by Patricia Phelan Clapp M.A. LLC - Transition Coach

I just had a mental picture of half of all of you out there in Patch Land scratching your heads going, "What the ...?" and the other half smirking thinking I am alluding to some kind of body part.

So, what exactly what is an "ism"?

Ironically, it most likelly is not what you think it is. Rather, it's that cool thing that makes you - YOU. For instance, a good friend told me this once when describing her daughter - I just wanted to embrace her "Katie-ism" when I realized she wasn't me or my husband - she was Katie. (changed the name but you get the drift).

What qualities/traits do you bring to the table? Own them. Embrace them. Love the isms that make you your cool, authentic self. This is what I call personal branding. Now, to get to the next level, use those traits to leap from that lily pad. Pretty neat concept, isn't it?

A secret ingredient professionals use is to build on their "isms' and incorporate them into their professional life. By mixing your personal with the professional (which is combing passion with service and/or product) is a brilliant way to up the anty with your career.

So as you can see, embracing those quality characteristics that create who you are today can be a launching pad to get you to where you want to go.

All you need to do is to pay attention to what makes you you, build on those strengths and own them. The rest is the easy part. How cool is that?

Well, not any cooler than you.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson