Branding, Buddhism and Butterflies

I have a confession to make: I’m an indoor plant serial killer. Well, at least I used to be. Now after reading this great book on feng shui, I‘ve decided to give it another go. I’m glad I did. . Each day my plants remind me of The Three Universal Truths in Buddhism. (In case you’re wondering: I don’t call myself a Buddhist, I’m just fascinated by Buddhism.). . 1. Impermanence. We all know that change is the only constant. Plants will never stay as they are now - they either grow or wither away. Just like business and ourselves - we either grow or waste away. We can’t wish things to stay as they are - that’s madness, or at least probably what causes it. . 2. Suffering. We suffer when we resist change - Impermanence. It’s our nature as humans to resist change, guess this explains why there’s so much suffering in and around us. Everything around us constantly changes. Life - and business - is imperfect. Sales go up and down, thoughts and feelings come and go. When we resist, it’s when we suffer the most. This is where we adapt - but before we adapt we should first accept things as they are. It’s the only way we can course-correct, just like my freshly repotted willow sapling that’s now growing fast, happily finding unexpected places to sprout more leaves. In the smaller pot, it grew much slower, like it’s accepted the fact that it didn’t have much room to grow. It amazes me how they’re constantly changing and adapting to their environment. So should we.. . 3. No-Fixed Self. I struggled with this the most. As someone who helps create brand identities, surely it’s hypocrisy to endorse identities when we shouldn’t really attach ourselves to one identity? Then I realised this: it’s our nature as humans to feel safer when we can label something, when we know what to expect. This is what brands offer. While our brands identities are best fixed (at least until it’s time to re-shape our brand for its next stage of evolution), we as humans, don’t have to be.. . As one of my biggest mentors Todd Herman said this in one of his epic livestreams (I’m paraphrasing):. “Being ‘authentic’ is one of the biggest ways you can limit yourself.”. When I think of authenticity it’s being stuck to our identities right now - shaped by the stories we tell ourselves based on our past. We say we’re introverted because we got criticised when we stood out in school. Or that we’re stubborn because we’re Taureans. Or that we’re rebels because we grew up suffocated by dogma and rules.. While they work well for brands, fixed identities limit our own results and growth. If we say our brand is a Nashi pear tree then people will come to us when they want Nashi pears. If we say we’re Nashi pear trees, all we’ll ever produce is pears. . We as individuals don’t have to become our brands. That’s just being “authentic” to your brand - sometimes there’s a time and place for it. Hint: it’s not every time or everywhere.. Why limit yourself when you can open yourself up to more possibilities? It’s easier said than done. Each day, I work hard to remind myself that we can decide to stop letting our past stories and present identities hold us back. . At any given moment, we can become anyone we choose to be. Without antagonising others or resisting our past.. So today, after many failed attempts at growing plants, I’m starting to see that maybe, just maybe, I might be wrong about the identity I’ve given myself. Maybe I can actually grow a green thumb. Maybe we all have green thumbs. Or maybe there’s no such thing as a green thumb or two left feet - they’re just stories we tell ourselves - excuses to say we’re not interested in gardening or dancing. Which is totally fine - we all have gifts we choose to hone. Just as yellowing leaves might mean that a plant needs water or sunlight - it’s all about seeing connections, accepting things as they are now and doing what we feel is right for that moment. Then to be prepared to adapt to the next one. . . TLDR; . Our brand identities can be fixed to one story...our own identities don’t have to be. If we can be more fluid and adaptable, we can grow faster as creatives and entrepreneurs. Nashi pear trees are great, but tomorrow we can be butterflies.. . With that, signing off this cocktail while raising a toast to your own creative growth and the growth of your brand,.

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