Becoming a high-value Muslim sister starts with the right mindset and is followed by creating your personal brand, one that is deserving of a high-value Muslimah. Do you remember when we were little girls and we dared to dream? Those days when we actually had the confidence to exclaim “I’m going to be a princess” and believe it? Then, we got older and decided our dreams were not going to happen because life happens and we all have to accept that at some point. But some of us Muslim sisters still feel our dreams and goals gnawing at us, while we keep living our mediocre lives. It is all to easy to settle for something safe and stay in the comfort zone that keeps us complacent. The higher risk but also higher reward life consists of chasing your dreams and is not made for everyone.
But isn’t it better to try and fail than to never have tried at all? Nothing is worse than missing an opportunity that could have changed your life! That is why in this series, I share the steps you need to upgrade your life and become a high-value Muslim Sister. First, you need to know 3 things before you start this journey. Then, you need to work on the 1st step: having a faith mindset. If you’ve read and understood both those things, you’re ready for step 3: Branding
What is (personal) branding?
Branding is marketing
It is a marketing practice in which a brand creates a name, symbol or design that is identifiable as belonging to the brand. This helps to identify their products and distinguishes them from other products and services. Branding is important because it makes a memorable impression on others and allows them to know what to expect from the brand. It is a way of distinguishing the brand from other brands and it clarifies what it is that makes your brand the better choice. Your brand is built to be a true representation of who you are, and how you wish to be perceived.
Let me give you a marketing example: many people say that they like the taste of Coca Cola more than the taste of Pepsi Cola. An experiment showed that that’s not the case! More people actually like the taste of Pepsi Cola, yet they all buy Coca Cola. That’s because the branding of Coca Cola is top-notch! People feel connected to Coca-Cola and it’s their brand definition, which exists of their purpose, values, promise. Coca-Cola stresses these concepts in all their advertising. “Open Happiness”, “Share A Coke”, “Taste The Feeling” all of these slogans, focus on happiness, positivity, experiencing life and togetherness. That’s why Coca-Cola is so loved, it stands for something and even if you haven’t seen all their ads, you know what they stand for.
What is Personal Branding
Personal branding is basically marketing yourself and how you promote yourself. It’s a unique mix of your skills, experiences in life, and personality. It’s how you want the world to see you. Your personal brand reflects your belief system, your mindset, your behaviour and your story. Your spoken and unspoken words, your attitude, your ‘vibe’, it’s all part of your personal brand as a Muslimah. You use your brand to distinguish yourself from other people. If you manage your brand well, you can incorporate it into your career and business goals, which most definitely will help you succeed. For example: if you are known as a very trustworthy person who keeps their promises ALWAYS, you will probably receive a promotion quicker than someone who has the same skillset as you, but lacks your trustworthiness.
Your personal brand as a Muslimah is the representation that people see of you. It’s a combination of how people look at you in real life, the impression that people gain from the information about you online and the way others speak of you. This means that you already have a brand. Up till now, for most of you, it developed organically, maybe even a bit chaotically. Having a consistent brand is only possible if you have an idea of who you are, or of who you want to become. Branding is the bundle that tells the narrative of who you are, or who want to become.
Why you need to work on your personal brand as a Muslimah
Because your past Personal Brand doesn’t have to define your future
Maybe you grew with many hardships which made you bitter and resentful. Or you maybe have parents who lacked manners because they weren’t thought the right Adab and therefore couldn’t teach you. Maybe you come from a poor neighbourhood and you never thought you would amount to much. You probably made some bad choices in life, but haven’t we all? These things all influence the personal brand you have now, but they don’t have to influence your future. Don’t let your past stop you from reinventing yourself in the now. You may be a slob, tacky, or rude but you can become better. Who you are now, doesn’t have to be you in the future, if you don’t like who you are now, then change now. Become who you want to be! Being a High-Value Muslim Sister starts with your mindset, and is followed by how you present yourself.
Because your Personal Brand (the way you present yourself) matters
In “3 Things You Need To Know | Becoming A High-Value Muslim Sister” I stated that you don’t need to look like a model when you start this journey. You don’t need fox eyes like Bella Hadid, or Kylie Jenner filled lips. You do, however, need to be presentable and try to look good. Economist David Hamermesh states in his book Beauty Pays, that attractive people are more likely to be employed, are paid higher wages, are more likely to be approved for a loan and negotiate loans with more favourable terms. Not only that, but they also have better looking and higher-status spouses. Working on your looks does have a positive influence on your life. I’m not saying to change your face extremely or become an entirely different person. I’m saying to look the way you want to be perceived.
How to create your personal brand as a Muslimah?
Step 1. Find out who you are or better yet, who you want to be!
The first step to creating your personal brand as a Muslimah is finding out who you are or who you want to be. You do this by reflecting on your beliefs, your mindset, dreams and goals. Ask yourself:
- Do I want to be known for a certain thing?
- What goals and dreams do I have?
- Are there characteristics that others have complimented me on?
- What characteristics do I like in others and would I like to have as well?
- How do I want to be perceived by others?
- What kind of personal brand fits my dreams and goals?
Do you want to be known for being a well-mannered Muslim sister? Then learn all the etiquette, manners and adab rules and apply them to your daily life. Do you like that your friend is a good listener? Then become a good listener as well. Do you want to be perceived as a high-value Muslim sister? Then value yourself every day and don’t settle for anything less than you deserve. Have you been complimented on being charming and funny? Then you need to incorporate that in your personal brand and really make it shine through. You don’t want to limit yourself too much, your personal brand will change as you evolve but continuity is important once you’ve found what fits you.
Step 2. Find what makes you unique
Now you know who you want to be and where you want to be in the future. But what’s your unique selling proposition? Every Muslim sister is unique, but to the outside world, we’re seen as the same. We’re Muslim, that is our one defining trait and non-Muslims define us that way. We are that one Muslim colleague, that one Muslim student with a Hijab, or that one Muslim girl with strict parents who won’t let her go on class trips. We are stereotyped in so many interesting ways (almost always as oppressed, I’m looking at you Netflix). That’s why you need to find that one thing that makes you stand out.
Being a Muslim is something you should be proud of. That’s why I want us to become High-Value Muslim Sisters and not just High-Value sisters. Being Muslim is what defines us, yes, but we are many other things. I am a Classy Muslim Sister. What makes me unique is that I’m High-Class. I wasn’t born into a wealthy family or anything, but I carry myself in a way that shows how much I value myself. I don’t spare one glance to boys in training suits who try to talk to me, I negotiate raises when I know I deserve to be paid more and I don’t hang out with people who don’t have my best interest at heart. That’s what makes me unique. Find what’s unique to you and incorporate that into your personal brand.
Step 3. Find out what your energy & vibe is like
Everyone has an energy about them. Some women seem very feminine and some men very masculine. But some men live more on their feminine side and the same happens to some women. Some people have a warm and friendly vibe, whilst others have a standoffish, cold vibe.’ Vibe’ and ‘energy’ are not exactly the same but both can describe a person’s emotional state or their atmosphere/aura as communicated to and felt by others. You’ve probably met people who seemed to have positive energy but still gave of bad vibes. Some of the most notorious serial killers had this warm, friendly energy, but they always had a creepy vibe hanging around them. What’s your vibe? And what energy do you give off?
Do this vibe and energy fit your personal brand? Do you want to be seen as a kind, friendly person with a personal brand that screams “caregiver“? Then you may want to work on having warm, feminine energy and give off friendly and chill vibes. Do you want to be seen as a hardworking, intelligent person with a personal brand that screams “career woman“? Then you should probably work on exuding passionate and confident energy with an active and determined vibe.
You can fill it in your self!
I, (fill in your name), want to be seen as a Muslimah (insert 2 adjectives) with a personal brand that screams (fill in the goal/dream person you’ll be in the future). That means that I will work on (insert 2 adjectives that feel like energies to you) energy with an (insert 2 adjectives that feel like vibes to you) vibe to achieve my goal of becoming that person.
Step 4. Find out what your personality is like
Have you ever heard of the 16 Personalities test? It’s based on the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator which is designed to identify a person’s personality type, strengths, and preferences. The questionnaire was developed by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs based on their work with Carl Jung’s theory of personality types. Taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can provide a lot of insight into your personality, which will help you create your personal brand. The test looks at the following aspects of your personality:
- Extraversion – Introversion
- Sensing – Intuition
- Thinking – Feeling
- Judging – Perceiving
I advise you to take the test and really reflect on your results because they tell you a lot about yourself. If you find out that you are an introvert (you probably knew that all along) it may be more difficult for you to acquire a personal brand that screams “entertainer“. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it will be harder for you than for someone who is an extravert because being the life of the party is more in their nature. It’s up to you what you want your personal brand as a Muslimah to be. You can decide if you want to play into your strengths, your personality, vibes and energy or if you want to do a full transformation and become someone totally different. It’s your choice.
Your Classy Muslim Sister is an ENFJ
ENFJ’s are known as the protagonist or as the giver. We have Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging personality traits. People see ENFJ’s as warm, forthright types who love helping others, and we tend to have strong ideas and values. We back our perspective with creative energy and that’s how we achieve our goals. Of all the personality types, the ENFJ is often perceived as being the strongest “people person” because we are capable of befriending all personality types, even the more introverted or reserved ones. We can sense what others feel and affect how people behave, which means that we have the ability to influence others.
“Protagonists are genuine, caring people who talk the talk and walk the walk, and nothing makes them happier than leading the charge, uniting and motivating their team with infectious enthusiasm.”
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I fit this description perfectly. My purpose behind creating YourClassyMuslimSister.com was that I wanted to help my fellow Muslim sisters to become High-Value Muslim Sisters! I urge you to take the test and really try to understand yourself and your motivations. It will help you with creating a personal brand that fits you.
Step 5. Be consistent with your personal brand
If you found your personal brand as a Muslimah, it’s important to stay consistent. Don’t hop from one thing to another. I’m not saying to always be the same person, stay stagnant and not evolve at all. When I say consistent I mean that there must always be an undercurrent of who the true ‘you’ in your personal brand. Reinvent yourself however you like, but don’t be a goth on Monday, a princess on Tuesday and a punk on Wednesday. You need to have some sense of who you want to be in the long run. Continuity is valued as it makes you more reliable.
Let’s look back on Coca-Cola. They have had countless different slogans the past few years but their brand values are still the same: happiness, positivity, experiencing life and togetherness. Even though they changed up and evolved their products in different ways (Coca-Cola® Energy, Coca-Cola® Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola® Flavours and even Coca-Cola® with Coffee!) they still use the same colour in their logo. It can be as easy as that! Now imagine if they had changed the red colour to blue… That would make you feel some type of way, wouldn’t it?
Become that Classy, High-Value Muslim Sister!
Having the right mindset is step 1 on your journey to becoming a high-value Muslim sister. Step 2 is branding yourself the way you want to be perceived and be consistent in your branding. The ‘Become a High-Value Muslim Sister’ series will consist of multiple steps that focus on internal and mental changes as well as external physical transformations. Do you want to learn more about this topic? Then make sure you check the tags and the category Self Love, and Elegance. Or you can follow me on my social media account to get an update every time a need blog is posted. I also write about Modesty, love and more if you are interested! Do you want to help the other Muslim sisters in your life on their journey to becoming a High-value Muslim sister? Then share my blog with them and follow me on Social Media!
Kisses,
Your Classy Muslim Sister
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