When IDENTITY Meets Destiny
Could one story shape your identity and ensure your destiny?
Whether it’s the most famous painting in the world or the biggest athletic footwear brand on this planet, both ascended to legendary status through a simple truth.
“You can’t create a legend without a story”
Hanging on a museum wall in Paris, France, a single 30 x 21 portrait is primarily responsible for attracting close to 10 million visitors a year. About 30,000 people a day wander through the Louvre, hoping to fixate their attention on a Da Vinci masterpiece dating back to the 16th century. Considered priceless and not for sale, the current valuation of the painting is well north of $1 billion.
Every bit as iconic as the identity of that painting, is an eight-letter, three-word phrase from an athletic footwear and sporting goods manufacturer. Launched out of the Pacific Northwest in the mid-60’s, it was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, the company changed its name to honor the Greek goddess of victory, unleashed a swoosh logo and in 1988, cemented their brand reputation in with the aforementioned three-word phrase.
Without spelling it out, you already know those three, one-syllable words, consisting of eight letters. You also know the name of the painting. Building a brand that occupies prime shelf space in your brain, requires full appreciation for the power and nuance from another 8-letter word, made up of four syllables.
I D E N T I T Y.
In a spinning, chaotic world where noise gets louder each day, the only brands you remember and identify with are ones that force you to pause. Take a second look. You notice something outside the norm. Natural curiosity kicks into overdrive. You become eager to learn more. That’s how the best brands in the world never had to chase you for your attention. You gave it to them naturally, organically because they successfully answered the biggest marketing question of all.
Do you have a brand identity that extends beyond the products and services you offer? To fully absorb the deeper impact of that question, it helps to study the true story of a small-town Canadian business that embodies what can happen “When IDENTITY Meets Destiny” on Leaders & Legends.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
p.s… In terms of knowledge, WHAT we know matters. With respect to purpose and knowing our WHY, matters greatly. But in the grand scheme of all things that reflect our humanity, WHO we are matters most of all. One of the great tragedies in life is to never truly step into your own IDENTITY, what the brilliant Steven Pressfield called ‘The Authentic Swing’ and resign to accept a watered-down version of real you that will be acceptable to others
The conceptual premise of Pressfield’s opus, The Legend of Bagger Vance, is that each one of us possesses his or her own unique golf swing. It’s ours at birth. We can alter it a little through bloody hard work and practice, but it is impossible to materially change it. Just as Tiger Woods has his own swing so did Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer as well as my father and 6-time M.G.A. Tour champion, Jim Maxwell. You and I may never have played pro or even picked up a golf club, but we still possess our own Authentic Swing. Metaphorically, it’s the perfect way to describe your True Self or True IDENTITY. As Pressfield puts it, ‘The Authentic Swing is not learned, it is remembered’.
These concepts are explored in much greater detail in Chapters 2 and 12 of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS, but sometimes it helps to sit back and see how all these elements come together in the unlikely, uncommon success story of Jim Gilbert, who made a courageous decision to step into his own truth and become “Canada’s Huggable Car Dealer”.
PLANNING A CONFERENCE OR SPEAKING EVENT?
How could enduring principles from the origin of legends be applied to your company or industry association? In the face of frantic, unforgiving change, BIG LITTLE LEGENDS offers a deeper dive into timeless principles that NEVER change. If you have an in-person event on the 2025 horizon - or even into 2026 - watch the cinematic ‘movie trailer’ and discover the endlessly fascinating, often mesmerizing, universally applicable message of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS.
“Heroes get remembered. Legends never die”
BABE RUTH
UNLEASHING LEGENDARY INSIGHTS: SUPERCHARGE YOUR EVENT WITH BIG LITTLE LEGENDS
For more information on scheduling an In-Person or Virtual Speaking Program, contact us here: bookings@gairmaxwell.com.
BIG LITTLE LEGENDS: SPOTLIGHTED IN FORBES 🌟
BRAND STRATEGY: ON PURPOSE & ON TRACK.
It’s been called a metaphorical road trip that is both journey and destination. THE BRANDING HIGHWAY is designed for larger companies and organizations looking to emerge as an undeniable, undisputed, "Category of One.” This proven, market-tested process is an avenue for Executive Teams to discover both a highly distinctive Brand Identity as well as develop the foundation for your own Media Company. Impossible to describe. Filled with many twists and turns, here is a quick preview:
“No one remembers who took second place. That will never be me.”
FULL THROTTLE VIDEO:
Every week, someone asks a question about our videos and our media partner responsible for the storyboarding, production, and editing. Headquartered in Toronto, ON with a Western Canadian office in Calgary, AB, DEFIANT ASTRONAUT MEDIA is uniquely positioned to help business leaders all over the continent rethink what's possible with this art form.
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