By Andrew C Abraham

In a previous blog post I mentioned that the best way to discover your brand is by writing down your perception of yourself, and others’ perception of you. But how do you go about building a personal brand in the first place? And I’m not referring to what technologies you employ to showcase it, but rather how do you create that strong foundation for your brand to flourish?

First and foremost it comes down to Passion (with a capital P for emphasis). How often do we hear self-help gurus and entrepreneurs extol the virtues of passion? The reason is because regardless of what external influence we face, passion is what drives us. Passion is the oxygen to success and it drives our personal brand. Any successful person in life was passionate about something. Steve Jobs is passionate about technology; David Beckham is passionate about football; and Mother Teresa was passionate about helping the poor. Everyone that is passionate may not achieve the success that they are after, but everyone that is successful is definitely passionate about something. I challenge you to prove to me otherwise!

The above three examples are people with strong identities that have achieved recognition and success in different ways. And although branding may not have been their focus at the time, their passion in a particular field has solidified their personal brands. The same emphasis on what you love and your purpose in life should ultimately shape your personal brand too. Let me explain why: » Read more: Personal Branding: Found Yours on Passion