Lessons In Self-Development: Selling Your Self:

There have been major shifts and changes in the social and economic landscape world over in the past four months. People everywhere have been constrained by emotional, business, financial, and psychological challenges; besieged and bedevilled by multi-faceted crisis ushered in by the mysterious and vicious virus nicknamed, COVID-19. The virus has profoundly attacked every class and aspects of our lives-be it in the killing of our fellow brothers, and sisters sent to early graves in droves. Or, the quavering of our political institutions, driving our political high-flyer players into shivers, anxieties, like ants in pants, meekness and modesty, unprecedented and dealing shock waves, commotion, and turmoil to our economic pockets, purses, or wherever you hide your monies as well as tossing and tumbling our social, cultural, and educational structures back and forth by decades. Covid-19, has turned out, a master misery courier that charts and follows its own course, respects neither the high and mighty nor the commoner. Everyone today no matter where in the globe are faced with the grim reality that death can come knocking at their doors any time. However, the drama is played out as yet, more among the poor and oppressed, who die, would still have died by the dozens whether there was, is covid or not and announced as mere figures without ever making it to news slots like the high and mighty. It is further played out in the commoners’ lives in widespread losses of jobs, salary cuts, persistent swelling and nourishing of the already chronically unwell unemployment markets, diminished entrepreneurial opportunities, comatose or dragging of SMEs to poverty pits. The future looks barren and burned, compounded by the dire ongoing insecurity situation in three-quarter of the world continents, sponsored and fuelled by treacherous racketeers in strategic government positions, backed by super powers and their foreign thievery mercenaries and, finally, complicated further by the usual attendant responses to chaotic situation; tax dodging and robberies, etc to bring about dim view of the future, in despair and gloominess.

Further down the line, among the commoners, the distinct groups who suffer the most when there is any economic uncertainty, depression, disquiet, are mostly the youths who then would immediately flood the unemployment market as they become of age and, or pass out from schools, the women who would be the first in line to be thrown out of their jobs to become preyed upon at home and on the streets, made wretched, abused, assaulted, etc, contract staff who automatically are back, seeking new contracts, etc, etc.

So, in the face of such multi-facet batteries and bombardments, heightened competitions among bunch and bundles to secure few available jobs in a continued deteriorating and changing labour market with concept of employability redesigned, redefined as, prioritised, what should or would you do to stay, relevant? What would you do to get on and get by? Would you repackage yourself to sell yourself as stand out? Be relevant? Be employable? Or, better still, be an employer? Are there things you can do, steps you can take to package or repackage yourself to sell yourself?

The answer is, a resounding, yes. When the world become uncertain, too complex, and it seems there is no way or road to a future of fruition, there, you would find the intelligent, innovative and risk venture-takers untangling, untwisting and succeeding. There you’d  find such people, willing to try, device and source pathways to top of ladder living through acquiring new skills, venturing where no others have dared go, looking inward to assess, access what strength of characters they possess to overcome and achieve. It was Napoleons Hill who said, “Business depressions do not destroy the market for imagination: they merely increase the need and extend the demand for imagination. The world stands in need of men who will use their imagination.”

Yes, the world needs you, prepare to use your artistry, creativity, cognition, and conception; a reinvented you, prepared to cast off all constraints and inhibition. Though determinedly matching forward unrestrained, still, remain clothed in desired traits of decency, civility, courtesy, dignity, spirituality, and honest in all relationship without yet, letting any or all of the above be hindrance or antithesis to innovation, venture, imagination, bravery, and being bold in exploring to achieve. If you are able to have the right frame of mind to self-develop, reinvent yourself, then, you’d be in the right path to selling yourself right, not short. And, make manifest your abilities, capabilities, confidence as well as skillfulness. How do you do all these?

1. You Start By Attempting Selling You To Yourself.

In whatever situation you find yourself, you have to come first: you dig up your positive characteristics, your self-confidence, your self-worth and essence. You have the power, the innate, God-given and learned intelligence to make you, who you want to be. It takes only beliefs, awakening sense of self acceptance, wanting to be worthy, planning, having direction and determined to see it through to find yourself. Knowing who you want to be and making you that person is vital to selling yourself because, you cannot communicate to others what you are not or do not have. You can be pretentious, true, you can succeed awhile by deceit, so yes, can fool some people for a time, but never can fool all the people, all the time. Your non-verbal communication would out you eventually. For often, they are more powerful than your fakery, deception, your compelling tales of untruism, or your carefully composed and delivered fables. Your self-belief can inspire taking you to high heights you strive to obtain by crookery, can build your confidence in taking action, nurture your positive attitude to life, whether in your work  place, outside work relationships, in your ability to blank and overcome negativity or, all forms of other limitations.

So, on the path of self discovery and sorting what areas to strengthen and area of weaknesses to work on, start by writing your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Asses each strength for priority. The ones to continue to strengthen, go to the top of your list. Then, list your weaknesses: Doing the weaknesses list might be a bit depressing, but worth the efforts. Only you know you enough to do a good job of self constructive assessment and criticism. The listing done, assess each weakness for priority. The ones to be urgently fixed go to the top most in your listing.

2. Then Practice And Practice To Exactness.

Practice we all know makes perfection. So, practice self-development to get yourself well-prepared, reinvented, and able to effectively sell yourself. After taking stock and listing your abilities with regard to your weaknesses and strength to find the areas to make improvements on, it is important to keep a balance as, for, just as listing your weaknesses can be daunting, so also is focusing only on your strengths can mean ignoring amendable areas needing further developments.

To put the above to actions require routine practice, following the lists and prioritization from top to bottom. All activities must be timed and properly recorded to track your progress. Be careful not to over do any, remain steady, committed and ask for help where and when need be. To help along this process, you may read books, ask help from professional experts, if you can afford it or simply ask for assistants from your network and groups. Practice in front of friends, family, and your mirror. Developing a good sense of self to sell ‘you’ may seem overwhelming, but, believe you were born for success, and go for it.

3. Then Branding Yourself To Sell You.

This is building, nourishing and hyping yourself. You do this by carefully cultivating, brewing, blending and going through the above practice skills to experience, and bring about the personality that you want the world to see of you. It is the telltale, end game packaged story of you that you make manifest in your overall communications, behaviour, deportment, and carriage. It is about positioning your reinvented or cultivated and educated self, purposefully and strategically showcasing your authentic self to others; advertising your properly arranged, true reflection of your skills, most capable self, credible you, the best quality you, passions, values, as well as beliefs and strong sense of self. It is showing off your best qualities without being shy or reserved. Let’s face it, you do and forever would have shortcomings as human Being, even then, branding you is, learning to spin such imperfections to grandstand them as, part-strength that helps you stay focus on your goals.