THREAD
1/11
The Twitterverse has more “brand experts” than you can shake a stick at. What I'm going to address in this thread is not brand marketing as such, yet everything I say is wholly applicable to anyone desiring to grow their footprint in the virtual or the physical world.
2/11
My name is Billy Red Horse and I present mySelf as The Gentleman Mystic. My handle is peculiar enough that it can catch eyes as well as strongly imply what one might generally expect from my interactions online. I even have a logo that adds to my “brand."
3/11
My brand, however, is not something I do. The Gentleman Mystic is WHO I AM. I speak to manners and an appreciation of Beauty, of personal refinement, and those things in Life which make Life worth living. I am unafraid to embrace paradox or to encourage you to do the same.
4/11
My forward face is consistent with who I am and who I strive daily to be in my own Life. Unfortunately, I don’t always succeed. It is from my shortcomings and failings that I am able to learn more about mySelf and continue the process of active Self-creation.
5/11
(You should know that I have no interest is “discovering” mySelf. To “discover” mySelf is a passive acceptance of whatever and whoever it is that I find. To me, that is an unsatisfactory because I very well may not like what it is I discover.)
6/11
Of course I feel my message is worthwhile and I would very much like to spread it to all who might be receptive to and appreciative of what I have to share. That said, I have no interest in trying to expand my reach or grow my brand.
I prefer to scratch my own itch.
7/11
One thing I learned long ago is that coherence is critical to the establishment of credibility and trust. This is true whether a business or a suitor. Or a voice on social media.
Coherence is at the very root of what I am trying to get across here. It is that important.
8/11
The Gentleman Mystic (the man) is a dignified and insightful elder. It is not uncommon for me to reference gentleman’s clothing and accessories, to celebrate good manners, and to dive deeply into the mysteries of Life. As I alluded to earlier, ME, not an act.
9/11
Certainly, I enjoy playful banter and am not above following the old Southern tradition of “blessing someone’s heart” in my tweets. (Just ask @chuckwhitworth if you don’t believe me.) And the recent IRL deadlifting session I had with @TJRicks_TSP was both fun and genuine.
10/11
But were I to shitpost even once, those who have followed The Mystic for any length of Time would immediately spot the incongruity and very likely begin to question the sincerity of everything that came before. I have spent years building something that is important to me.
11/11
There, in a nutshell, is the secret to “building a brand.” I value me, I value what I pursue, I value the work I have done. I focus on the important.
Coherence, consistency, & honestly representing yourSelf will do more for your “brand” than any shortcut ever could.
(END)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
1/9 "Working hard" is a concept much touted and heavily disseminated in all corners of the Twitter-verse and elsewhere.
2/9 Business consultants and motivational speakers the world over say the key to success is hard work. If you haven’t made it, you should just work harder!
3/9 But what is hard work?
Does digging ditches by hand with a spade qualify as hard work? Is solving the Grand Unified Theory problem hard work? Is working 100 hours per week as a law clerk hard work?
I am not now nor have I ever been an exemplar of the masculine ideal.
In my Life I have let people down, lied, displayed cowardice, acted in ways that brought me embarrassment and, on a few occasions, shame.
2/4 But I can say with absolute certainty that NONE of these dreadful behaviors were the result of my masculinity.
An honest assessment of my choices reveals that they were due to its ABSENCE in those moments.
3/4 If our accredited and sanctioned medical community (the American Psychological Association) now wishes to declaim with finality that traditional masculinity is worthy of renunciation,
(THREAD) 1/7 Regard for etiquette & manners has for some Time been viewed with disdain, both relics from a best forgotten past. To me, one of the defining traits of a gentleman is an appreciation for and the consistent exercise of etiquette & manners when interacting with others.
2/7 It is my position that the long pervasive casualness and preference for inappropriate informality in our society, while well-intentioned and egalitarian in origin, has done more to harm civil discourse than promote it.
3/7 To interact respectfully with others says more about one’s sense of personal dignity and Self-worth than it does about those with whom you interact. Certainly, full and abiding respect must be earned, but a baseline of dignified and polite interaction is never a bad idea.
(THREAD)
1/11
Whether you are a youthful hustler looking to make a name in business or someone who wants to experience Life to the fullest (or both), what follows is a series of skills it would benefit and enrich you to learn while you are still young:
2/11
Learn fluency in a 2nd or even 3rd language. (Bonus points if it is unrelated to your native tongue.) The capacity to speak in multiple languages is the ability to think from multiple perspectives. This is probably the easiest way to massively expand your horizons.
3/11
Learn to dance. Not the poorly timed squirming and/or salacious writhing evident in most nightclubs, but something that requires rhythm and actual body awareness. Just ask @AJA_Cortes if this is a faculty worth developing.
There are those whom I hold in high regard that say a willingness to suffer is a non-negotiable necessity to the achievement of any measure of success in this world. (thread)
To those highly regarded folks, I must respectfully disagree.
It has been my experience that suffering is not a viable strategy for the achievement of lasting happiness.
In this nation, talent is worshiped as a blessed rarity bestowed upon only the fortunate. It is seen as an exceptional gift which can define greatness.
Talent is grossly overrated.
What is routinely misidentified as talent is, in fact, craft. Diligence is also mistakenly labeled as talent. Persistence, focus, dedication, refinement, and plain hard work are usually given the short shrift while the charlatan that is talent receives all the accolades.