What's your brand

Margarine is a word whose meaning I finally understood during upper primary education, after realizing blue band is just one of a type of margarine. Just the same way we think of coke when asked to name a soft drink, so do we need a personal or self brand. Now, most of us are identified by where we are from, where we work, who we are married to, or who our parents are. Women especially are not easily branded in their own right given our patriarchal society. Professionally, branding is important especially if you want to sell yourself. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a ‘hot’ commodity so as to just get a ticket to your next job, self-branding rather ensures you remain the top in your field. For example, what happens when you leave the blue chip company you work for now, do you lose who you are after that company email is pulled off? I am amazed by Patricia Mbatia (former PRO Multi-choice) who built her personal brand alongside that of her employer. After her exit, her self-branding as a PR practitioner now follows her everywhere. How she did it, is a mystery which I would love to get a how-to-do guide on.

Carol Mandi, Gina din, some tips please!

I want to be on the greener side

A year or so ago, I was in Isiolo, rubbing shoulders with the Samburu community. Well, am back again, only this time it’s in Baragoi, and am faced with the stark differences I see life has given each one of us. Here I meet Nachamei, a beautiful 19 year old girl living in Baragoi district; this for some is the other end of the world that Kenyans hear about only when there is drought.

However for Nachamei it’s home; where the cattle come at dusk or after days on end on the trail looking for pasture. Baragoi is also home because she is one of the lucky few Samburu girls to get educated to form four level with a promise to advance to college in May this year. Despite the stark cultural differences, economic challenges and far distance from so-called civilization, I can’t help but envy her. Am green with envy because of the purity of her smile, not yet tarnished with jealousy of what she could have. Oh how am envious of her gaiety, not yet tainted by the harsh realities and unrealities of the city’s life on the fast lane.

But as the grass always looks greener on the other side, Nachamei can’t help but tell me how she wishes she had lived in the city like me, maybe also get a ‘good’ job and go out on missions! Oh Nachamei, if you knew it’s not as green as you may think. Greener I think is where we all are, only that instead of looking at the other side, we chose to throw our cares behind us so that happiness can find us.

Dear Parents……

KCSE results are out, your children have passed or not; whichever the case, resist the urge to push them into college or university courses you think they are fit of without their consent. My cousin has just passed his KCSE exams with a B+ and has suddenly found out he has no idea what he wants to do. His parents of course are convinced he needs to enter into a conventionally accepted field, the kind that will enable him be viewed favorably in the eyes of society. As much as there is nothing wrong with wanting the so called high-end careers, caution should be exercised with wanting to choose courses for your children.

Another relative’s story has a not-so good ending. The parents choose for her a conventional course in 2009, which she had no interest on whatsoever. Come 2010, the young girl dropped off after a heavy investment of parallel fees had been paid for her medical course. Looking at the bright side though, better now than later!

So dear parents, again I say, exercise caution and remember that your best may not be your child’s best!