazine and is regularly featured in popular magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Cleo, Marie Claire and national newspapers include the Courier Mail, Sun Herald and the Weekend Australian.
Rachel made a splash in the USA with a recent interview on Voice America Radio hosted by Personal Finance Guru Jordon E Goodman the author of a dozen best sellers and is a regular on CNN and The View. Rachel also recently spoke in Las Vegas at the Ultimate Joint Venture Boot Camp with some of the most prominent speakers in the world.
Media Contact:
Rachel Quilty
Brand Strategist
Jump the Q
web: www.jumptheq.com.au
Please email questions or story angle and a schedule call for interview.
Written on the 5th of March 2015 by Rachel Quilty, Personal Brand Strategist
50 Shades of Personal Branding
By now you've heard about or watched the recently released first instalment of the Fifty Shades Trilogy - Fifty Shades of Grey? Before you read on I offer a warning with this article, some of the contents maybe a little provocative but not too x rated - read at your own risk .
A great deal of negative commentary surrounded the release of Fifty Shades of Grey, specifically about the lack lustre love scenes. Many people asked where was the erotica??
If you haven't seen the film, I am sure you'll be shocked at the volume of nudity unless you were anticipating a movie with a XXX rating rather than R.
And well, if you've read the books you'll know firstly, a lot of the expected erotica is in the next book and secondly, the book series is not all about sex. All be it, there are a number of extremely steamy scenes within the pages of the book that had over 80 million readers fanning themselves.
People are shocked when I say the Fifty Shades series is not all about sex. I think the books are about determining your personal brand values and boundaries; understanding the psychology behind a healthy self identity; and ultimately recognising we are all worthy of love. Let me know your thoughts once I've explained my rationale below.
Personal branding is about finding clarity, about and within yourself. Removing or reducing the shades of grey and becoming crystal clear about who you are and what your mission is. Fifty shades of grey is where most people dwell - unclear and unsure of who they are, what they represent and where they're going.
The fifty shades line is significant. The frustrated revelation "Because I'm fifty shades of #$@!ed-up, Anastasia" is voiced by Christian Grey. His dark desires and lifestyle stem from a broken, traumatic childhood where control becomes paramount and disturbingly confused with childhood memories and experiences.
Anastasia however, after a conscious decision to taste the temptations of the dark side, retreats from the darkness; establishes her boundaries reinforcing her values and personal limitations. These measures intrinsically force Christian to question his values, what is important to him and the future expression of his love.
"This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he's lost. . . Somewhere in his darkness.
His eyes wide and bleak and tortured. I can soothe him. Join him briefly in the darkness and bring him into the light." Anastasia Steele E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
Each of us will be tempted, tested by trials and tribulations and forced to determine and maintain our values - what is important to us.
"We're coming near to the end of the bridge, and the road is once more bathed in the neon light of the street lamps so his face is intermittently in the light and the dark. And it's such a fitting metaphor. This man, whom I once thought of as a romantic hero, a brave shining white knightor the dark knight, as he said. He's not a hero; he's a man with serious, deep emotional flaws, and he's dragging me into the dark. Can I not guide him into the light?" Anastasia E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
This is at the heart of personal branding. Our brand is strengthened by our strong sense of self and our clear understanding of our own self identity.
Within our training series - Brand Yourself the Authority we case study the Fifty Shades Brand, so you can imagine we have a lot fun, laughs and red cheek moments (no palm-twitching pun intended). We look at the characters, the author, the brand attributes and the erotic brand empire which is Fifty Shades of Grey.
This article is not to discuss the brand attributes of Fifty Shades or the lifestyles reflected or its moral fibre but to provoke your thinking, like the book. In your life where are your Fifty Shades of Grey? Where is your area of calmity? Where is your area of clarity? What are your personal brand values? What or who may be tempting you to step away from your true self or your true calling? Where are your brand boundaries? What are your hard limits? Where have these been compromised? What can you do to move into the light?
"I don't have a philosophy as such. Maybe a guiding principle, Carnegie's A man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.' I'm very singular, driven. I like control... of myself and those around me." "You sound like a control freak." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Oh, I exercise control in all things, Miss Steele," he says without a trace of humor in his smile." E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
I often say our spotlight is in our story, in our shame. "There's a very fine line between pleasure and pain. They are two sides of the same coin, one not existing without the other." E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey. Christian Grey's fears, subsequent lifestyle and personal journey are what rivets the audience as he struggles towards the light. While Anastasia Steele's concise conscious consideration of her choices provokes our own internal debate about saying no, resisting temptation and remaining true to ourselves. Understanding your strengths and weakness is invalable to your brand and it is often said that your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. Case in point, Christian Grey's self control has made him financially successful while also manifesting in a darker issue, which he himself recognises and hence his comment about being fifty shades.
Finding your true self and your personal strengths is often the journey exposed as we establish and build our personal brand. Discovering and creating your personal brand is simply revisiting the foundations of your brand, your personal and professional values and establishing a blueprint for your personal brand growth.
"This is all I know, too. Perhaps together we can chart a new course." E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey
Copyright permission: You have permission to use this article by respecting the copyright by publishing the entire article as it is with no changes and by agreeing to include the above reference at the end of the article, or where you quote the author in which case please include the authors name and company name. In the event you wish to use any or all of this content please advise Jump the Q.
The brand Fifty Shades of Grey and all quotes of EL James, Fifty Shades of Grey remain the property of EL James and associated brands.
About the Author:
Rachel Quilty is a Personal Branding Strategist. She is also known as the "Authority" on Personal Branding within Australia.
Rachel is the owner and CEO of Jump the Q Inc, a Personal Brand consulting firm with offices in Brisbane as well as in Las Vegas, in the US.
Rachel is also the Author of the book, 'Brand Yourself: How to design, build and position your personal brand' which is also now listed on Amazon.
Rachel regularly speaks on the importance of personal branding and strategic brand management. She assists her students and clients around the world to leverage their professional profile and expertise to establish their personal brand as the authority and recognised leader within their industry.
Rachel regularly speaks at seminars, conferences and workshops on personal branding, professional image and developing your signature brand. She has presented at Bond University, Gr iffith University Business School, Ernst & Young, Westfield, NSAA; conferences in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Tasmania, Gold Coast and Expos in Brisbane.
Rachel has also been featured in Australia on the Today show as well various national radio programs including 4BC & ABC. She recently featured in the Australian Institute of Management magazine and is regularly featured in popular magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Cleo, Marie Claire and national newspapers include the Courier Mail, Sun Herald and the Weekend Australian.
Rachel made a splash in the USA with a recent interview on Voice America Radio hosted by Personal Finance Guru Jordon E Goodman the author of a dozen best sellers and is a regular on CNN and The View. Rachel also recently spoke in Las Vegas at the Ultimate Joint Venture Boot Camp with some of the most prominent speakers in the world.
Media Contact:
Rachel Quilty
Brand Strategist
Jump the Q
web: www.jumptheq.com.au
Please email questions or story angle and a schedule call for interview.
I was recently researching an article on Madonna, yes The Madonna, and the personal branding lessons we could learn from her. In my research, I realised that while most would consist Madonna extremely successful. There have been a few times and movie projects which didn't seem to gain the same results. I realised that effectively these flops occurred when Madonna moved away from her brand and that she was out of flow.
In reviewing my own results and projects I decided to revisit my Wealth Dynamics Profile developed by Roger Hamilton. Eureka! I had myself moved out of my flow. I was slightly off brand, and not working to my strengths. It was great to re-evaluate my to do list, marketing plan and proposed projects. End result? I have been on a recruiting blitz to out source and delegate those areas which are not my strengths and have me out of flow.
If the concept of flow has you curious read the article by Roger Hamilton below. It provides a terrific insight to how you can simplify your life. One important aspect of your personal brand is knowin who you are and who you are not. This personality profile is extremely valuable in highlighting how your strengths can impact on your wealth generation.
Read more insights on transforming your life below. ARE YOU IN FLOW?
Let me know what profile you are and whether it rings true for you. I know it did for me.
FINDING OUR PLACE IN A FAST CHANGING WORLD ( Extract from Roger Hamilton's Article Insights on Transformation)
Feeling lost? Overwhelmed? Excited about what the future holds but privately anxious about what will happen if things go wrong? Today’s paradox is that in a global sea of information, it’s as easy to sink as to swim. It’s easier to be empowered, but also easier to be unsure. More noise means more chance of losing our way. More distraction means more chance of losing ourselves. Learn more about what our year has install for us and catch the next wave.
What’s the solution? My work over the last ten years has been on the middle path: Not to sink or swim, but to surf. The Wealth Dynamics profiling system I created works like a lighthouse, illuminating both the rocks and safe passage in stormy seas. Over 60,000 people around the world have taken the test, and from the data we’ve collected I’ve drawn insights that I think you’ll find interesting.
Here are three insights on transformation I’d like to share:
INSIGHT 1 - Life is flow: Follow your path of least resistance
The idea that life is flow seems obvious. Health is about mastering the flow within our body and wealth is about mastering the flow in our markets. Yet many of us are doing things that feel like hard work. We take for granted our strengths, and spend our time working on things that we are weakest at.
One of the biggest insights that people - from students to speakers and from entrepreneurs to experts - say when they learn their Wealth Dynamics profile, is that they finally have true clarity and certainty on who they are and who they are not. Like tuning in to a radio station, the music becomes clear and the static disappears.
“We treasure what we measure”
Most of us want to find our flow - where things occur with effortless ease - but don’t assess our actions, environment and relationships based on flow. We use other criteria, such as ideas of success, trade-offs and being busy.
Incremental change comes from measuring our change. Transformational change comes from changing our measure. When we measure all our actions and plans based on “Does this add positively to the flow?” whether it is our health, wealth, passion, purpose, relationships or any other part of our life, a true transformation occurs.
There is a unity between our health, our wealth and our relationships that is set alight the moment we follow our natural path.
INSIGHT 2 - Life is a game: Master the rules to play
In a football game, the great footballer isn’t thinking about his flow. He’s thinking about the flow of the ball. He doesn’t try to chase the ball and he doesn’t worry about obstacles. He is simply focused at being at the best position at every moment to create openings and add to the flow of play. Too many of us are not living with this same elegance. It’s too easy to forget the ball and lose our way. It’s too easy to forget we have a limited time in which to play this magical game.
Life is a game. As with all games, that means it must be fun, and you need to know the rules. The reason Wealth Dynamics (and all personality tests that are of value) resonates with so many people is because it is based on 5,000 years of history - originating from the first book in human history, the Chinese I Ching.
In the I Ching there are eight ‘trigrams’ that are organised on a square with sides that represent the four seasons of time. These in turn are made up of the opposites in how we think (intuitive and sensory) and the opposites of how we act (extrovert and introvert). There are eight wealth dynamics profiles that represent these trigrams. You have a natural path based on your natural thinking dynamic and action dynamic. Dreams become reality by turning thought into action, and it occurs naturally when you know the rules to the game.
For example, if you discover you’re a Creator Profile, naturally intuitive with your head in the clouds, great at starting things and terrible at finishing things, you can stop beating yourself up for constantly taking on too much or missing the detail. You can be inspired by other Creators from Einstein and Edison to Steve Jobs and Branson. You can see that they got criticised for exactly the same weaknesses that you have, but kept focused at their natural path and achieved flow through it.
With the enormous amount of advice and stories we are bombarded with each week (often where experts are giving conflicting advice, both which appear to work), it’s now more important than ever to have a lighthouse to light the way and give us a reference point so we don’t get lost at sea or on the rocks.
INSIGHT 3 - From flow comes fortune: Your life purpose
Ultimately, we end up following our true path not based on what we say yes to, but what we say no to. Like the footballer who plays one position in the team by not trying to play all the others, and the music we hear by tuning in to one channel and not trying to listen to all the others, we are saying no to all else to give the space for one. This is a new experience for most people - even focused people - who are still trying to keep too many channels open out of fear of missing out.
When we follow our natural path we begin to tune in to our own rhythm and harmony. When we stay tuned in, a magic resonance begins. The I Ching calls this your fortune. Our English word ‘Fortune’ means three things. It means our material wealth, our luck, and our legacy. The word comes from the Greek Goddess ‘Fortuna’, who is the goddess of luck.
We all ask the big question: "What’s our purpose while we're here?" There’s a temptation to want clarity before we try and get in to flow. But like a muddy pool of water, the easiest way to clear the mud is to flow water through it. Clarity doesn’t lead to flow. Flow leads to clarity. The greatest phenomenon I have seen time and again is the three stage process for those that that take the Wealth Dynamics test and then commit to following their natural path.
First, when you follow your path, you find it easier to connect to their personal health and wealth. Then, you begin to find luck on your side, with synchronicity and magic being attracted on a daily basis. Finally, while you are in flow, your life purpose suddenly becomes clear. I believe it’s the process of letting go, as you must do to get into the flow of a river, that allows this to happen.
I always see that clarity on life purpose arrive at that magic moment when you stop creating the flow and the flow creates you.
That’s when your life literally sweeps you off your feet.
That’s surfing.
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 "Know Yourself! Know Your Brand!")
