I was recently talking with a friend and fellow mompreneur about ways to get back to her core passion and values, and allow these to be the driving factors in her business. Right before our conversation ended, she asked, “why are you so authentically passionate about the work you do?” Now I can confidently answer that I have found so much freedom in being able to focus on how my passions, purpose, and skills align, while allowing those to show up no matter who is on the receiving end. A few years ago however, a question like this would have been a curveball.
I think back to when I was in a meeting with a high profile sports agency. After nailing the pitch, and reaching a point of wrapping things up, the interviewers shifted the conversation to me. They wanted to know who I was as a person, my family dynamic, where I lived… VERY normal questions when you’re getting to know someone and considering them to work with your clients; however, instead of sealing the deal with an otherwise softball lob, I completely froze. I literally couldn’t answer the questions, and I awkwardly left the meeting. I never heard from them again.
This was a huge come to Jesus moment because it was then that I realized I was failing at my own business and life strategy: I was showing up as the version of myself that I thought the person on the other end wanted me to be. In that meeting, I was completely capable of being the “brand strategist and marketing guru” that they were looking for, but fumbled when I needed to take off that hat and switch to a different version of myself. I had lost sight of who I actually was, and I realized that in the process, I’d become emotionally exhausted along the way. Trying to keep up with numerous versions of yourself is similar to the slippery slope of telling lies. The more you tell, the more stories and details you have to keep straight to avoid being “caught”.
I was showing up as the version of myself that I thought the person on the other end wanted me to be.
It was at this point that I took a step back and spent the next two months doing serious soul searching and asking myself some very tough questions. Yes it was painful, but growth can’t happen without discomfort. Now that I have come out on the other side of this–keep in mind, I’m still not perfect by any means–I have a new sense of freedom in my life; this has also become one of my favorite areas to help my clients and those in my course work towards.
Remember, there are always going to be those who do not like the genuine, single hat version of yourself, and that’s ok. The reasons that someone does not like you, or the direction you are going, are going to be the exact same reasons another person does. Don’t hide the things that make you unique. Highlight them! 🖤
With Love,
– LW
LIFE WITH LW 