Hi everyone!
I wanted to write a post to help prospective clients get to know me a little bit. It’s a strange feeling, writing on my laptop at home alone, thinking that my words might someday be seen by people I don’t know. I feel pressured to write something inspiring or super intelligent-sounding so that I might portray myself in a certain way. I don’t like that!
I’m a reasonably intelligent person, but I don’t consider myself to be anything more than average. So why do I feel the need to present myself other than how I really am? I like to think that I’m a genuine person; someone who behaves in a way that is consistent with her beliefs and attitudes. Pretending to be someone I’m not, or exaggerating certain aspects about myself, makes me really uncomfortable.
For example, I am going out tomorrow evening to a somewhat fancy event. Although I love the idea of going out to enjoy a nice meal and kid-free conversation with my husband, I can’t say I’m excited about dressing up for this event. You see, I’m the kind of person who likes to lounge around in yoga pants or, at most, dress up a nice pair of jeans when I meet with clients. Dressing up, to me, is the exact opposite of being genuine. It’s like trying to exaggerate the parts of me that are well-received by society and hiding the parts of me that are not… Find a nice outfit that will flatten my stomach and make my legs look longer. I believe the societal expectation is also to do my makeup in a way that will enhance my features and hide my imperfections. Oh, and then there’s the hair. Ugh.
Please don’t get me wrong. I know there are many women (and men) out there who really enjoy dressing up and doing their makeup. For some people, this is an expression of their genuine selves, and to them I say GO FOR IT! Have fun strutting your stuff!
So for this event then, in order to be comfortable in my own skin, I will find an outfit that will still feel like my style and maybe I’ll put on a bit of lip gloss and mascara. And I will still be me.
Much in the same way that I have now written a post that shows part of who I am. I am a jeans-wearing, makeup-less, non-super-intelligent (yet hopefully still inspiring), genuine person. Ta-da!
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