You hate selling.

You hate promoting yourself.

You were taught that it was not polite to do. You were taught to be humble and let others praise you.

Well, what if I told you that marketing is not about selling? It is about offering your products and services to those who really, really need or want them. And, what if I told you that by keeping your products and services to yourself or hoping that somehow, some way your target audience might “come across them” is really doing a disservice to hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of people?

What would you say then?

Watch the video below to find out how you can change your perspective and see yourself as an educator–educating the market about your value as an act of service.

And, please don’t forget to share your thoughts afterwards.

Action Steps

Share your thoughts.

• Have you steered clear of marketing because you think it makes you feel like a cheesy salesperson?

• Does this perspective help you look at marketing in a different light?

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Listen to Catherine Kaputa Interviews on Personal Branding.

• Breakthrough Branding: How Smart Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Transform A Small Idea Into a Big Brand
• You Are A Brand! In Person and Online, How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success

Have you ever asked God a question about something that perplexed you and been flabbergasted by his response?

Well, that happened to me last Spring when I asked Him to help me make the connection between personal branding, business vision, and divine purpose.

At first, I was baffled, but then as the Holy Spirit began to connect the dots for me, everything became crystal clear.  Read on to find out how to discover the systematic levels or dimensions of your divine personal brand and how you can be sure that your business vision always aligns with your divine purpose.

Oh, and this is my very first infographic! (I am very excited about that. Be sure to share your thoughts below.)

Do you find yourself getting disturbed or taken aback by the troubling experiences that you go through?

Do you find that your peace is easily shaken or disturbed?

If so, please read this post in its entirety.

A Life-Changing Experience

Just last March, March of 2012, I was sitting at my desk working on the computer and my chest began to tighten. My fingers felt numb and I had sharp pains at the base of my neck and into my shoulders. Then, I started feeling like my breathing was off. I guess you could call it shortness of breath.

My daughter, who was just five years old, was out of school and she was in her bedroom watching one of her favorite movies. I didn’t want to alarm her, so I went on the internet and I typed symptoms of a heart attack.

I started reading the symptoms and my mind said, “You are getting ready to have a heart attack.” So, I called one of my dearest and closest friends who had been experiencing issues with hypertension so I knew she knew all about heart attacks.

She stayed on the phone with me for almost an hour and ruled out the fact that I was about to have one. She told me to go to get my pressure checked at a Harris Teeter grocery store or a CVS Pharmacy because perhaps my pressure had escalated for some reason.

I went and according to the instrument there, let’s just say I should not be here.

So, I thought, that can’t be right. My mother then told me to go to an Urgent Care but by that time all of the Urgent Cares had closed. My mother then advised me to  take an aspirin,  try to get some rest, and go to the Urgent Care right after I dropped off my daughter at school.

That night, I did not get much rest.

I kept thinking crazy thoughts about my health, about my life,  and about the safety of my daughter. I certainly was not ready to leave here (the Earth) and have someone else raise her, so I needed to find out exactly what was going on in my body to cause these kinds of symptoms and do whatever it took to make sure I didn’t experience them, again.

The next morning, I took Zoe to school and rushed to Urgent Care.

After being checked out and x-rayed, the doctor informed me that my blood pressure was high for the first time in my life and that what I had described was an anxiety or panic attack. 

He told me that people who experience these feel like they are having a heart attack. He also informed me that the x-ray revealed that my neck was too straight.  (I didn’t even know there was such a thing.)

As he showed me the x-rays, he informed me that my neck should have a little curvature to it, but mine did not. It was completely straight. The straight neck was the cause of the pain in my shoulders and the numbness in my fingers.

Seek and You Shall Find

After that experience, I began to seek God about the state of my life.

Why would I, a child of God, get to a place where I would have an anxiety attack? Why would I get to a place where my mindset was not on taking care of my body? What in the world was going on with me?

I realized that I had not been studying the Word as I should but I had been substituting tele-evangelism for my daily dose of the Word. So, I made a decision to devote time to my own time with God.

Now, I am the kind of person who would rather study a particular topic or issue that I would like to learn more about or even one that is bothering me, as opposed to just reading chapter after chapter, book after book.

And, God, knowing His child, laid it in my heart to study PEACE. And as I studied, He revealed to me three elements, three components, three keys to possessing my peace so that no matter what goes on in my life, I can walk victoriously, confidently, without angst.

It is not a magic pill, quick fix or a microwavable potion, but it is a process that you and I can use no matter what we face. Because guess what?

You deserve to walk in peace.

Yes!!! You are a child of the God of Peace….so nothing “in” or “of” this world should sabotage the peace that your Heavenly Father has given you through the power of His Holy Spirit. (I Thessalonians 5:23, Galatians 5:22)

The three keys that God gave to me will come in handy in your life, time and time again. I promise you that. The more you use them, the better you will get at using them.

Sharing the 3 Keys to Possessing Your Peace on Not Just Talk Radio

On March 25th, I was a guest on Shamara Cox’s Not Just Talk Radio Show and I spoke on this topic: 3 Keys to Possessing Your Peace: Rising Above the Drama to Walk In Your Divine Personal Brand.  Shamara and I had a ball and it seemed to be a popular topic with the listeners as the questions came flooding in–so much so, that we didn’t get a chance to answer them all.

Listen Now

1. Get your Bible out and turn to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. The three keys are found there.
2. Listen now and be blessed!
3. Share the show with others who need a systematic formula for walking in peace.
4. Don’t just read and listen. Leave a comment below.  

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

Daniel fascinates me.

I have been studying the book of Daniel in preparation for the Branded by God Telestudy taking place this evening. Simultaneously, I have been reading Branding Pays by Karen Kang and have been amazed at how God has helped me make connections between the two—Daniel and personal branding.

It has been said that personal branding is nothing but showcasing who you are and what you specialize in and my Heavenly Father does that oh, so well. I know that might sound strange but God is the Master Marketer—the omnipotent one who by the very nature of who He is draws men, women, boys, and girls to Him. He specializes in healing broken hearts, setting captives free, “so loving the world”, and granting eternal life.

Even way back in the Old Testament, you can see how He orchestrates what I call Divine Personal Branding through those He chose and Daniel is no different. In fact, Daniel epitomizes Divine Personal Branding–discovering who you are in God’s eyes, knowing what He has called you to do, and then using your gifts and talents to serve those He has called you to serve.

The Incredible Account

Right out of the gate, in chapter one, it is clear that Daniel attracts King Nebuchadnezzar’s chief official Ashpenaz because he meets the king’s criteria. He is—

• A young man without any physical defect
• Handsome
• Showing aptitude for every kind of learning
• Well-informed
• Quick to Understand
• Qualified to serve in the king’s palace

Then, we find out that Daniel makes a decision. He decides that he will not defile his body with the food and wine from the king’s table. He graciously makes his decision known to Ashpenaz, the very same chief official who selected him to be of service to the king in the next three years.

The beautiful thing is that God caused Ashpenaz to show favor and sympathy to Daniel and as the story is told, it becomes obvious that the two of them have an amicable relationship. Ashpenaz shares his concern for his life in regards to allowing Daniel to deny the king’s dietary plan and Daniel demonstrates his genuine concern for Ashpenaz’s well-being by “submitting” what I will call a proposal.

He suggests that Ashpenaz allow him and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) to do a trial run for ten days. They would eat only veggies and water during that time and then see if they still looked as debonair as the other young men who were also “in training.”  Ashpenaz accepts the proposal, so only veggies and water are served to them.

The Bible says—

“At the end of the ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So, the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.” (Daniel 1: 15-16 NIV)

But it gets even better.

The Bible also says—

“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, so they entered the king’s service.

In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.” (Daniel 1: 17-21 NIV)

Divine Personal Branding Personified

Interestingly, there are some very evident principles of personal branding in this very first chapter of Daniel that I believe will help you as you walk in your Divine Personal Brand:

1. Personal branding begins with having a goal and a strategy to achieve it. That strategy involves positioning yourself as one who solves a problem or enables an opportunity. 

2. A strong personal brand is the key to influence, opportunities and advancement. 

3. Personal branding is not merely cosmetic. It must be fueled by substance. Concepts from Branding Pays: The Five-Step System to Reinvent Your Personal Brand by Karen Kang

Daniel knew exactly what he stood for. He knew the exact impression he wanted to make. Because of his commitment to serve God, faithfully, he made a decision to be who God had called him to be even while he was being held captive by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.

In Leviticus 11, God had already made it clear what He viewed as clean and unclean in terms of His people’s diet and unlike the other young men who had also been selected to serve the king; Daniel was determined to honor God even in the midst of this situation.

In doing so, he set himself apart. Not only did he distinguish himself from all of the other handsome, fit, intelligent, qualified young men, but he provided evidence that he was who he said he was when he (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) ended up looking healthier and better nourished than those who ate the king’s food.

The reward…..

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah outshone even the king’s magicians and enchanters and the king found them 10x better.

Your Take-Away

Assess your personal brand and determine whether it is divine. In other words, ask yourself if you are doing what God has called you to do, using  your gifts and talents in such a way that those who are drawn to you recognize that the hand of God must be on  your life. Remember, that when you are in the zone, what you do appears effortless to those who observe you. This is the sure sign of walking in your divine personal brand.

Make a decision to never waver. Do what He has called you to do in the way He has called you to do it. In other words, differentiate yourself from the pack of folks who do what you do by sharing your knowledge but also by being known for something of value. Resist the desire to blend in with the world’s norms or ways of doing things. Hold fast to your faith and be the one to stand out.

Evaluate your brand image. Your image includes your brand associations, your visual branding and your relationship branding. Daniel appealed to Ashpenaz and King Nebuchadnezzar because he was attractive, smart, and well-informed. He also associated with others who held his same convictions. And, from what we see, he knew how to build relationships with not only his peers, but with those in authority. Likewise, you must determine whether your brand associations, external image, and relationship image align in such a way that you attract those you have been called to serve.

Finally, become an influencer as a result of being seen as the BEST person to deliver the solution.

It’s 2013 and time for the real believers to un-apologetically walk in our Divine Personal Brands.

Let’s go!