Bernie Madoff NewYorker Magazine, originally uploaded by Hajj Flemings.

America Made Madoff.  Bernie Madoff gets sentenced 150 years in jail for stealing $50B (up to $160B) of people’s life savings. The U.S. financial system is build on a house of cards which allowed him to do what he was doing for years. If he wasn’t so over the top when would this have ended? We are taught to live the American dream (purchase cars from bankrupt U.S. Automakers (Ford is the exception right @ScottMonty), purchase homes that are overvalued, and work a job until death do you part for a company that will downsize you before you get that gold watch). One of the problems that I see is that we make people icons that are bigger than life that at some point they will never be able to live up to those expectations.

What price are you willing to pay for financial success? Are you willing to live your dreams at any cost? As a personal brand if you show me a person with no character I will show you a failure waiting to happen.

The most important attributes in personal development are the things that people don’t want to work on, like Character. To often we chase things that sacrifice who we are for the pursuit of fame and fortune.

I will leave you with this point. The Most Important Personal Branding Tip is Character Development. PEROID. I understand you would rather work on a Facebook profile or add followers in Twitter, but strongly consider the words of this post.

Pink Elephant on Blue, originally uploaded by eddiemalone.

We have all heard the term there is a ‘Pink Elephant in the Room.’ Wikipedia defines Elephant in the Room as the obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed.  As a Personal Brand, what are the issues that stand in the way of your success, that are obvious, ignored, and go unaddressed?

Today everybody is a coach, expert, or guru who walks on water and solves world peace providing their top tips, theories and worldview. As a personal brand strategist I realize one of the most important skills is to listen. I invite my digital friends to share their pink elephants in an open dialogue, so that they can start developing their personal brand. After the discussion I will post my response. Share your pink elephant by leaving a comment (Remember this is a public domain, no personal comments.)