A few months ago I noticed a movement on Instagram. Business women were posting confessions about their lives and work along with the hashtag #theimperfectboss. (I later learned that this genius idea was dreamed up by Ashley Beaudin of Fire + Wind Co.)
“I’m not smart enough,” one stated. “Most days I have no idea what I’m doing and get nervous my team will figure out that I’m clueless,” said another.
I gasped as I read the words of so many women I admired. They were worried about the same things I was! They had the same fears and problems. How did they find the courage to share such personal thoughts, to be so…vulnerable?
I wanted to join them. I even wrote my own confession. But then, as I have done so many times in the past few years, I hesitated. Wasn’t it a mistake to let other people know that I was feeling confused about my work and myself? I should always share the happy and good things but never the struggles, right?
I wish I had joined in then, because the truth is that reading the confessions of other businesspeople was a huge relief. I felt kinda normal. I felt much less alone. I felt connected.
I didn’t realize how disconnected I had become until I posted about my daughter’s graduation on Instagram. I shared how overwhelmed I was feeling, and how hard it was to express all of my feelings about her in just a few words. And then I tried anyway.
Someone read my post there and tagged her daughter. “I feel the same way about you,” she told her. And her daughter wrote back: “I love you mom.”
It was another reminder: sharing your stories about happy things and successes (and hard things and struggles) connects you to all the other people who’ve experienced successes and struggles. And it reminds them of the connections they have with other people, too.
Lots of things led to my feeling disconnected and lost in my business, but that post also reminded me how I could find my way back.
So when I heard that the Indie Business Network was hosting a Summer Blogging Challenge, I knew I needed to participate. This is day one, and I’m committing to post daily for the next 30 days. (I promise I’ll be talking much more about celebrating and connecting with your favorite people, not just about struggles!)
I would love it if you would follow along, and would also appreciate any topics you’d like to see me talk about here. Do you have suggestions for my 30 days? Wish me luck!
It’s often the imperfections and weaknesses in people that cause us to love them. It’s hard to love perfection. My favorite quote from one of my teachers is, “You are enough.” Welcome to the challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing what you write.