"Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but about the stories you tell." – Seth Godin

When I was growing up, I remember my dad telling me every time I left the house to have a smile on my face. When I was younger, I obviously thought nothing of it. My dad would drop me off at school and I would make sure I was smiling when I went through the door. When I got to high school, I would say I am too tired to smile. My dad would talk about how other people vibe off happier people and I would roll my eyes. Even though I may have acted like I wasn't smiling to my dad (typical teenager, right?), I still made sure to smile when I walked through the door. I knew that if I had a smile on my face it made me feel better. It eventually becomes a habit and you think nothing of it.

I became aware of how other people carried themselves because I was so used to hearing my parents say I should always find something good to smile about. I then became aware of the people who weren't smiling or who weren't having a good day. I became interested in how people use their self-confidence or esteem throughout the day, or in this case, how people market themselves. Rather we realize it or not, every time we post something on social media we are marketing ourselves. There are so many times where we do not even realize that we are making our first impression on someone.

Before I even started college, I had a dream of pursuing experience in international business. My advisor asked me if there was a specific branch of business I wanted to do. I was unsure at first, but once I had my first marketing class I knew this is what I wanted to do. I still have my dream of international business, but now I have a dream of finding out how different countries and cultures market themselves or their products compared to the United States. Marketing is something that will always be important for a business. Without marketing, it's hard to let people know about your services or products. It's always changing. But just like a business, people need to understand how they brand themselves. Everyone has their morals and their beliefs. People and society as a whole must stand for something. You market yourself every time you walk out the door.

After a couple years of studying marketing, I understand that anything you brand, people must see the value. As humans, we need to start seeing the values in ourselves. Society tends to knock us down by how they tell people they should look. We don’t have to fit in with everyone or look the same way, but we should be happy and we should always have a smile on our faces.