Be Yourself - Celebrate Your Hashtag

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If you had a #hashtag, what would it be? 

If you don’t know what a hashtag is – don’t worry. I’ll explain. 

Usually used on social media, it’s a few words preceded by the # hash sign to identify a topic.

It tells you what something is very quickly.

For example, #MotivationMonday – does what it says on the tin!

However, for this TIP – you are not going to use it on social media (optional) – you are going to create a #hashtag for yourself, for fun. 

It’s a way of condensing down the quick-fix description of you in a matter of words.

Creating a hashtag is a fantastic shortcut for figuring out your ‘essence’ or your ‘personal brand’.  

Don’t worry. You don’t have to be super creative and overthink your hashtag, and you don’t have to get it tattooed onto your left buttock either!

The handy thing about this exercise is that if you know your hashtag, it’s like knowing your core, yourself, and what flavour you’re going to be – it’s all part of being YOU-ish.

The best hashtags have a cultural reference and a hint of your personality that’s totally unique to you.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not in the creative industry.

You can still be creative with this exercise. Most of my clients are city folk, bankers, lawyers, and accountants. They LOVE this exercise. Even if they do find it stretches their comfort zone.

One head of finance created the hashtag for herself…

#Fun_Finance_Head – “Ahh”, I said, “that’s an oxymoron” – (when you describe things with two opposites)

Another oxymoron hashtag I came across in a French bank was #Happy_Parisienne.

Apparently, Parisiennes aren’t known for being ‘happy’.

In the same bank, we had… #La_force_tranquille

The guy who created this one for himself was very quiet and didn’t say a word during the group session.

I thought he wasn’t enjoying my Impact masterclass as he didn’t smile for the whole morning.

I thought to myself – ‘The Quiet Force’ – he’s not a man of many words.

The rest of the group nodded their heads and said, 

“Quiet? Yes, that’s a good hashtag for him. He is the quiet force”

I asked him what he thought the direct translation into English would be, and he looked me straight in the eye, paused, and replied…

“The Silent Assassin” 

He’s colleagues clapped and agreed that this was the most ingenious hashtag ever!

It gave me a chill, but I was very impressed.

The very same young man gave the most dynamic and powerful pitch at the end of the session. Yes, he was silent and DEADLY!

My favourite #hashtag belonged to my client, who said she was the only person in compliance who had an ‘outgoing’ personality.

She’d done the insights psychometric test. Have you ever done one of those?

You end up being a colour… usually it goes something like this…

Blue – Analytical – quietly getting on with the more techie stuff

Green – Caring, people person, team player

Yellow – Outgoing, the life and soul of the party

Red – Alpha – leader – targeted - get the job done NOW!

She said the rest of her team were blue, and she was yellow

So her hashtag was… #The_Only_Yellow_In_Compliance

Very funny. It made me laugh.

So, if your hashtag helps you stand out from the crowd, that’s a good thing.

Please go on, have a go, and bring your background or culture into it.

If you’re Italian, make your hashtag Italian. If you’re from Essex, celebrate it.

We’ve had a #Brainy_Bronx_Girl before. Try this practical tip.

This hashtag WILL help you figure out your authentic voice.

Live by your hashtag and share it with your nearest and dearest.

Once you’ve decided what your hashtag is, you can channel this when you speak on a stage, in a meeting, or on a conference call. It’s your essence. It’s what people will know you for! 

Love from,

#EyesandTeethEsther

Esther Stanhope