Although the tournament started with unbridled excitement for millions of stateside fans, their enthusiasm quickly muted as the U.S. salvaged a lackluster draw in the opening match against England thanks to a misplay by the English keeper, allowing the ball to squeak across the goal line.

Game two for the U.S. began dismally against Slovenia, who took a quick 2-0 lead. But the Americans came roaring back in a second-half rally, scoring two goals to tie the match before being robbed of a third and the presumable win after a terrible call by the match referee (causing FIFA to remove him from umpiring further matches).

With momentum on their side, the Americans looked sharp against Algeria in their third match — an absolute must-win if the team wished to advance any further. After more than 90 minutes of scoreless play and tense just-misses, Landon Donovan buried the rebound off of a Clint Dempsey shot to secure an amazing victory and send the Americans to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 1930.

For all the highs and lows of the 2010 World Cup, if ever there was a time for representatives of the United States to surpass a jaded modern America’s expectations of those who lead them, it would be on this monumental, global stage whereupon the U.S. National Team – an American underdog — possesses the historically immense possibility of reinspiring and reuniting an unbelievably dejected people before the eyes of the world.

“The Air of Discontent”

Efforts made on behalf of my primary nonfiction book project, THE QUIET LEADER, entail researching Op-Eds and news articles that encapsulate the spirit of the modern United States and the American people. When I began to take note of a major and historically unprecedented shift in national confidence, I feared that it would only grow worse, and it has.

The American people have lost faith in their leaders and have subsequently developed jaded eyes that look upon all elements of leadership and traditional institutions with cynicism and worry. The depressed modern American psyche is exemplified in a recent piece by Ron Fornier of the Associated Press:

Not the president of the United States. Not the chief executive of BP. Not Congress, federal agencies or local elected officials. From its fiery beginning, the Gulf oil spill has stood as a concentrated reminder of why, over four decades, Americans have lost faith in nearly every national institution.

It’s hard to summon that rising-sun aspiration when the unemployment rate hovers near double digits. When wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue unabated. When terrorists take aim from inside and outside U.S. borders. When the U.S. Treasury writes massive IOUs to China and public schools write off millions of poorly educated children.

Then along comes the oil spill to remind people of why they don’t trust leaders – and why so many Americans, looking for information and action, are turning instead to blogs, Twitter feeds and their friends.

How did we get to this point where people EXPECT their government to lie to them? And what does it say about where we’re headed? From their government, Americans don’t expect perfection. But the system requires that people at least have faith in their political leaders to be competent and accountable.

Around the same time, Bob Herbert from the New York Times launched into a more scathing and self-loathing opinion piece that harshly characterized the modern United States as indicative of the lack of intelligence of the entire American populace:

When are we going to stop behaving so stupidly? We nearly wrecked the economy and we’re all but buried in debt. But we can’t break up the biggest banks, and we can’t raise taxes. Now we’re fouling the magnificent Gulf of Mexico and ruining entire communities along the southern Louisiana Coast.

Whether these opinions are dead-on accurate and valid, or simply a reflection of overwhelming cynicism and pessimism that has befallen modern America, isn’t even important. The issue at hand is what is unquestionably clear: that the sentiments of anger, impatience, distrust and anticipated-disappointment have become the status quo. As much as they are a product of events that have unfolded in the past, they undoubtedly influence the direction of the country today and will unquestionably effect what unfolds tomorrow.

If Ever There was a Time…

Amid this historical context, some thousands of miles away, a team of representatives of the mess of our modern country and its national psyche suddenly becomes ignited with passion and determination: they stand down a longtime rival, a worldly powerhouse in England; they rally from certain defeat to survival against Slovenia; and then they rise from the depths of elimination to the glory of victory in a last minute effort of heart and vigor against Algeria.

We measure in feet and inches; the rest of the world measures in metrics. We feel degrees in variants of Fahrenheit; they, in Celsius. We call the very sport of the world soccer; they call it football. And though a traditionally disregarded sport in the United States, this team of undervalued and unappreciated athletes donning stars and stripes upon their chests possesses the historic opportunity that no elected leader or CEO, that no company or conglomerate, that no Hollywood star or teenage starlet, that no State-side sport or institution could possible achieve in America, 2010.

This American underdog is capable of exceeding dismal expectations of those who represent us: their fight has given us a chance — if only a reminder that we may, by our choosing — to stand tall again. If ever there was a time for the American people to be inspired; if ever there was a time for our country to be reunited; then let it be here and let it be now; upon the world’s grandest stage, with nothing to lose but so much to prove.

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For recent college grads entering the professional world — especially during an economic recession — “almost good enough” simply isn’t good enough anymore: building a strong personal brand is an utter necessity, and molding that brand around who one aspires to become is all the more vital to stand out in an increasingly competitive working environment.

What does it mean to build a brand towards who one aspires to become? For me, this strategic “aspiration-branding” meant creating and publicizing a personal brand that shaped my image as a young writer and aspiring author on the fast track to publication.

Why Create a “Brand” and is it Deceitful?

Building a personal brand toward who one aspires to become immediately raises legitimate concerns and criticism. Is this form of branding deceitful? Is it misleading? Is aspiration-branding a total sham? When I started my branding campaign, the truth was that I was just an unemployed, recent college graduate who had a computer and liked to write. So, was I building a brand based on nothing but lies?

Aspiration-branding certainly can be deceitful — if you willingly choose or indifferently allow it to misrepresent who you truly are. Nevertheless, if you stay true to yourself from the onset of your branding campaign and strive to represent yourself accurately from the outset, branding as who you aspire to become can set you miles ahead of your competition and even serve to bring out the very best in you as a person.

What is “Aspiration-Branding”?

Aspiration-branding is the process of building your personal or professional brand specifically around who or what you aspire to become. As you design your brand, the first and most vital aspect of aspiration-branding is being truthful from the start. You really do need to fully invest your efforts in transparency and truth, and for two important reasons: first, you need to set your expectations at a reasonable level; and second, you need to set reasonable expectations for those who will encounter your personal brand.

As a young writer and aspiring author, branding myself in a way that was honest and transparent was extremely important because the product I put forth―my writing, here on DaveUrsillo.com―was visible to everyone who came across it. If I misleadingly branded myself as the most highly touted English-speaking writer since William Shakespeare, my writing would certainly reveal the hype around my personal brand to be a total sham; not only would I be misleading myself, I’d be misleading those who came across my personal brand. Being able to clearly see my delusions, observers and readers would blow me off from the start and my brand would unquestionably implode.

Don’t reel in your dreams and goals; make them as big as can be. But when it comes to aspiration-branding, you’d be remiss to deceive yourself into thinking you’re something that you aren’t.

The Importance of Transparency: Truth is Key

Social media and branding guru Gary Vaynerchuk (on Twitter: GaryVee) says in his hit book, Crush It!, that in this technologically advanced age of social media, the liars, frauds and con artists who attempt to misrepresent themselves (especially for the sake of profit) will eventually be found out and fall by the wayside. The reason is that successful branding demands high levels of transparency:

“…the lines between the private and the public are becoming increasingly blurred, and with people able to share their experiences and thoughts and photographs on video by spraying them all over the Internet within minutes after they happen, the days of being able to con the consumer without repercussions are pretty much over. So no matter how you shape and color your personal brand, honesty has got to be at your core.” (Vaynerchuk, 32)

Because of the level of transparency that is required to establish a strong and popular personal brand, frauds will eventually be recognized as such. The importance of truthfulness and transparency from the start cannot be overstated. You need to prioritize being truthful to yourself when aspiration-branding, for your sake and for the sake of your brand.

“Résuméing” your Personal Brand: Convey Your Strengths and Skills

Let’s return to the questions that started this piece: is aspiration-branding deceitful? Hardly. Building a brand toward who you aspire to become is a lot like how you used to spin those useless summer internships and trivial jobs from high school into sounding like something significant on your résumé. We could call this strategy “résuméing” your personal brand.

Instead of fabricating truths and misrepresenting yourself, you deliberately sought to shape your résumé to bring out and emphasize your positive attributes, skills and talents to interviewers and potential employers. Rather than on a one-page print out, branding yourself toward what you aspire to become is shaping your image across the Internet to convey your strengths, skills and talents and showing how they will help you achieve your goals and dreams.

Conclusions: Represent Your Best Self

As potent as aspiration-branding is toward what you aspire to become is the reality that misleading others and misrepresenting yourself can and will leave an indelible mark across the World Wide Web. And, the last thing you want to brand yourself as is a fraud!

From the onset, root your aspiration-branding efforts as a transparent and accurate representation of who you are. Utilize branding to accurately project your skills, talents and passions. Branding yourself as who you aspire to become isn’t deceitful… if you don’t want it to be. By aspiration-branding, you’ll soon realize how truth, transparency, and “résuméing” your personal brand have set your efforts miles ahead of your competition. It’s only a matter of time until you see your dreams to fruition.

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The word “Renegade” is derived from the medieval Latin word renegatus, the perfect participle of renego, meaning “deny.”

Here on DaveUrsillo.com, “Renegadeism” is an unwaveringly positive and defiant attitude embodied by men and women who call themselves “dreamers.”

We dreamers who brandish the name “Renegade” live, defy, believe and thrive in spite of what often feels like an increasingly cynical world that surrounds us. As Renegades, we deny convention for the sake of convention, deny mounting cynicism, and deny disbelief.

Under the name of  “Renegades” we brandish a determined and resolute mindset through which we individually engage in Self-Exploration, as we strive to explore who we truly are on the inside; better ourselves through intellectual growth and emotional exploration; become Self-Aware, realizing and coming to trust our constitution, unique gifts and talents; and develop ourselves to be the best men and women that we can be, for the sake of everyone around us. Renegadeism is about “believing” in defiance of naysayers and developing the Self on behalf of others. It’s really that simple.

Renegadeism Begins with Self-Exploration

Human potential is uniquely unlimited. There is no restraint on what creativity, imagination or love we may summon and possess. Within ourselves, we have an insurmountable potential to dream, believe and achieve–simply because we are human. What resides within us is all that we need to achieve anything we put our minds to. Historically-brilliant men and women–from Sun Tzu to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Benjamin Franklin, E.E. Cummings, Marcus Aurelius and the fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso–have long espoused the merit and honest value of understanding the Individual and developing confidence and trust in one’s Self as an important starting point for the betterment of others.

We, the Renegades, willfully engage in the dedicated practice of Self-Exploration, or the examination and analysis of our unrealized spiritual and intellectual capacities–the unlimited potential that we each individually possess. Renegades place explicit focus and attention upon developing the individual Self as a starting point for bigger and better things. Through introspective exploration, we come to better understand our behaviors, our motivations, our personalities, our relationships, and our lives. In other words, we become “self-aware.”

Self-Awareness leads to Self-Reliance

Self-awareness is gaining and developing a new level of consciousness and an ongoing understanding of our personal traits, behaviors, abilities, talents, gifts and potential in life. By becoming better aware of who we are on the inside, Renegades forge a new sense of knowledge and understanding of the Self. Self-awareness lessens our natural tendencies to be insecure and self-conscious, because we understand our emotions and the motivations for our behaviors every day. Understanding one’s sense of Self and being less insecure ultimately reveals a new world of confidence and peace of mind; once achieved, a Renegade builds his or her own self-reliant temple, against which there is no cynicism, disbelief, or naysayer that can shake the dreamer and believer from achieving whatever he or she desires.

Achieving this level of confidence and peace of mind, we become self-reliant: our motivations come from deep within our hearts and souls. We realize that our actions, thoughts and behaviors are inherently pure and good for they stem from deep within our spirit. When our motivations come from within, we ultimately have little to ever regret. We are free to make mistakes and contradict ourselves, to learn and grow, because we are motivated by our hearts and souls and what is within us.

The Ranks of the Renegades

Renegadeism begins with the choice of conscious self-exploration. Through the realization of our unlimited potential, we become self-aware. Through self-awareness and better understanding our gifts, strengths, abilities, passions and unique human potential; we gain a level of self-reliance, an unwavering source of motivation and trust that resides deeply within us and upon which any dream or goal can be achieved.

Today, to believe, it’s as if you have to be a Renegade. Are you among our Ranks?

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If living for others is selfless and good, than is focusing ourselves selfish and bad?

Although thinking and acting exclusively for ourselves is indeed selfish, to place focus on one’s own self-improvement and personal development–becoming happier and more positive, fostering a stronger and more compassionate spirit, striving to be a better person–is not selfish because bringing out the best of your Self will certainly benefit friends, family members and all of those whom you encounter.

When we are happy, those around us are influenced to feel happiness. When we are positive and tranquil, those around us will feel more positive and tranquil, too. When we strive every day to bring out the best of ourselves, others around us necessarily benefit. In this way, focusing on ourselves is not selfish; we actually serve to better ourselves on behalf of others.

How to Better the Self Without Being Selfish

The definition of selfishness is to be more concerned with one’s own interests, needs, and wishes while explicitly ignoring those of others. Being selfish means that you show that your personal needs and wishes are thought to be more important than those of other people. To be primarily self-concerned is to necessarily neglect others. But by these definitions, couldn’t striving to better ourselves through introspection and inner growth be considered selfish, as well?

Here on DaveUrsillo.com I write a lot about self-improvement and personal development topics. Am I endorsing people to be more selfish? Hardly. When we intently focus on ourselves with the goal of becoming better persons, we are not acting selfishly so long as the betterment of who we are on the inside will benefit those around us, from our families and friends to coworkers and strangers we encounter every day.

Social studies prove that one’s own happiness has a direct influence on the happiness of family members, friends, and other men and women with whom we interact. There is a direct, though often subtle, connectedness between how one’s mood and actions can influence the mood and actions of others. Happiness begets happiness, and sadness begets sadness. Thus, when one embarks upon an inner journey to improve his or her Self– one’s spirit or soul, who one is on the inside–one person can necessarily come to improve the lives of those around him or her because more compassionate, happier, and positive people have a direct influence on everyone he or she encounters and interacts with.

Improving the Self is like Improving One’s Health

An equivalent of self-improvement and personal development through which one strives to better the Self in an unselfish way is focusing on one’s own health through exercise, eating well or even quitting smoking. Few of us would ever consider exercising, eating healthily or breaking the addiction to smoking cigarettes as selfish acts, and yet they place deliberate focus and attention upon one’s Self.

As with striving to be more healthy, improving our inner selves necessarily benefits those around us, too. If we quit smoking and live healthier lifestyles, we are lengthening our lives not only for ourselves but for our families and friends and all of those around us. When we strive to improve our thinking patterns and behaviors, and work to develop our inner spirits to be warmer and happier, everyone that we encounter benefits.

Showing concern for one’s self over others is selfish. But when we strive to become happier and more positive, work to foster a stronger and more compassionate spirit and become better people, we explicitly place attention on the development of ourselves for the definite betterment of those around us. In this way, we focus on ourselves without being selfish, because bringing out the best of us is what’s best for others.

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The extent to which the modern economic recession has disproportionately impacted the rising American generation–”Generation Y” or the “Millennial” generation–by way of disproportionately high unemployment and underemployment threatens to widely distend the ordinary window of time through which members of any rising generation can socially and professionally develop into formative positions of influence and leadership.

During such desperate times of foreign and domestic struggle, the dangerous and plausible consequence is that next generation of American leaders in the Millennial demographic–upon whose shoulders the conceivable survival or demise of the country ultimately rests–will be all the more disadvantaged in their rise to ever-important ranks of leadership in the United States, and to the plausible detriment of the entire free world.

What may result is a “Generation Y leadership gap,” or a distended period of time during which there is a noticeable deficit of influential leaders from Generation Y that would have ordinary and more immediately followed those of the Baby Boomer generation and Generation X, in subsequent order.

To avoid what could become a destructive deficit of leadership during some of the most significant and determinative decades in America’s history, young members of Generation Y will today be all the more compelled to press themselves to rise to positions of respectable influence among their generation and quickly achieve the respect of the aging American generations. As a nation, we will be obligated to forge relationships of respect and teamwork, for neither Generation Y nor the Baby Boomers will be able to minimize the impact and consequences of modern economic and foreign struggles alone.

The Forthcoming Gen-Y Leadership Gap

The effects of the modern economic recession on an entire generation of rising Americans could last upwards of an entire decade. The plausible consequence is that Generation Y–the next group of American leaders–will be starting that much further behind in their rise to positions of influence in America, which are going to be so important to the direction of the country during difficult times of trial, struggle and desperation.

Because the depth and magnitude of the modern recession is so disproportionately impacting members of Generation Y, and on the brink of their rise into full adulthood, those who consider themselves to be leading members of the generation must work all the harder to rise from the depths of these troubling times in order to forge working relationships with the parent generation, the Baby Boomers, to begin a new and cooperative union or what New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman calls, a “Re-Generation.”

Although unemployment and underemployment have so drastically and disproportionately disadvantaged recent college graduates and members of Generation Y, Millennials have at their disposal a wide array of unique tools, including the power and potency of instantaneous communication to a wide audience through social media, to overcome the deficit of upward social and professional mobility and in order to attain a status similar to that of conventional career influence.

The question, of course, is to what extent the Great Recession will impact and distend the ordinary window of time that would allow this generation of young American adults to progress at a “normal” pace to positions of influence and leadership in the workplace and realms of public service. Undoubtedly, the next generation of American leaders will have a significant impact on the direction of the United States and the entirety of the free world. It depends on Generation Y to rise to the occasion–in spite of the turmoil and tumult that will disproportionately disadvantaged them for years to come.

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