Recently I discussed how important it is to be you and this week I am taking it a step further. Once you have discovered and embraced who you are in the wedding industry and what it is you stand for, then comes the real test: Trusting in it all. Trusting ourselves really causes such conflict it seems. We want to do what we are “supposed to do” or what the best move from an outsider’s perspective would be, but somehow it doesn’t feel right. We have all heard the saying that intuition is the sixth sense. I would whole heatedly agree. More often then not your gut is like a crystal ball, foreseeing the future and letting you know which way to go. Often it comes down to knowing what you should probably do, what you don’t want to do, and then the tugging feeling inside you guiding you in the right direction can lead you to the outcome that is best. Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink supports this theory: that often times we make our best decisions in a matter of moments. Our gut has an instinct about situations long before we factor in our educated analysis of people and opportunities.
In business we are taught to make educated, rational, and well thought out decisions and I would strongly encourage us all to do just that- most of the time. However, often times I feel my soul telling me something and I start to lean towards the alternative outcome. There is a huge lesson to be learned in listening to yourself. I recently avoided following my instincts and learned a very important, costly, and time wasted lesson, but never the less, one that I am grateful I experienced. I was hesitant to take on a client because I wasn’t sure I could meet their list of expectations and needs. I had a feeling which way to go and I ignored it. Was I surprised by the outcome? No not really. I kind of set myself up for it. We’ve all been there at some point: booked a client we thought, “oh what the heck I’ll make a few extra dollars” or “yeah sure they may be high maintenance, but I can handle it”. In my case it was more of the “sure they may not be the best fit, but I’ll just give it a whirl and I’m up for the challenge!” I share this candid experience with you because it has taught me so much about my business and even more insight to the wedding industry vendors we work with. There is a time and a place for being all business and then there is that overwhelming feeling inside that says YES or NO. If you aren’t sure whether to hire that assistant, lower your rates for that bride, or refer that vendor for your client’s wedding…. simply Listen to yourself. You truly know what is best for you. Oh, and I should of course add that sometimes you can be wrong and so can your gut, but more often then not our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well being will thank you anyways.
You are smarter than you give yourself credit for and you know what is best for you and your business, so give yourself a little respect and trust that you are leading or possibly following yourself in the right direction.
*image credit: Palomas Nest
xo, Leila, WeddingPR
I LOVE THIS POST! Preach on sister (literally). When you follow your intuition you won’t be led astray!
So very, very true!
Great post – it’s easy to justify and convince yourself of something but it takes a lot of courage to listen to your “gut” at times.
Great post! Can’t tell you how many times I have had this happen over the past 6 years in the wedding industry. Vendors, colleagues, and clients alike have burned me and my gut had told me to walk away (or sometimes RUN) and I didn’t. I learned a lesson each time…a valuable lesson learned the hard way. Some many times I wished I would have listened to my inner voice. As I get older, I had learned to listen to it a lot more:)
OMG, Leila, I am facing this issue right now and my gut feeling is so strong that I think I know what I have to do. Thanks for sharing and reinforcing that we all need to follow our gut!
I faced this issue earlier this year with a client. I finally (after a year of working with them) had to walk away. It was a terrible feeling, and if I would have trusted my gut last year, I wouldn’t be dealing with it now. Live and learn!
I totally agree with all of you. There isn’t one of us at there that hasn’t faced a situation where their insticnts didn’t come into play. Our gut shows up and we choose not to listen, but its the best learning experience!
I learned this the hard way too!! i went against what my gut told me and learned a very valuable lesson. it just made me a stronger business person! Great post. love it!
I think as we all grow in our businesses it becomes easier to listen more carefully; the longer we do this, the louder that gut will be! Great post, thanks for sharing!
Love Blink. Agree with Jen… The more experience we have listening to and deciphering our blink reactions, the better we get at understanding them and acting accordingly.
this is great advice! thank you so much for sharing!