If you’re anything like me, you’ve had HUGE embarrassing moments; and probably more than one! These are moments that make you cringe and hide. Moments that you can’t believe actually happened. Moments that made you hang your head in shame, not speak up, and hide.
Perhaps they were in high school, at work or just in the bus on the way to work. But I can almost guarantee that you’ve never shared some of those moments; you’ve kept quiet about them; you pushed them down.
Before I share my embarrassing moments, why would a marketing strategist and business coach be talking about embarrassing moments? Lots of reasons but here are the most pressing ones:
- I think that over the years, we get into the habit of suppressing our voice due to how we ‘think’ about our embarrassing moments. Suppressing our voice; keeping quiet; hiding our feelings … it’s what good girls do! (Right?) A series of embarrassing moments plus our inner critic plus ‘should’ thinking changes us from that happy go lucky little girl into the quiet invisible woman.
- In my work with women entrepreneurs, I’m constantly meeting women – really smart women – who are hiding; who don’t want to be seen; who secretly want to be heard but they are keeping quiet. Truth bomb — you can’t build a successful business by hiding – marketing requires you to be visible in order to be found by your dream clients. There’s a lot of what I’m calling ‘silent experts’ who are afraid to lend their voice; afraid to speak up; afraid to be heard. YET – the world desperately needs their wisdom and their expertise!
- I’ve been one of those silent experts. For years, I let my inner critic (my itty bitty shitty committee) tell me negative stories as to WHY I couldn’t or shouldn’t speak up; why I shouldn’t stand out and be heard. However, today I’m extremely grateful to those coaches & mentors who gently pulled me kicking and screaming into the limelight where I’ve been learning to share my expertise; where I’ve been crafting & honing my visibility! (BTW – it doesn’t mean that I don’t have HUGE moments of wanting to be silent even today).
Okay … so that’s my why…. WHY I want to help more of you silent experts become eventually VISIBLE experts! That’s why I want to help you (or your business bestie) step up and shine your light; to step up and be heard.
For those of you who’ve attended my SHIFT events, you know why I use Katy Perry’s song “ROAR” when I come on stage. If you don’t know the lyrics , then listen to the song (here) {I know – the video’s a little cheesy but in context – do you see a lion in the reflection?} I want more women to ROAR about their expertise; to feel confident to shout out about their wisdom – whether this be on social media, on stage or in their newsletters & blogs!
LADIES it’s your time to ROAR.
Will you ROAR with me?
Let’s come together and see what we can do to step more into our BEST SELF.
I recently read a book – Step into your Moxie: Amplify your voice, visibility and influence in the world (Alexia Vernon) that has spurred my own moxie. Th book is funny; it’s provocative; and it’s friggin darm GOOD! I’m now reading it for the 2nd time!
So here’s what I’m proposing ….. Let’s gather together and step into our moxie together! Starting January 2 and every Tuesday evening for 13 weeks (there are 13 chapters), we come together on zoom and discuss a chapter of this amazing book; share our own stories; and support each other to be bolder; to be more like a cheetah than a bunny (read the book to find out what I mean!). Come together as a sisterhood (a gang) to increase our confidence & competence to ROAR louder about ourselves!!
Are you with me?
But there’s more …. What if we could take this collaborative effort of helping each other and help someone else? What if we could have an even bigger impact? So I’m proposing that the entry fee to the ROAR GANG be a mere $5, $10 or $25 donation to KIVA! Make your donation directly; send me your receipt and you’re IN. You’ll be on your way to helping other entrepreneurs and yourself!!
You see KIVA gives micro loans to emerging entrepreneurs. You can specify where you want you donation to go – women only; …. Read more about KIVA here.
If this speaks to you – please do it TODAY, right now! Don’t put it off as something you’ll do tomorrow!
If you know a business bestie that might be interested, share this email with her!
BE BOLD BE BRAVE Make the commitment today that 2019 will be the year you ROAR!!!
Are you with me?
Now….. for my most embarrassing moment (and it wasn’t just ONE moment).
It was one long continuous embarrassment that had me keep my mouth shut – literally!
In grade 3, I fell face first (splat) on to the school yard pavement. Imagine a face plant into pavement. YUP!!! As I slowly lifted my face up from the pavement, I could see a white fleck stuck in the hard black pavement. YUP that white fleck was half of my big shiny white front tooth! My right front tooth was now broken, on the diagonal. I was so embarrassed that I decided that I couldn’t smile. I had to keep my mouth shut!! I was certain that EVERYBODY would think I was a wicked witch or something even worse.
It gets better!!! You see my grade 3 was way back when – before internet; before special plastics … OMG it was in the 1960’s. In the 60’s, the only solution for my broken front tooth was a ‘whitish plastic cap” – nothing refined; nothing that matched my own teeth. It stood out like a beacon (or so I thought). Hence, no more smiling – EVER!!!
Life went on … no smiling; hiding my mouth; hating to be noticed. Finally – grade 7 … you know, high school. Probably your worst year in school. Well it was definitely my worst year because that big whitish cap on my tooth got broken off not once but twice! (Oh, I almost forgot – I was also in a new school) Finally it was decided that I would have to have the whole tooth removed; a gold post inserted; and a new white cap placed over the gold tooth. My initial reaction was YIPEE a new white tooth!!!!!!
But that initial joy was soon smashed when I was told that my front tooth would be removed AND I would be without a front tooth for probably 6-8 weeks. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING – a shy, tall, skinny blonde girl in grade 7 in a new school without a front tooth for over a month – I almost died. I hid even more!
It gets better because the procedure would require that after 6-8 weeks without a front tooth – a gold post would be inserted. I would have to be a teenager with a friggin gold post where a front tooth should be for another 6-8 weeks. Death was certain (or so I thought).
You see … my lack of a front tooth was my reason to keep my mouth shut; to stay invisible; to hide; to never speak up; to not smile. It became my reason because I was SURE that everyone was focusing on that dark hole where a tooth should be.
Now you may not have a reason like my front tooth OR you may have an even bigger reason that you are no longer that little girl skipping, smiling and joyfully sharing her thoughts. You might want to share it; or you might not. But whatever your reason …. It’s okay.
Together, let’s walk through STEP INTO YOUR MOXIE; let’s read it; let’s discuss it; let’s do the exercises; let’s share.
THEN … let’s ROAR.
If you’re with me – hit reply and say ROAR.
THEN,
- Then head over to KIVA – make a donation (here)
- Forward the receipt to me (diana@dianalidstone.com)
- I’ll send you an invitation to both the FB group and the zoom link!
- Mark your calendar for January 2, evening probably.
- Go out and purchase – Step into Your Moxie (kindle version available).
I know you want to build a wildly successful business; and I know that you CAN build a wildly successful business – but you have to be willing to shift from being a silent expert to a visible expert. You have to be willing to ROAR about your knowledge and how you can help more people!
I want you to share your wisdom, your expertise LOUDLY – because you’ll make the world a better place if you do!
Go out there and BE UNSTOPPABLE!!!
Diana
