That’s Not Who You Are Anymore -The Identity Tango

I have a friend who recently transitioned his business model from being the person who connects other people to being the person who runs summits for others. You can imagine that it’s much easier to refer people to him now and his business is booming in just the week since he made the shift.

But he’s still attached to the old identity. He’s still coming onto calls saying “this is who I am now — but I’m still this other guy too”. It’s a problem.

Because each time he says “but I’m still this guy”, he undermines his new identity. You can’t hold two identities at once — it just doesn’t work.

But he is still attached to being the old person. He liked it. He saw it as who he is on the inside — and he’s still that guy. I can tell you as a super-connector myself, you never give it up. But HE is that person. His BUSINESS is the summits. And he hasn’t separated the two.

We’ve been talking a lot about identity shifts and this is another aspect of them. Your business has an identity and you have an identity. And often those can be different — they don’t have to be, but they often are since business brands are by definition often much more limited than individuals’ identities.

But here’s the thing — your business may not be ALL of you, but it needs to be in ALIGNMENT with you. It has to clearly and strongly include at least one aspect of you.

And, you need to not allow your industry to tell you who you need to be. For instance — one of the biggest mistakes I see spiritual teachers make is this thought that they feel like they have to look and act “spiritual” — whatever that means. They think they need to speak softly and say “namaste” and bow their heads to others. It’s a thing.

Now if this is an authentic representation of who you are, these things are perfectly lovely. But if you’re like me and you cuss like a sailor at home and you are anything but quiet, then they are grossly out of place. It doesn’t matter that I am a shaman and an elder in the spiritual community. That’s not who I am. And, no matter what people may think, being “spiritual” means being authentic.

But the hardest part for people tends to be being themselves. Many have no idea who that is — especially when it comes to creating a brand identity.

Here’s a hint — ask your raving fans. They will tell you what they appreciate most about you — and that will give you a hint about who you are being in the world.

TL:DR

• Let Go of Who You Used To Be
• Don’t Worry About Who You Think You’re Supposed To Be
• Be Who You Actually Are

If you need help walking through a business identity shift, let’s chat. Reach out to me at kelle@kellesparta.com.

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