Who are you? Well, who I am may be a better place to start. My name is Brandon Pacyna and I am the most recent addition to the Blue Daring team. I have a background in marketing, event coordination and sales. For those reasons, I’ve been brought on to assist a client in launching a pilot program in the Chicagoland area. With this change in occupation comes a plethora of “new” – A new title, new business cards, new voicemail message, new email signature, new clothes, new schedule, new commute; a new introduction to marry to the same old handshake (“Hi, I’m Brandon Pacyna – Sales Consultant for Blue Daring”) and plenty more.\n\nThese changes didn’t register as significant to me, as I’ve changed jobs and titles before. However, a recent episode of the FX comedy series, Louie, starring actor and comedian, Louis CK got me thinking.  In this particular episode Louie wants to give his daughters a glimpse into their ancestry and decides to take them out of the city and into the country to meet their elderly great aunt. Almost instantly, the combination of New York City traffic and a 5 year‐old’s ceaseless non‐rhetorical questions have Louie white‐knuckling the steering wheel for miles. That is, until the song, “Who Are You” by The Who comes on the radio. The song from Louie’s past ignites a gentle finger tapping that quickly lathers itself into a full‐out front seat performance (drum solos and all). Louie’s change in attitude was as obvious as the change in the landscape that surrounded him.\n\nThis scene brought to light something that a lot of us forget. Sure, we have titles and roles in life, but at the end of the day we’re just one person – one identity. Whether Louie is entertaining thousands of people as a famous comedian at Carnegie Hall or just two from the front seat of his Honda as a dad, he’s still doing it as the same person. Lesson to us all – be yourself. This is waaaay beyond the feel good, supportive message we’re are all used to hearing. Living consistently, a whole life, has its real life benefits. Ones, that I would argue, are just as applicable to a brand as they are a person.\n\nBenefit #1 / Build a Reputation\nAt the risk of giving the impression I spend every waking moment in front of a television, I’ll make reference to Kitchen Nightmares starring Gordon Ramsey. Kitchen Nightmares’ concept is simple – Gordon Ramsey is brought into restaurants on the brink of bankruptcy and attempts to identify the reasons they’re suffering. Almost every single time, the solution involves condensing the menu to a small list of options, making those items define the restaurant itself. Too often restaurants, like people and brands, have such expansive choices that they forget to do anything right. Focusing on what you do best ensures that you not only develop a reputation for those strengths, but further that you have the time to perfect them. Rolex (watches), Harley Davidson (motorcycles) and Ben & Jerry’s (ice cream) are all great examples.\n\nBenefit #2 / Eliminate Stress and Increase Focus\nThe explanation surrounding the benefit of living a whole life might come across as subjective, but that’s mainly because it seems so obvious. When making a decision, big or small, one draws from their conscience. Simply giving the mind/soul one well to draw from reduces the stress and anxiety associated with making day to day decisions and further saves energy spent on constantly shifting modes. This whole life thinking is the equivalent of the role strategy plays for a brand. When you know who you are and what your goals are, you spend more time on the things that matter.\n\nBenefit #3/ Know Where You’re Going\nSeveral exercises can be influential in your growth (or that of your brand). Reflection, goal setting, action planning are all examples. However, the only way to truly capitalize on their impact is by knowing first who you are.  Staying focused and consistent with your identity makes planning easy. Whether that be in the pursuit of the right clients or the rejection of the wrong friends.  Knowing who you are makes knowing where you’re going clear.\n\nThe message is simple.  Whether it’s you or your brand – discover who you really are and roll with it.  The benefits will surprise you.