No woman no cry

‘Coming in from the cold’ is one of my favorite Bob Marley songs. When I was a little girl the song that impacted me the most was ‘No woman No cry’ . And especially the part where he sings “My feet is my only carriage. So I’ve got to push on through”.

I am so thankful for Bob. My music education started with him (my dad used to explain his lyrics to me as a 5 years old) and so do my lessons in personal branding.

1. Be conscious or better yet be aware
Bob Marley was one of the first artists to start talking about the roots of Caribbean people. And in his songs he gave us history lessons about where they were from. He sang about Africa in Redemption Song and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe he sings “Every man got a right to decide his own destiny”. You have to know where you are from so you can decide where you will be going. You decide your own your story.

2. Have a clear message
His early albums were about fighting for your rights. In ‘Get up stand up’, he sang “Get up, stand up! Get up, stand up!. Don’t give up the fight! Life is your right!”. They were released in the early seventies when people were only just becoming aware of their human rights after world wide protests happened in the Sixties. People started realizing they could change the ways of the world. His message became much more about spreading love at the end of his career with songs such as ‘Could you be loved’. But his message of freedom and fighting for that freedom was what really put Bob Marley on the map. What do you want to be known for?

3. Develop your own style
When you think of reggae or Rastafarians you mostly think of Bob Marley. Everywhere in the world, it doesn’t matter if you are in Japan or New Zealand, there are Rastafarians with their dreadlocks hanging over their shoulders. Nobody knew what dreadlocks where before Bob started wearing his hair that way. He was noticed because of it. It made him stand out from all the other artists. The combination with reggae music, his hair and personality really made him different. So don’t follow fashion, but rather develop your own style! 

4. Add value
His music added to the self confidence of a generation. My dad was heavily influenced by Bob and raised me in such a way that I could always speak up and voice my opinion. I was never told to shut up as a child by my parents. I also love that until this day there are many charities and foundations benefiting from Bob. He still sells music after all even though he died in 1981 when he was only 36. He left us 15 albums!! And many compilations were released after his death. As if he knew he had no time to waste. So he left a positive legacy. Remember in ‘One love’ he sang “One love! One heart! Let’s get together and feel all right”.

5. Stand for something
I still get goosebumps when I hear him sing:
“Until the philosophy which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned –
Everywhere is war”

People want to know what you stand for, so they can see whether you are from their “tribe”. We all want to be with like-minded people. My dear friend Willa Stoutenbeek, has been fighting for sustainability for almost a decade now and she is only getting more and more known for it. People know why and when they should call her. It is clear what she is about.

My love for Bob Marley’s music runs deep. It is what keeps me sane. Really, whenever I feel sad I just put on one of his songs and I am immediately out of my head and in my body…. dancing, singing and feeling. It’s my form of meditation. I just get completely lost in the music.

Our last personal branding seminar of the year
On the 20th of November we will be spreading more lessons learned at the last BrandedU event of the year: Our personal branding seminar. I am happy to announce the guest speakers: Marleen Basart (Bites we love), Leontine de Groot (formerly of Brand New and Albert Heijn) and Pom Zwart (Nike). Check out the program of the day here. Until November 1st we have a early bird price of 199 euro’s excl. VAT. Will you join us?

“Everything’s gonna be all right
So, woman, no cry”

XOXO,

Nancy