‘What kind of person do you think you are?’
‘Tell me about yourself’
‘We want to know who you are.’
These are the questions I’ve been asked most over the past 4 years both recently and while working as an actress back in Thailand. Not as easy as they may look to answer, I have often been faced with a conundrum. Who am I? How am I being perceived by others?
In the entertainment business, I myself was regarded as a product under my own name as a brand. Simultaneously with developing a product for the entertainment market, creating a brand is equally important since it is the only thing accounting for a consumer’s decision to choose one product over another. It’s imperative I really know myself in order to best present myself and strategize how to go about ensuring others recognize me in the light I want them to.
Taking the Fascination Advantage Assessment by Sally Hogshead is a great way to discover how the world sees us. I was truly amazed and blown away by how 28 simple and easy to answer questions on a personal test could give me such accurate answers about myself and how the others perceived me as a person. Some portray the personality I’m already aware of, some personify what I have never been able to put into words before or have been hesitant to say out loud or admit to myself, and some, well frankly, I have been totally oblivious to!
Now you must be just the slightest bit curious what my results were…
Say hello to Thunyasupan (ME!) whom the world sees her as The Scholar; intellectual, disciplined, systematic, relentless and the standard-bearer. My fascination advantages are prestige (increasing respect) and alertness (creating a sense of urgency) while my dormant advantage is mystique (arousing curiosity)!
OK, I know that sounds pretty tense but I swear I’m anything but. I’m a cool scholar. Yes, I do set the bar quite high for myself and do expect the highest quality at all times with action to be taken promptly but on the bright side, that also makes me a highly motivated person with a constant drive to improve. I always set my goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them. Where the dictionary says tenacious my name should be next to it. Yet, on the other side of the coin, I tend to be risk-averse and tend to avoid any precarious new ventures.
It’s good to get to know yourself as your specialty is what makes you different from everyone else in your team or field. I also find it even more useful to analyze further and learn how the world sees you as they are your audience. This will help you present yourself, improve your self-articulation and generally assist you to communicate better. It allows you to know exactly where you stand, acknowledge your strengths and moreover, your limitations. With the consciousness of those limitations, you will be able to add value to yourself and become the best version of you.
I’ve long had an inkling that I can sometimes make people feel uneasy being around me as I can be very disciplined and systematic. However, because I am now fully aware of that, I can try to be more fun and relaxed, telling myself it’s okay not to try and be perfect all the time. I will hopefully find even more balance in life and eventually, be even happier.
As we are all living in a world of too little time and too much information, human attention spans have become much much more compressed. The Microsoft Study claimed that the ‘human attention span went from 12 seconds on average in 2000 to just 8.25 seconds in 2015.’ That means we all have 8.25 seconds to captivate others and get them to decide whether we are worth their further attention or not. The competition is higher than ever! We have to communicate and interact with other people effectively.
Communication is a 2-sided action and once you know how the world sees you, you can focus on what others value in you and use that to stand out and be remembered. I do not only find these facts useful in the field of marketing as it is crucial for marketers to captivate customer’s attention through various media platforms and content. This can also be applied to every single action in everyday life and typical routines; every time you write an email, leave a message or talk to someone. It all counts!
“You might have a genius idea, one that could alter mankind. But if nobody is fascinated by your idea, it will die”
I encourage you to take some time and get to know more about yourself or take the Fascination Advantage Assessment! To me, this is greater than marketing as it is also a key life skill utilized by those in the know and neglected by those yet to realize the value it holds. The way I see it knowing yourself and knowing how the world sees you will change the way you choose to live your life as you will be more aware and find balance more easily, increasing your own contentment and also the potential value others see in you. I’m confident and optimistic that you can live a better life by going down this road. You are your own personal brand. Go out there, present yourself, have fun, leverage it. Fascinate yourself and fascinate the world with the best in you.
And of course, stay HAPPY 🙂
A Happy Marketer 
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