Personal branding is one of those phrases that gets thrown about a lot, and people have differing ideas of what it means. Throughout my career, I’ve had many people approach me to “brand” them, when all they really wanted was a social media page, and a few thousand “followers”. A few of these people also occupy the domains of media, business, and philanthropy, so personal branding for them meant Profit$. I would usually decline these opportunities because a) they’re boring, and b) a pre-requisite of personal branding is that the brandee must have a personality that is brandable. Otherwise, it’s like painting the air. So what exactly is personal branding? I would define it as a deliberate effort taken to shape how you are perceived by others. It involves crafting a compelling narrative about yourself, consistently presenting your unique “youness”, and cultivating a reputation around this, which reflects both who you are, and also who you aspire to be. In a world where everyone increasingly tries to be everyone else, having a personal brand is your price of admission to attention. And there are many wrong ways to do it – being brash and loud, for instance, is a great way to gain attention for the wrong reasons. Being an ideolot is amazingly effective, and so is taking a firm stand on the shaky grounds of some fringe theory related to important issues (vaccination, women’s rights, racism, religion, science, and so on). Most people mistake clowning around in front of a camera to be the be-all and end-all of personal branding. Attention and celebrity are not sustainable. They might become the consequences of personal branding, but they’re not the goal. The goal is transformation on all levels. And here, it has a lot of affinities with an overarching philosophy of life itself. Paradoxically, the Stoics of Greece and Rome have much to offer as a timeless blueprint for crafting a meaningful, authentic brand. How does one build a personal branding strategy based on Stoicism? Control the Controllable The Stoics knew that obsessing over external things was a recipe for misery. You cannot control the world, but you can control how you respond to it. In personal branding, this means ignoring the vanity metrics. We have to discipline ourselves to consistently embody and project the key virtues and attributes we wish to be known for. Remember, personal branding is an organized and sustained effort – if you follow every butterfly of novelty that flutters around your FYP, you won’t make it. We can control our speech, actions, and creative works – the raw materials that slowly compound into a sustainable public persona. Obsessing over likes, shares, comments, or the disposable matrices of branding offers no value. Instead, focus on what you can control: your work ethic, the quality of your output, and living in alignment with your values. Practicing Prosoché Prosoché is the Stoic attitude and the practice of attention, and mindfulness. Like a lot of spiritual practices, it involves observing our sensations, emotions, and thoughts to bring focus to one’s awareness of the present moment. Before taking any action that could impact your reputation, carefully pause and view it through a cosmic lens – how will this contribute to the overall music of your life’s movement? Will this be a great note or a jarring noise? Personal branding demands continuous self-study and refinement of our conscious and unconscious signals. Before hitting “post” or launching a project, ask yourself, “How does this contribute to the person I want to be?” Personal branding demands the same rigorous self-awareness. Talk the talk, Walk the walk The Stoics were doers, not talkers. Reputation is nothing if it cannot be substantiated by action. A strong brand isn’t built on boasts; it’s built on the steady accumulation of meaningful work. Personal branding on social platforms may seem radically different, but achieving enduring online influence and authority stems from similar fundamentals – not portraying an idealized avatar, but inscribing an authentic identity aligned with your principles, ideals, and passions. If you don’t have them already, create principles, ideals, and passions. Authenticity attracts a loyal audience far more than manufactured hype. Weathering the Storms The Stoics used the symbol of a great towering rock jutting out of the sea as a reminder of how to bear insults and setbacks. Just as a mighty rock withstands the ocean’s fury, the Stoic remains unmoved by the endless churn of social media feedback. This same stable self-constancy and refusal to be distracted by the temporary opinions of others is mission-critical for personal branding. Both praise and hatred must be observed like passing weather patterns around the mountain one is building. In the face of online criticism or setbacks (which are inevitable), the key is perspective. Is one nasty comment worth sacrificing your core purpose? Use setbacks as fuel to become even stronger in your resolve. The Stoics mentally rehearsed adversity to prepare for it. It is the art of negative visualization. Imagine the worst scenarios that could befall your reputation – maybe a hasty social media post, a faux pas in a social situation, or a harsh critique of something you did in your formative years. Visualizing that sting in advance helps you handle it gracefully if it happens. This mental resilience is essential for lasting brand success. Your Place in the Grand Design Finally, the Stoics saw the entire cosmos as a beautifully woven tapestry of a dynamic, life-giving force that harmonized all beings into the magnificent grandeur of existence itself. To cultivate a personal brand and influence others is to play your essential part in this immortal dynamic artwork. Your brand must strive to inspire others as you have been inspired. We cannot control how our personal branding is perceived or metabolized into that ever-unfolding masterpiece. But we can aim to harmonize with it through courage and authenticity. Centering your brand around service and offering value creates a connection that goes beyond mere clicks. Personal branding can feel overwhelming – there are a million hustlers out there, buying followers, amassing clicks, sacrificing animals to get engagement, and to make matters worse, we are in an era of constant comparison. But the true influence comes from within. In Stoicism, as in personal branding. Listen to your inner voice, discover what it really is (sometimes you won’t like what you see, but as long as what you see is the authentic “you”, it doesn’t really matter), and boldly broadcast it to the world!