If I had a dollar for every time someone told me I wasn’t being professional and to “tone it down a notch”, I’d have a massive pile of loonies right now ($1 coins, for my non-Canadian friends!).
A few years ago, it would have bothered me to hear someone tell me I wasn’t technically “doing it right”, when it came to their idea of running a business (and living life, in general!). Being a self-reformed people-pleaser, it was always a hard pill for me to swallow when someone shot me a comment about being –
Too loud
Too abraisive
Too bitchy
Too arrogant
Too WHATEVER
I always hated when someone didn’t agree with the way I chose to do things. And the more I was ME, the more I showed up and was truly authentic about who I am as a person (after years of faking it and trying to please everyone got the best of me), the more the haters reared their ugly heads an started to judge me.
Started to assume they knew better.
Started trying to tell me how to run my business.
To which, of course, I gave them the finger and went along my merry way –
Being ME. Speaking my truth. Saying what I feel called to say. Doing what feels right.
And that won’t always resonate with people. In fact, it POLARIZES most people and doesn’t resonate at all. Which is exactly what I want. 🙂 Because spending time with, supporting, working with people that just don’t like me for me and who don’t agree with the way I think?
Are not really people I want to be involved with anyway.
I “played it safe” for years. I put on a show and acted the way I was “supposed” to act in order to get people to like me. And it worked! Except the people who liked me were not people I could stand! I would speak, write, create and act as someone the complete opposite of who I truly am and it made me sick to my stomach.
But I was told that if I wasn’t professional
If I didn’t bite my tongue sometimes
If I didn’t say what my audience WANTED to hear
I would be broke!
No one would like me!
I would lose my business!
I would become an outcast!
I would fail!
And so I faked it. For years I pretended to be someone I’m not. Until one day a friend called me out on my crap for being one person online and one person offline. She was right.
So I said “fuck it” and decided to just be ME moving forward.
And so that’s what I’ve done!
It hasn’t been easy. I’ve lost A LOT of people from my community, a lot of “friends”, a lot of clients and cusomers. I’ve been called hateful names, I’ve been made fun of, I’ve been taunted, I’ve been criticized publicly, I’ve had nasty messages/blog posts/articles/emails written about me and my life/business.
It’s caused me a lot of headache. A lot of stress. A lot of fear. A lot of sadness.
A lot of feeling like a fucking loser.
But I kept pressing on because I knew that I’d rather be hated for who I really am than loved for who I am not.
After awhile, the people that didn’t resonate with me, my message, and the way I live my life, simply drifted away. They moved on, and so did I. And I’m sure we’re both happier because of it (I know I am!).
I now regularly post LOTS of content that many wouldn’t DARE to put out there with the fear of being told that they’re “too much”.
Do you want to know the type of content that makes me the most money and has the biggest impact in the lives of my community? My RANTING & RAVING! Me calling people out on their bullshit. Being controversial. Reminding fakers and liars that they’re douchebags.
And for every person I turn off from that content –
Someone messages/emails me and says “thank you” for speaking my truth and saying what I feel needs to be said.
You see, I don’t say something just to get a reaction. I say something because I know I NEED to. My gut says “CASSIE, SHARE THIS SHIT NOW” and I oblige. Most people are afraid to tell you the truth. I’m not. Because the truth is what you need to hear.
Sometimes you won’t want to hear it
Sometimes it might hurt your feelings
Sometimes you’ll hate me for it
But every time, I will say it. Because it’s in your best interest for me to do so.
And so I do.
And so I will.
And so it is. 🙂
Being professional is overrated anyway. I was “professional” for about a decade in multiple business and let me just tell you, it’s a pain the ass. It’s NOT fun. It does NOT equal more money or more freedom. In fact, it makes you feel tied down, it reduces your ability to give a fuck about your work - which then means you produce crappy results, and it after awhile, you start to dread even getting up in the morning.
I’ve never found being “professional” (which is totally a personal perception anyway) to be boring as hell. Being ME is way more fun!
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t simply be you and be successful.
You absolutely do NOT need to bend to anyone else’s rules or anyone else’s idea of what a successfl life and business looks like. Only you can determine that. Only you get to decide.
Ranting and raving got me where I am today.
My community comes to expect it now.
My clients are the same way.
My friends are the same way.
My mentors are the same way.
I’ve surrounded myself with people who are JUST LIKE ME, and called in a soulmate tribe that feels the same way I do. THIS is what has allowed me to be so successful in my business. Being ME, and attracting others into my life that are also like me, is what got me to where I am today.
The community
The clients
The money
The freedom
The fun
It all happened for me because I gave up on trying to be who I’m not, and instead, just decided to be who I am.
Don’t forget, –
You really can be, do and have EVERYTHING you want. Take action now!