3/16/2005 11:46:00 PM|||Jonthon|||

Wow. I just finished a pretty intensive 3-week night class. Titled "Brand You," our Instructor Beth Ronsick helped us to view ourselves as a brand, and each job we take as a one-off that should measure up to a brand promise as it builds on itself to become a career. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it was the best class I have ever enrolled in.
Over the course of 7 class periods, we reviewed corporate branding processes, and also went through introspective activity in an attempt to determine our brand values. It was also a very expressive class, as we were expected to share not only the material we would bring to class, but also our "plus and a wish" for other people's material.
So tonight, I had to turn in the ten page paper that was my brand journal. My brand journal ended up looking very cool - minimalistic, stylish, sleek, a certain amount of sheen. My presentation was decent, though it was more of a review of my brand journal. During that time, I handed out notecards to the other nine students and my teacher. I figured that, having opened myself up so much to these people, it would be worthwhile to find out what their quick take on me was. And boy WAS it worthwhile.
So, I gave out the cards anonymously, but everyone minus the teacher revealed themselves through their responses. Once it was down to one set of cards, I kind of figured them all out. The results: Many of the people I didn't know had very favorable impressions of me, and their comments alluded to a general sense of appreciation and respect. A few of the people who I would consider "friends afar" had some cutting but helpful things to add, and things that I think I needed to hear. My ex-girlfriend had some sad but mostly true and constructive things to say. Laughably, however, her best friend, who is pugnacious and assumptive generally, had some pugnacious and assumptive things to say (surprise surprise). There was one guy in there who hasn't liked me since I kissed a girl he obsessed over - he's otherwise a good guy, and over the course of the class, he slowly began to lighten up on me - but never to the point that he wasn't really rude. My teacher, who I have spent a considerable amount of time talking with over the passing weeks, wrote short but very thoughtful responses. I'm glad to have met her, and to have had this experience. If only we had had more time, and/or a few less people...
So anyway, my presentation discussed my decision to add value to my brand by focus my energies on the people who are important to me, and to open up more to them. While I didn't bring it into the class discussion, this includes NOT talking to some people on whom my time can be only wasted. It sort of fits with an old saying I have about needing to "develop your inner asshole/bitch," except I'm not even expending the time and energy to be negative. Nothing good comes out of it for me, and it certainly doesn't help the subject of my criticism. Nonetheless, I have finally come to fully accept that some people are simply going to not like me. Please note, I don't mean "not going to like me." I just piss some people off, I guess.
But what's great is, that brings me full circle! If I know I piss some people off, and I know them well enough to deduce which set of cards they're holding (you can usually figure it out pretty easily in real life, too), then why spend any of your efforts on that person (or for that matter, activity). While I won't be as rash as to say we should only engage with people and situations that make us happy, I will be as forward as to say that we should not enter into situations or acquiantanceships from which nothing good can come, and neither party has any intention of bettering that situation. And boy, isn't there a lot of that in our lives. I've been actualized, and I'm going to try my best to make this change. I suggest you do too. Remember - it's not about being rude - it's about being focused, efficient, and positive. And nobody should be offended by that attitude.

|||111103975038875456|||Brand You