You don’t need anyone’s permission to develop your brand identity. Start embracing them!
When I was younger, I wanted to be seen as a musician, so I learnt the guitar. I wanted to be seen as the funny guy, so I tell jokes. I wanted to be seen as a fun guy, so I drank. I wanted to be seen as the cool guy, so I smoked. I wanted to be known as the go-to person for gossip and advice, so I gossiped. I wanted to be known as the all-around guy, so I joined lots of organisations and clubs.
As I grew older, I wanted to be known as a reliable guy, so I took on leadership positions in the organisations. I wanted to be known as the food and wine connoisseur, so I made it a point to point out mistakes on foodservice. I wanted to be known as the best Facebook ads guy in the Philippines, so I started talking about Facebook ads. I wanted to be known as an awesome guy, so I just claimed it.
Whatever the result it was for me, when I wanted to be known for something, I just basically claimed it and did what I feel I had to do to embody that and it has consistently worked for me. But a lot of people who said they want to build a personal brand in Social Media are doing the complete opposite and they get stuck where they are. They said they want to be known as the experts or thought leaders in something but they always wait for someone else’s permission as if that is theirs to give
You don’t need anyone’s permission. If you want to develop your brand identity, start with embracing that identity and let that dictate what you need to do rather than waiting for someone else’s approval for you to claim the brand you want. It’s yours to create and to take. So go ahead!