Ask any career professional what you absolutely must have in order to successfully carve out a professional niche for yourself, and they will state the obvious. You need to know what makes you unique.

The key to success today is standing out from the crowd. What defines your service? How do you do things differently? Why would a client hire you as opposed to some other equally qualified candidate?

If you can’t communicate your services or your approach to your work in a memorable way, you will be forgotten.

Oh great right?  Not only do you need to do all the regular traditional things right, like get the right education, network with the right people, learn the right skills and gain the right experiences…but now you have to brand yourself as a unique entity in the process.

We are a gourmet culture folks. We want a personalized, individualized, unique and tailored solution to all of our wants. Apple has built a monster of a company on this very premise.

How can you be sure what you offer can’t be shipped overseas for someone else to do at half the cost? Offer something no one can replace.

Why is this even an important thing to consider?

Here is the Why: Figuring this out will do several important things for you. 

1. You will be able to stand out from the competition.

2. You can take ownership for your uniqueness — and let’s face it, being creative this way is just way more fun.

3. You can communicate your strengths to your supervisor…who will love you for solving their problems and will recommend you in the future to other potential clients.

4. You will have the creative freedom to do your work your own way. If you’re hired because of a unique brand, people will want to watch you work your magic — and no one will want to mess with your chi.

5. Articulating your brand to your audience will put you in a position where you are sought out to do what you are good at over and over. In the process, you build more skills, refine your strengths, and construct a deeper network of those you might serve in the future.

Sounds easy enough right? Here’s the reason why it’s not.

You have to know who you are first before you can do any of this!! How can you begin the intense process of mindfully and intentionally sharing your unique service if you don’t know what that is?

Here is the How!

Don’t panic. I’ve got a starting place fore you. Even big personal quests have to start somewhere right?

You don’t need to journal. You don’t need to pay a career coach for this one. You don’t have to struggle to fill in worksheets, and you don’t have to go to therapy. Just start Pinning!!!!

Pinterest has created the perfect place for you to find images and quotes you can assemble to help you in understanding who you are, and what makes you different.

I fell into this idea completely by accident after finding a pic of Fred Rogers that sent goosebumps up my arms and filled my chest with a sense of  ’yes’. I created a board called, “What I aspire to be” where I collect photos, images, and quotes that resonate with me.

Don’t think! That’s where we tend to get so tripped up to begin with. Just feel. If you’re sorting through Pinterest and there is a photo that causes you to mist up, get excited, want to cry, and fires goosebumps up and down your arms you’ve hit on something important. Pin it! Your soul is speaking to you!

So if you’ve lost yourself, or are struggling to define yourself, or really want to know what unique qualities you can incorporate into your service to others….

Try looking on Pinterest.

For an example of my board click here!

Happy Pinning!

BY: Catharine Craig 

To learn more about Catharine, visit her website www.CatharineCraig.com