Failure is inevitable. It’s how we respond to it that defines who we are. When it comes to building a personal brand, it is always about promoting those things we want people to know about us. If you want people to identify you as disciplined and passionate, or maybe funloving and easygoing, you have to channel those characteristics into how you respond to failure.

Take on failure like a learning experience, like a challenge, like a catalyst for change. It’s easy to dwell in the dissatisfaction of an impending failure, however watch the person you become when you take it in stride. By doing so, you will already have contingency plans thought up or even in motion. What will that say about you? That you took a chance, that you were observant of your situation and that you were proactive in responding.

You’ll find that definitions of commonly used words are very ingrained so a word like failure usually takes on a negative undertone. I challenge you to define failure differently. For example, I try to define failure as an opportunity. It forces me to be real with myself early on because while we may fear failure, we anticipate opportunity. I’m forced to plan so that when/if it happens I’m prepared to move forward. You’ll move on faster, you’ll know what to do differently in the future and your response will be an outward expression of who you are, thus you will be contributing another facet that is a building block of your personal brand.

It is also important to remember to avoid failure if you can! Lol. Don’t say Keshia told you failing is the way. But don’t allow failure to cripple your trajectory. Think about all of the great people you admire and realize not only have they have failed, but they had to have some type of strategy to decide how they would overcome that failure.

I’ll end this one with a personal statement: I’m Keshia and I know a thing or two about personal branding. And like most other people, I don’t like to fail. A part of who I am is being a perfectionist that some would say is a little obsessive on the details. While failing can be a difficult thing to do, I am learning how to deal with it in a way that represents my personal brand. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes when failure is impending I cry, get angry, get flustered, and/or give up. HOWEVER, I am learning how to channel those things that make up my personal brand into dealing with failure. One day, I will be the Keshia who is confident, poise, level and stylish REGARDLESS of what position I am in. That starts by taking on each failure like an opportunity to flex my potential. Per usual, I challenge you to do the same!

Get Smart will only be getting bigger and better ladies! To receive weekly motivational “Monday Boost” emails that will feature some of my work please click here. If you’d like to apply to be a guest blogger for Get Smart, we are always looking for writers! Click here to apply. 

<3 Keshia Mae