Brand Role Models.

Before I started Happiness Concierge, I’d marvel at women in power suits.

I had a professional crush on their style. The way they talked, the way they spoke.

‘What a rockstar’, I’d think to myself.

Little did I know I was seeing a little piece of myself in someone else.

The people we are drawn to show us a future version of ourselves we’d like to be.

We are instinctively drawn to people we see as similar to ourselves.

Sure, we might not look the same, have the same background, or the same career, but there’s something special we see in others we’re drawn to that shows us who we might like to be in the future.

I believe your superpowers are always within you, lying dormant.

It never occurred to me that the people I admired had something I did too.

Achieving your ‘future goals’ is sometimes about celebrating what’s already inside you. And different circumstances, people and environments encourage that to shine.

Sometimes all we need is some encouragement, and exposure to other people living their truth, to show the world our beautiful and brilliant curves and edges.

And the tool to do that starts with ourselves. I call this creating your ‘Brand Role Models’.

Brand Role Models Exercise

I teach this exercise in our?Brand You workshops . And what I notice is it always gives people hope that it’s not about changing who you are, it’s about celebrating and becoming more of who you already are.

Let’s try it.

Think for a minute, who inspires you and opens your mind?

• What is it about them that inspires you?
• What is it about the way they speak?
• Act?
• Behave?
• Do they have a wicked catchphrase that stops people in their tracks?
• Do they show up as the person they are in and out of work?

Being specific about what we admire about others helps us create a map of what may already be within us.

The answers to this give us clues to what we want to be and what really matters to us.

For example: I love the way speaker Carla Harris showcases her warmth and impressive credentials. Immediately it puts the audience at ease. I wonder how I can channel my ‘inner Carla’ in what I do at work? Perhaps I can come up with my own ‘one liner’ to channel her.

If you’re more cynical, you might notice people who drive you nuts more frequently (ha!).

• What is it about their perspective that irks you?
• Does this highlight to you something you believe very deeply in?
• Do they speak in a way that shows you how much you care about your way of doing things?

Instead of comparing ourselves to others, instead we can flip to inspiration and ask ourselves, ‘What does that person do really well that I’d love to one day?’

As I watched these people speak, I knew I swore like a pirate and I couldn’t afford a power suit. I wasn’t as ‘polished’ or as beautifully spoken as these people I so admired.

But I knew that I could use how they did things as inspiration. Instead of getting mad that I wasn’t living my dream career, I was going to find inspiration in what my role models did well.

I practised my public speaking. I started cussing less often. I offered to do free talks to test my adrenaline. I recorded my early talks so I could give myself feedback.

These days, in my classes, I see power suits and red lipstick looking back at me.

And I know, these students are asking themselves, ‘What do I like/dislike about Rachel that tells me something about myself?’

Being a role model isn’t always about saving the?world (although it can be).

Every single person who chooses to take a step forward towards celebrating who they are - people just like you - has the same faces looking back at them.

It can start with having the courage to celebrate yourself.

Did you know we teach a course called Brand You for workplaces? Learn more.

Take care, Arohanui,

Rachel and the team at Happiness Concierge.