Is it just me or are there a lot [I mean a TON] of people out there who live in their own alternate reality, especially in the age of Web 2.0 and blogging?
I think this notion of “perception is reality” has gotten pushed to the limits. There seems to be an approach that if you act like you’re big-time, then you are big-time.
While confidence in what you are doing is important, I think inflated pride actually does more harm than good. Pride can distort reality. It can cause you to ignore the things you are doing wrong. It can decrease the trust that your clients, co-workers, or boss have in you.
I’ll be honest: I’m 32 years old. I run my own business and make an “okay” living at it – I’m closer to poor than I am to rich. My office is in my basement and I work ten feet from where my little girls play Barbie dolls. Much of the time I don’t shower until 11 AM. I have coffee breath right now. My bookkeeping is a mess. I’m not really sure what direction my business is headed, but I’m having fun. I’m still not even sure what it is that I actually “do,” but it’s usually a decision I make with each new day. I’m happy with a simple life.
I don’t have people lining up to meet me. Some days my phone doesn’t ring. I’m not a widely-read blogger. I don’t ride in limousines. My house isn’t a mansion. I don’t buy brand new vehicles and I probably never will. I don’t toss money around like it’s in endless supply. Usually the only time I have actual cash in my wallet is right after my birthday.
My life is not perfect.
I am not perfect.
And neither is anyone who might appear to be.
Mistakes are okay. It’s okay to be real. Be honest about your flaws, your weaknesses, etc. You don’t have to put the spotlight on them, but you don’t need to hide them either. Sometimes admitting what we do and don’t do well helps us become much better at what we want to do.
Acknowledge reality. That doesn’t mean you have to like it. You can take action to change it. But ignoring it and pretending it’s something else means completely ignoring the very things that will help you.
Don’t let pride get in the way of bettering yourself.
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I think this distorted reality in small business is best illustrated when you connect with people who are continually referring to themselves as the CEO of their “company” when you know it's just them, or them and a few people working for the… definitely not a team of executives to be chief over. I've never been a fan of the “fake it till you make it” mantra, I'm more a fan of “work your ass off and be honest about where you're coming from.” Obviously there's a need for “work from home” types to present themselves in a way that they'll be taken seriously by clients working in a more traditional environment, but I think honest always beats puffing oneself up.
Yes! Jake, you hit the nail on the head. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Thanks for stating it so well.