I can feel my heart skip a beat-more like palpitations, as I make my way to the third meeting of the day. I normally enjoy meetings with customers, but this one, I am not looking forward to.
As I open the door, I could feel my face ache because I have just given the biggest smile of my life. In front of me are two decision-makers, and today, I am about to tell them why they should stay with us.
I feel the adrenaline kick in. An excitement I feel every time I am poised with challenges like this. Turning unhappy customers into happy ones—but on a bigger scale, because revenue at stake is more than $300K.
An hour later, with the signed contract in my hand, I breeze through my boss’ space to give him the good news. I got a salary increase that day.
And that for me is Power. And I wish for every woman to feel this.
I am where I am now because all throughout my career, I have been around women who made me want to be better. Empowered women who don’t waste their time with office gossips but focused on making their selves better instead. I would spend time with them, ask them questions, and read books about them. I admired them and told myself that one day I will be one of them.
I also promised myself that when I can, I would try to empower others too. I am known to be open about work, and everything I’ve gone through. The intention is never to brag but to hopefully make them realize that if I made it, they can too.
But as the saying goes, “You are not everyone’s cup of tea”.
While having dinner with friends, I was asked if I now make a 6-figure income. It took me a while to answer because I was worried, I might come off as a show-off. I was asked again, so I said, “Yes.” And it was amazing how the mood changed. Like a flip of a switch.
Dinner invites stopped.
Is this what they meant when they said, “It’s lonely at the top”?
Dear reader, the intention of this article is not to dwell on the negative, but rather as my son puts it, “life lessons”. Things I wish I knew when I turned 21. But then, age is just a number! And it’s never too late to know, and maybe accept the following?
You are not everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s okay
The reality is, you can’t please everyone, and not everyone pleases you. My intuition knows no bounds, so I know when people don’t jive with my vibe. It took me a while to understand this, but when I thought about it, I don’t jive with everyone’s vibe too! Life is too short to stress. So, girl, find your tribe and protect your vibe!
Focus on what you can control
This one-liner is a favorite of my dear husband. Every time I stress out about work, he would always remind me to focus on the things that I can control. There are a lot of things that are out of our control: people’s perception of you, situations, your Hermes SA, and Chanel prices! Choose to focus on the things you can control which is you, and how you choose to react and feel about things. Say it with me, “Too blessed to stress!”.
ALWAYS celebrate yourself
Take time to celebrate even the little things! Make noise, pat yourself on the back, and tell the world how amazing you are, because TBH, YOU ARE AMAZING. Do the things that make you feel good. It’s important to do whatever it takes to make you feel alive. If you are someone who likes to keep things private, that’s fine too! Remember, Live boldly!
This goes out to anyone who needs to hear (or read!) this! Everyone is meant to do great things. Find your spark!
