Crickets, Consistency, and Personal Branding

I hear people saying all the time that I walk too fast, someone once stopped to ask me who was pursuing me. Whenever we had an event and someone had to mimic me they'd just match my walking style and fast-paced movement and everyone would know who they were mimicking. That's not something I set out to achieve, I just really had so much going on and if walking faster was going to save me some time, then walk faster, I would. I gained a reputation for walking fast without even trying to.

A few days ago we had a cricket infestation, we could hear the crickets like a massive loud choir all day and all night. I was so frustrated, it got me thinking about how humans had come to see the cricket’s song as the sound of emptiness. In movies and social media content, that lonely “cricket sound” is used whenever there’s an awkward silence or when someone’s words fall flat. It’s the sound of nothing happening.

What an irony that the consistent chirping of the crickets has become a universal symbol of silence. That’s when it hit me: the crickets had mastered something we all strive for but struggle to hold onto, a brand of consistency so steady it’s unmistakable. Every night, they sing the same song, over and over, never changing their rhythm, their tone. They’ve been doing this for centuries, long before anyone called it “branding.” In their world, they simply did what they were made to do.

Crickets didn’t set out to be symbols of silence; they were just crickets being crickets. But somewhere along the line, their sound became part of our cultural shorthand for quiet moments. And that’s what happens when you’re so consistent, so true to yourself, that people can’t help but notice, even if they only realize it later.

In branding, whether personal or business, the hardest part is staying true to your own rhythm, your own message, especially when it feels like no one’s listening. But when you keep at it, when you “chirp” your message in a steady, familiar way, that repetition builds something invaluable: recognition. And from recognition grows trust, and eventually, maybe even loyalty.

That’s why the first step in personal branding is to be like the crickets. Be yourself consistently. What’s the one message, the one value, you're obsessed about, keep talking about it, something you can share night after night without growing tired of it.

Consistency can be exhausting, especially when it feels like no one’s watching. But that’s when the crickets come to mind again. They don’t chirp because someone’s applauding; they chirp because that’s who they are. Your brand, too, needs to stay steady and true, even when it feels pointless. Each time you share your message, each post or piece of work, it’s another chirp in the night, building recognition little by little.

Crickets don’t know they’ve become a symbol for silence in human culture. But in the end, their song took on a life of its own in our minds. And maybe your brand, too, can reach that point, where people remember you, recognize you, even seek you out all because you stayed true to a simple, consistent message.

Imagine if, instead of trying so hard to craft an image, we just focused on being ourselves; honest, steady, genuine. Real consistency doesn’t come from pushing a brand; it comes from showing your true self, day in and day out. The truth is, people recognize genuineness. They don’t need the perfect pitch; they need a familiar, steady presence that feels real.

They taught me that consistency doesn’t need an audience; it only needs commitment. Sometimes it needs a goal, like when I was walking so fast just because I had so much to do and I wanted to save time, over time people knew me for that. And so, if you want your brand to become unforgettable, take a page from their tiny, determined book. Embrace your message. Show up night after night, be yourself, in the same way, with the same truth. Because sometimes, the things that make the biggest impact aren’t loud or flashy they’re simply steady, like the quiet persistence of a cricket’s song.