When it comes to memorability, the vulgar, the annoying, the irritating and the obnoxious individuals have it nailed. Howard Stern, Roseanne Arnold, Dennis Rodman. They all push the limits of what most of us consider social graces in some form or another, and yet they are famous for it. Most even make their living at it to some degree. Their personal brands are obvious and unfaltering in the face of criticism and they laugh all the way to the bank.

It seems almost an unfair advantage to the milder personalities out there. How can we, the civilized, compete with the attention grabbers of the world? And how do they survive in the professional world with their blatant disrespect to political correctness?

The answer is simple. It rests in their lack of fear. And they would not survive without an underlying cache of ability.
It is not that the world responds to their purple hair or glass-shattering laugh and trailer-trash image. These are simply the vehicles that grab our attention and leave an impression. Not one of these individuals would be where they are if it weren’t for an innate talent to showcase once in the spotlight. Rodman is an excellent athlete, Roseanne a talented comedian, and Stern has mastered the art of entertainment through controversy.

None of them would be where they are if they had allowed any fear of rejection or desire of acceptance to hold them back in their brand development. I am certain that they each get their fair share of public criticism and are downright banned from certain households. But whether or not the majority of the public likes what they stand for isn’t the point. Their success has come from the vast multitude of publicity they receive from bucking the norm and showcasing their talent in the process.
So how can this help you if your life tends toward higher standards of moral and social ethics? Again it rests in conquering your fear. Be who you are, authentically, and don’t hold back to fit in. Find your uniqueness and embrace it. Push it. Explore the idea of enhancing your strongest traits rather than subduing them.

The main challenge here is that for most of us, these are the things we were chastised for as children or told to manage in our school years. “You can’t talk about sex in public” – well tell that to Dr. Ruth. “You should get that gap fixed in your teeth” – well tell that to David Letterman and his signature smile. Think of Bogart and his speech impediment, or Ross Perot and his ears and whiny voice. These aren’t the traits that made them famous, but they are the traits that make them memorable. They fearlessly embraced their uniqueness to create an image that stood out from the rest.

So in pursuing your own personal brand, don’t ignore the awkward stuff. Look at it closely and consider how it fits into your image. I have no desire to set the masses out to model Howard Stern, but I do hope that we can break through the box of social conformity to embrace our own individuality and create success along the way.

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© Andrea O'Neill, 2002