Blog

______

Be warned.

Memes are everywhere.

They could be lurking EVERYWHERE in your business.

: In your website template.

: In the colors you choose.

: On your about page.

: In your headshot.

: In the language you use.

And the worst thing? You may not even know it.

Merriam-Webster defines meme: “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.”

So that means that a meme acts as a carrier of popular ideas, which then replicate themselves everywhere in our world. 

And since a lot of our world takes place online, those popular ideas and images spread super fast. And push themselves in our faces everyday.

Which is why you suddenly see Barbie Core everywhere. Or handwritten fonts. Or a certain website template.

That seems innocent enough.

Well, here’s where the Body Snatchers come in.

Many of these memes are so subtle that they become part of our daily life without us noticing. 

Like the phrase “I know, right?”

(Which I use all the time. Let’s blame it on the 5000 viewings of Valley Girl in the ‘80s. And now I CAN’T stop talking like a Valley Girl, no matter how old I get. Totally, like, you know?)

And even spookier?

We start using memes to represent us––and our online presence––without even thinking about it or questioning it.

You know why? Because when you’re not paying close attention, memes disguise themselves as popularity. As trends. And we like being on-trend.

It feels cutting edge. It’s using this month’s colors, combined with the most popular Canva templates, and a sprinkling of trending fonts. Suddenly you’re IN.

People don’t have to guess what you’re about. They recognize the meme, and accept it as the trend of the moment.

Because they see it everywhere.

Because it looks like everything else.

Because it’s comfortable. It’s familiar.

See, it only feels cutting edge. In reality, a meme makes you part of the crowd. A meme erases individuality––without you even noticing. A meme’s sole purpose is to copy. Maybe with minute variations, but it’s still about copying.

Memes make you think you’re adding something new to the conversation when in reality you’re being absorbed.

Maybe that sounds a little alarmist––but I AM alarmed. I’m always alarmed when people give up originality in favor of mindless copying.

So I’m asking you:

Are you a meme, mindlessly imitating ideas you haven’t even questioned in your personal brand?

I don’t know, Erika, and you’re really freaking me out too! So what do I do to fight the memes?

Don’t worry, there’s a way to escape the memes and stand out from the crowd: EXAGGERATION.

Exaggerating what already exists in you is the key to becoming an epic character that can’t be mindlessly copied. 

Take, for example, Salvador Dali, who understood the importance of standing out. He exaggerated his personality, painting, clowning, and showmanship to express the total personality of Dali. He made the work of art indistinguishable from the artist, becoming the artwork itself. His unique style and approach set him apart from other artists of his time, and his success is a testament to the power of exaggeration.

Diana Vreeland is another example of a person who lived by the philosophy of “exaggeration is my only reality.” She believed in living large and breaking fashion boundaries, using unusual models and exaggerated features to make them the ultimate in chic. Her approach to fashion transformed women’s magazines, introducing the first live model on a magazine cover, fashion editorials, and fashion shoots on location.

Exaggeration is not about fitting in or being trendy.

It’s about being true to yourself and standing out from the crowd. It’s about taking what makes you unique and amplifying it to the world. 

In a world full of memes, it’s time to be your own character and escape conformity.

Embrace what makes you different and use it to your advantage.

Don’t hold back, exaggerate it. Be bold. Audacious. Shameless. And watch your personal brand transform into something truly epic and memorable.

XXXO

______

Have you ever noticed that the most confident, alluring people-and-success-magnets have a certain je ne sais quoi about them?

Often they aren’t the people with the most “flawless” appearance or perfectly styled hair, makeup, or wardrobe.

But they exude a quality that makes people (and things, and opportunities) gravitate toward them.

That quality?

It’s that they are fully themselves.

But it’s not just their appearance that differentiates these people, or makes them magnetic to others.

It’s the fact that they simply ooze their own personal brand of “ME-I-Love-To-Be”-ness.

(Not the “Me” others want them to be.)

They’re unapologetically themselves, in all their flawed, fascinating glory.

And they’re not letting anyone else’s opinion or expectations prevent them from being out there, going after and getting what they want in life.

Ten years ago, you could get away with not fully showing up as yourself, and you could construct an “alter ego” on your social media feed by having a carefully selected set of branded photos that may or may not have represented the real you at all.

Today, with video taking over social media, anyone whose personal brand doesn’t line up with the “persona” they’ve created on their Instagram feed is going to be left behind.

(Or worse, they’ll be afraid to put herself out there to begin with!)

For example, if you look like Gwen Stefani in your brand photos, but you show up on a live video looking a lot more like Gwyneth Paltrow, there’ll be a huge disconnect for the people in your orbit.

Both of these ladies are undeniably gorgeous––and they couldn’t be more different in terms of their personal brand.

Neither is better or worse. Each of them is simply being fully herself.

This is what a personal brand does.

It reflects the TRUE you. 

No one who really looks, acts, lives and loves like Gwyneth Paltrow is going to be happy trying to force herself to be like Gwen Stefani. And vice versa.

A personal brand LIBERATES you.

It gives you…

• Permission to be as good as you know you are.
• Permission to live the life you know you want to live.
• Permission to do things the way you know you want to do them.

And it allows you to get out there and be SEEN in the world.

I’m not talking about dancing and pointing on Instagram.

Although if that’s your thing, then that’s exactly what I’m talking about!

In my own personal brand, I was terrified that potential clients wouldn’t take me seriously if they knew about my stripper past. 

But I never felt comfortable living a lie. And it held me back. ​​

It wasn’t until I broke out of the mold of a “prim, proper, and professional” coach… Everything changed for me.

Being fully self-expressed has brought me a life unknown to my former self.

You must own your power to be exactly who you want to be, personally and professionally––so you can create your life exactly the way you want it to look.

Cultivate your true personality in every area of your life.

Define who you want to be and consistently show up in your life as that person.

Have the confidence, courage and commitment to be fully, unapologetically, unforgettably self-expressed.

Do all of this in a systematic and consistent way––and watch as the world gravitates towards you.

XXXO

______

What part of YOU are you hiding?

Keeping pent up. Or shoved down. Just in case it’s not quite acceptable. Or so you think.

Your inner hippie?

Your inner glam girl?

Your inner smarty pants?

Your inner bad girl?

Your inner woo woo?

Your inner nerd?

Your inner artist?

Your inner dominatrix? (Oh. Come on. I can’t be the only one.)

How does it feel to squash yourself down?

To make yourself properly acceptable to anyone and everyone who comes through your (virtual) doors?

Let’s be NAUGHTY and invite her out to play,

Because being YOU––all of you is POWERFUL.

The kind of NAUGHTY that gets you noticed. 

– Original.

– Adorable. 

– Fascinating.

So NAUGHTY that people can’t stop talking about you.

XXXO