I’ve always believed it’s Not Good to have a Big Head. To be over confident is annoying to most people. To be an expert in something is good. To share knowledge and excitement about something is good. I guess it’s a fine line between ‘showing off’, ‘being proud’ and being able to walk into a room of strangers whilst wanting to run away.
In this little We Got This (Sometimes)! journey, confidence has been a funny old thing. Having marketed other peoples brands and companies for many years, and truly feeling passionate about them, it really is different setting up your own brand. I really don’t mind talking to anyone and everyone about it, because ultimately I think it does a good thing and can do good things for many people and businesses.
I’ve met people who’ve told me to ‘be more male’. To talk to myself as if I am my best friend. To ‘just do it’. And in all honesty there is something in having small children as every minute you do work, you are maxing out productivity wise so there is little time to um and ah. Or dillying and dallying as my four year old says.
BUT, do you think a business ought to be built on who the person really is, or who they pretend to be? Don’t we prefer to follow people, rather than big companies on social media because they are real, and admit their weak points? And once we know they feel sometimes how we feel, we are reassured? I suppose for me, it’s easier to admit the weak points than identify the good points, which is where being more male may help?
Mutha Hood Girl Your Moving Mountains Postcard
I think it can be tricky to see the wood for the trees unless there is time to reflect. One Girl Band is one of my favourite podcasts, and she quite rightly pointed out that we have just come to the end of the first quarter of 2018 - so it’s time to reflect. Her prompts are here, have a go and you’ll be surprised by what you did ‘achieve’, whether it was re-organising a window sill, getting a new project or making a new friend.
This article by Lauren Bravo, whose Twitter feed I am most enjoying, made me laugh: “So I guess the challenge is to find the sweet spot on the confidence spectrum, somewhere between crippling self-doubt and Katie Hopkins. After the panic, but before you become insufferable. What’s our RDA of anxiety, though? Is it like a vaccination — too much makes you sick, but a small quantity makes you actually invincible? And, hang on: why are we, the neurotics and not-good-enoughs, having to do all the self improvement here?”
I think what I am trying to say is that I've found mostly we’re all a bit shy, and mostly we're encouraging everyone else to do well. Recently I’ve been to two networking events. I’ve not been to one since 2010 when I was kind of forced to for work, and it is REVELATIONARY. I drove in the setting sun at 18:30 while Mike put the kids to bed and learnt some stuff and chatted to some women. I am feeling the positive effects weeks later. And I turned up alone to both, and I was nervous.
Ok, so:
- Everyone is a bit shy. Except men apparently. Which I don’t think can be true. Anyway.
- If you’re a freelancer or business owner, or part of a small business, the networking events I have been to are run by Alex at The Parent & Baby Show (your business needs to be operating in this industry) and Nourish Networking by Jackie Heffer Cooker.
- Huffington Post has some good advice here on confident women
- I love Lauren Bravo so am very pleased to have her name on my blog.
- Most people love to help people - always try and give a lot more help than you’re asking for
- Come and meet women of confidence, confidence in different guises - the most excellent Mother Pukka, the Scummy Mummies and Gemma from Mutha.Hood - all women who are, quite literally themselves and are an inspiration without being more male.
The End.
