Facing My Fear of Being Misunderstood (Thank You Wedding MBA)

Yesterday, I sent out an email to the Wedding MBA list with a link to my post Oh Shit it's Worse Than I Thought (My Wedding MBA Takeaway) and this morning I woke up to an email from someone AT the Wedding MBA.

The email started, "I just received your mass email and I have honestly never received an email like this it was so critical, many of attendees and speakers called me about it. I didn’t sit right with them. It takes a very negative tone and I don’t think it’s going to get you the results you were hoping for."

Obviously, when I received the email, I was a little shook.

After I took a few minutes to calm down, I realized that I was being confronted with one of my biggest fears and that is, being misunderstood.

To me, the post was not negative at all, quite the contrary. The post (and my experience at Wedding MBA) were a catalyst for my growth, in business and in life.

I debated whether to write this "rebuttal" post but every fiber of my being is telling me that I need to at least, TRY to be a part of the solution because I know I am not alone in feeling scared to put myself out there for fear of being criticized or misunderstood.

I debated mostly because this isn't a personal blog, this is my business blog and this feels very personal but, behind every business is a human being and we need to remember that. Our businesses are an extension of ourselves and it's important to attract and connect with the right clients if we want to feel happy and fulfilled in our work.

My ideal client is going to resonate with my sentiments and I did have several people reach out and tell me that my first blog post DID resonate with them.

The employee from Wedding MBA told me "I don’t think it’s going to get you the results you were hoping for." and I have to strongly disagree with them. The results I am hoping for are to attract people into my life and business who understand that we can't keep going the way we are going. And, my blog post resonated with exactly those people who agree with me.

Was it the majority? I don't know and I don't care.

The results I am looking for are not to take over the world and create a massive empire. Maybe that would have been the results I was looking for 25 years ago when I started my first business, but my priorities and values have changed since then.

The results I am looking for are authenticity, purpose, connection and fulfillment and in order to get those results in life and business, you HAVE to put yourself out there and you HAVE to face your fears of being criticized and misunderstood.

It sucks, and if you are someone like me who has had a lot of pain and trauma in their lives, it makes it that much harder.

My goal is no longer the bottom line. Of course I want to be successful, but to me, success is no longer measured by how big my bank account is. It is measured by how many people I can connect with and how many people I can help.

I am going to sound super cheesy right now but nothing gives me more satisfaction than when I can connect with someone and help them to go from being overwhelmed and burnt out in their business to hopeful and excited. THAT is success to me!

Listen, I completely understand how the Wedding MBA could have felt that my post was a criticism. Everyone sees the world through their own filters, however, that was not my intention.

I think that the Wedding MBA offers an amazing opportunity for wedding professionals to find new resources and stay up to date on what's going on in the industry.

The email I received mentioned "I have honestly never received an email like this." and I have decided to take this as a compliment.

Everyone is running around, constantly looking over their shoulder, trying SO hard to do what everyone else is doing (and oftentimes failing) and I had fallen into that trap as well (which is what my first post was all about) so being told that my email and blog post were something that has never been seen before is REALLY saying a lot and validates to me that I am on the right track.

We all strive to be authentic. We all want to be happy and fulfilled. I want to encourage you to face your fears in life and in business.

Will you be misunderstood? Will you be criticized? Possibly. Probably. But, you know what...it's not so bad on the other side and I have faith that you can handle it. I mean, you started your own business and that takes guts, right? You got this!

xo

Gina