Authenticity Is Addictive Vol 2 Issue 1: Short Circuit
“The sh*tty thing about grief is that life moves on no matter what you’re feeling…”
The tears in my eyes distorted my vision and my face flushed. I put down my laptop and tried to focus on the glittering ornaments that were a few feet away from where I sat. The rest of Britt’s email would have to wait.
My mom had died less than a month ago, but I was worn out from grieving. No matter how much I reminisced, wailed, raged, or wall-slid, she wasn’t coming back. And I wasn’t feeling better.
I decided to pull myself together and get back to work. If “Keep Calm and Carry On” was a person, I knew her as Mommy. And I was convinced this was what she would’ve wanted me to do.
But putting on a brave face with my own clients was still too much for me to handle. So I took advantage of an offer from Brittany to work my magic behind the scenes in her biz for a year while I worked up the nerve to be the face—and voice—of my own company again.
That choice would prove to be one of many grief-fueled decisions that I’ve come to regret over the past 3 months. So I bowed out of that role and took a minute to regroup.
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“Authenticity is addictive. In a world that is increasingly skeptical, people respond to messages they can relate to.” – Tiffany A. Ingle
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The greatest business lesson I’ve learned so far in 2021 is this: you can’t short circuit grief.
Losing my mother was a profound personal loss, but 2020 kicked all of us in the shins. I’m hardly the only person struggling right now.
So if you’re feeling a bit of pandemic fatigue, that’s reasonable… but there is a way to move forward without being tone deaf to your audience and the potential pain they are still feeling.
One of the best things your brand can do to showcase your humanity is to acknowledge that things aren’t always rosy. You can be inspirational without being delusional.
And so, because I believe in practicing what I preach, I’m here… still nursing a wound that may never heal, but ready to continue connecting with all you amazing creators and innovators who make me feel so blessed that I get to work alongside you as you change the world with your gifts.
Thank you.
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