I thought you had it all together…
No lie. My friend Susie and I have been friends for years. She knew me when my husband I were only dating and we’d weathered many ups and downs together in marriage, parenting and a small group study with friends.
So I was little shocked to hear her say,
“I thought you had it all together… and then I saw your car.”
Please note: If you are a Type-A when it comes to cleanliness, brace yourself – pictures are included. And I ask that you try not to judge. Home orderliness is not one of my strengths, but creativity and encouraging others are.
Back to the Story
Now I love Susie dearly and I knew she had no malicious intent, but it took me some thinking to wrap my head around what it all meant.
Part of what she said was flattering – I look like I have it all together. I DO think first impressions matter and as a woman who is only 4’11″ and who worked in corporate, in an industry dominated by men, I’ve been forced to learn how to put on the polish so I get taken seriously, so, I’m thankful that at least on the surface, I look like I have all together.
But the other part of what she said pierced my heart.
I think what she was trying to say was…
“Monica, sometimes you come across as a little intimidating, and I’m just glad to find out that you are human.”
Oh yeah, and by most folks’ standards, my car [it’s a van actually] is a mess. I took this beauty when we arrived home after a road trip from Colorado to Florida after the Christmas holidays.
I am human. I do not have it all together. One of the biggest sacrifices my family has to endure so I can blog and run an online business, is that things around here get messy sometimes.
When I do laundry, it’s usually four to six loads at a time. And sometimes the clothes sit in a laundry basket and don’t get put away for weeks. Or they get piled onto our living room furniture…
My office is piled high with things I’ve collected at blog conferences, props for sponsored posts, lights, books, and paperwork that I can’t ever seem to find the time to file.
And the only time the floor of the car gets any kind of love, is right before my parents come to visit.
Here’s the thing —> I’ve worked with influencers [helping them pitch brands] who have over 4 million page views per month to less than 3,000 and one thing they all have in common is this, they’re human. They make mistakes, not everything goes perfectly and no matter how things look on the outside, they’re still getting their act together when it comes to running an online business.
Do you know what’s helped me through thick and thin?
Friends like Susie.
We all have blind spots. Every single one of us. And we all need an outside perspective to hear what other people see in us, of us, and about us.
That’s why I facilitate a small group mastermind. I don’t want to blog alone and I don’t want to build my business alone. I want a camaraderie of women business owners who call me on it when they sense something is amiss. Oh, and I want to be that breath of truth for them too.
Want to find out more? Send me a message and let me know what you’re looking for. I can’t help you keep a cleaner car, but I am looking to help others monetize their influence online.
Oh, and I’m totally OK if you don’t have it all together… because neither do I.
Your friend in the trenches,
Monica
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