Realizing you're NOT amazing...

Well that’s not very nice is it? No…it’s not. But hang with me. Here’s the deal, not amazing things can happen when you move down any type of unconventional path, personally or professionally. When you take a risk…break the mold – the 9-5, the family tradition, the usual whatever…you may encounter some doubt, some naysayers, some flat-out hostility even.

So it’s been interesting for me. You see, I am one of those people that came out of the shoot feeling pretty amazing, and positive. Then had two parents and a sister to back that up every day who thought everything I did was great and funny and brilliant. Don’t get me wrong this is a blessed environment to grow up in and I would not only highly recommend it, but LEGISLATE it if possible. The hard truth is at some point in life you are going to come across some folks – maybe as close as a spouse, or a friend, an employer, potential retailer, customer, investor, etc. who doesn’t think you’re as amazing as your mom thinks. Huh. And how you deal with that will be a game changer.

Here’s the thing I have realized – it really has very little to do with whether I am amazing or not, because obviously I am (😊) but rather, did I convince THAT person that I was amazing? By convince, I don’t mean deceive. We’re talking about actually having something to offer – whether as simple as being kind when you have every right to be rude or upset, like when my son and I waited 90 minutes in a Filiberto’s drive through, and instead of asking what the heck was going on, I tipped them and offered to come in and cook…lol. I guarantee those gals thought I was amazing in that moment. Or something more complicated, like the inspiration for this post – sharing and retailing your own product line or service. I’m not gonna lie, I have felt flat out NOT amazing at times, and that is saying something! I have had moments of doubt, rejection, second guessing, wanting to quit, anger!

Here are the three options when these things happen: 1) Go ahead and quit, 2) Figure out if there is a real problem and develop a solution or a plan B, or 3) Push those thoughts out and move on.

The hard reality is at the end of the day, you CANNOT please everyone, I know, I know. Let’s all take a moment of silence for that one. Maybe that is not your thing but man…it’s mine. I want EVERYONE to think EVERYTHING I do is spectacular and that my products are the best thing they have ever seen. And when they don’t no matter what I may do, that is where #3 comes into play.

The other hard reality however might be even more important and that is, you can AND SHOULD make changes, adjustments, and move in a different direction when necessary – which is A LOT when you own your own business. This was very hard for me to grasp because of course I thought everything I did was going to be instantly perfect the first time. My official advice on this topic is…suck it up. If you want something to be successful, know that it will be hard work and a lot of do-overs. If 12 people tell you they can’t read the writing on your label, change it. If 12 people tell you your deodorant makes them break out in a rash, change it. If 12 people tell you your lip balm turned to gritty sandpaper in 3 weeks, change it. If someone tells you your soap stings their eyes when they rub it in there, chan…well no, actually that person is an idiot so you just smile and give them free stuff 😉. You get the idea.

We humans are very efficient at being super egocentric. I can prove that by scrolling through Facebook for about 32 seconds. All these ‘I’m great, everything I do is perfect, and anyone who doesn’t think so can shove it’ memes. Okay, okay, if you’re THAT person I get where you’re coming from, and sometimes we need that kind of self-talk, but truth is, most of the time, what we need is a swift kick in the pants. Whether you like it or not, if you have had feedback, that something you have said, done, or created is not fantastic, especially if it’s by more than one person…it’s not time to post a meme, it’s time to make an adjustment. Meaningful success comes when you are overly self-reflective and willing and able to make changes and improve something, whether it’s your attitude, your product line, your health habits, your marriage, your finances…it applies all around.

One of the most valuable things I have learned in having my own business which, make no mistake, is one of the most vulnerable positions you could ever enter into, is a) a little humility never hurt anyone, and b) KEEP PUSHING and moving forward. I know it sounds pretty cliché, don’t give up…yada, yada. But it really is the way to success.

I look back at all the little failures or no goes that have happened over the last 2½ years of my business – Ready for this…I went to a Shark Tank casting call for goodness sake, with $11,000 in sales under my belt and was absolutely convinced they were going to have me on the show and all fight over investing a zillion dollars into my business, really!? Let’s raise a glass to blind optimism at least! After they didn’t call I made a video and sent it to them. I DID CARTWHEELS IN THE VIDEO FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! And guess what!? They still didn’t call.

It took me a couple MONTHS to get over that one. I stopped advertising, stopped moving forward, stopped everything. But that was okay. I let myself. I knew I was processing. That’s another important thing to do. Let yourself pout for a minute. But when you are done, dig your impractical cockiness and blind optimism back out, and look for another win. You will have small successes along with the small failures and you have to keep pushing forward and achieving those. Seriously, they can be REALLY small successes. Let the little things make you happy.

The Shark Tank experience ended up being the catalyst in a roundabout way for me to start selling on Amazon, something I was totally averse to for a long time. I had had prior experience with my hubby’s product and my sister’s business and Amazon is a (HUGE) pain in the butt to put it mildly. Well I got over it and guess what…one of my products is exploding so ridiculously on Amazon now that I can hardly keep up. Like, my hubby and I keep looking at each other in disbelief as my phone dings with a sale all hours of the day and night…I can honestly say I think this is the beginning of the end…of my 9-5 that is. Something I never actually believed and maybe even still don’t as I say it.
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In summary…be cocky, be humble, keep moving forward, focus on small wins, and let yourself pout once in a while. And most of all – you ARE amazing!! You just need to convince everyone else of that…but that’s the fun part 😊