Are you British or Kenyan? A lawyer or an investment banker? Catholic or Muslim? Tall or short? Black or white?
You are constantly being put in a box. People find it easier to “know” you if they know which box to fit you into. They judge you by the colour of your skin to the colour of your passport.
Sometimes it is even hard to figure yourself out. An accountant should be like X – and I’m not like that. A black person is meant to be like Y – and I’m not like that.
Nationalities, professions, religions, race are all brands. If you live in Italy you perceive the French a certain way. The perception of the French in Germany might be completely different. The “French” are a brand.
You represent your brand and it is important for you to remember that what you do potentially impacts millions of people. If you are Chinese than you potentially represent ALL Chinese to the last non-Chinese person that you met. There might be over a billion of you but as you are the only Chinese I met, I don’t have time to get to know the others – so I think everyone is just like you.
You know that you are different. You know that you are a brand in yourself but also remember to represent your identity well.