Superman would have been Clark Kent on Krypton

There is a common fear when people first start thinking about their personal brand that goes something like this: My brand? I’m boring… what do I have to offer that others might find interesting?

And, to be honest, that’s true… from your perspective. But no one else sees you from your perspective. We’re all seeing you from the outside. When you see your story from the outside, you seem a lot more interesting.

To the outside world, Superman is fascinating. But Superman lives with his abilities 24/7. Outrunning a locomotive isn’t exciting for him, because he’s been doing it since he was a farm boy.  When a bullet bounces off of him, it’s no longer a surprise. Every bullet always bounces off of him.

How un-fascinating does Superman feel? His disguise is a pair of glasses. He feels so unremarkable that he doesn’t wear a mask to hide his identity.

You only feel like you're Un-Impressive because you're overly familiar with your own story. You might be proud of your successes, but you also sit with your own insecurities and failures. We all tend to focus on our own limitations and doubts much more than our abilities and our wins.

If you make a list of only your wins and leave out the context of your learning curve and your missteps, you’ll seem impressive to others. “But there are people who have known me for years who know the truth. And lots of people do the same stuff I do, and do it better.”

So?

If Kal-el had grown up on Krypton, he would have been average. He would not have “super strength.” Weapons of war designed on Krypton for Kryptonians would not just bounce off of him. He wouldn’t be able to fly. On Krypton, Kal-el would have been Clark Kent.

In the circle of your hobbies, or your education, or your family, or your passions, maybe you’re Clark Kent. In the world of minimalist camping and bushcrafting, you might be Clark Kent. But in the world of outside sales, your ability to survive on your own in the woods for a week with nothing but a knife and a bottle of water is nothing short of a super power. Maybe you’re the least remarkable person in your cross fit garage. But next to Dave in Accounting, you’re practically Wonder Woman.

Context matters. If you start talking about your abilities and skills through the lens or in the context of something no one else in your field does… you become a fascinating character. “Here’s what wilderness survival taught me about sales.” Or, “my accounting philosophy? Strength in Numbers!”

I’m a writer. There are lots of writers. I like to think I’m pretty good, and I’m blessed that my clients tend to agree. Do I possess secret copywriting knowledge others don’t? Not really. I might have more knowledge because I’ve been doing this for more than two decades. But in the end, it all comes down to a little knowledge of psychology and understanding how to say something old in a new way.

However, my curiosity has led me deep into several different fields. Emerging tech and social media. Ancient history. Music (appreciation and performance). The psychology and neurobiology of learning and creativity. Hiking and camping. The list goes on.

Also, I’m left handed, and since we’re only about 14% of the population, people think us weird. And by definition, I suppose we are. It turns out, Lefthandedwriter was an excellent hook to hang my brand on. It’s an instant conversation starter. I’ll hand out my card, and the first question is always the same: “So… are you really left handed?”

But I can talk about copywriting and marketing in terms of the psychology behind it, the tech disrupting it, the history and evolution of it, the creativity versus the science of it… from a solid foundation of ancillary knowledge.

It’s nothing specific about “how wilderness survival makes me a better marketer” that resonates. When I do that, I still typically just talk about the fundamentals, and try to take a deeper dive into the how and why. It’s simply that I’m talking about old information in a new context.

If you only talk about the same things everyone in your industry is already talking about,  you’re going to blend in, which is the opposite of being remarkable. Talk about those things, but talk about them in the context of something else you are passionate about. A new context makes an old story seem intriguing.

Kal-el is only superman in the context of earth. And without the context of his Kryptonian birth, Superman seems inexplicable.

The Lion King is just Hamlet with lions. Avatar is Pocahontas set in space. The Magnificent Seven is Seven Samurai in the Wild West.

To people in one context, what makes you interesting is anything from any other context. THAT is how you take the things that seem “boring” to you and use them to create a brand that is fascinating to others in the industry.

Here are some starting points to get your started:

1. Talk about the things that made you weird as a kid, and how those things make you unique today.

2. Talk about your outside interests and how lessons from those areas might apply to this industry. 

3. Share stories from the news and give your commentary on the ramifications of those things on the business.

4. Take How-To books from your outside interests and see if you can re-purpose those same lessons in the context of your professional interests. (How many business iterations of The Sun Tsu's Art of War have you seen?)

In the end, it is the things that would have made Superman normal on Krypton that make him fascinating to people on Earth. Lean on the things that make you normal in other circles to provide extra spice and color to your brand for your career.

In future articles, I’ll discuss some tricks that make coming up with new, interesting ideas WITHIN your career-world that can help you start setting yourself apart. To make sure you catch those, follow me on your favorite social platforms at the links below.