A Cure for a Vulnerability Hangover: Don’t Be Afraid to Be You

I’m honored to share a guest positivity tip from my friend, Lisa Robb, an amazing colleague who has wonderful wisdom to share. Lisa is a professional life coach, certified running coach, and a national speaker on mindset.

I went to a conference for entrepreneurs last week in Des Moines. We were all invited to take a turn to grab the microphone and introduce ourselves and our business.

The organizer recognized that people have different levels of comfort in doing this. So we had the opportunity to either come up on stage or to introduce ourselves from wherever we were sitting.

When it was my turn, I literally ran up on stage. I absolutely love having a microphone. I love telling stories. I love sharing ideas. I started by telling everyone how I felt. Which was like a full bottle of Diet Coke that had been shaken. And once I got the microphone, it felt like the cap was twisted off! I only had the stage for a couple of minutes. I shared who I was, what I did, and what I was celebrating.

And then almost immediately upon walking off stage, I had a vulnerability hangover. My thoughts:

“That was way over the top.”

“You need to take it down a notch.”

“You are too much.”

And the classic “Nobody likes you.”

Luckily, I was able to snap out of it due to another participant going out of her way to track me down. She said something along the lines of, “If we don’t have time to connect and chat here today, I want to make sure we set something up. I love your energy!” Isn’t it amazing how being “seen” by ONE PERSON can make all of the difference?

And then I was reminded. My job isn’t to make sure people like me. My job is to be authentically me. Some people will be attracted to my energy, and others will be repelled by it. And THAT’S OKAY!!

And from there I realized that even if every single person in the room was repelled, it doesn’t mean that I need to change. It just means I need to change rooms.

I invite you to pause to explore your own authenticity. What does that mean to you? Where might you be trying to fit in? What would happen if you let yourself stand out? Are you in the right room? And if you’re already rocking your authenticity, how might you go out of your way to “see” it in others more often?

As the Chief Inspiration Officer of Raining Glitter Coaching, she works with women to leverage the things they can control to create a pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming-life. Lisa earned both her masters degree in education as well as her professional life coaching certificate at UW-Madison. She has also earned her Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coach Federation. (www.rainingglittercoaching.com)

Lisa is also the founder of the 12 Minute Turtles, an innovative virtual running community for back of the pack runners. As a certified running coach she helps women who are new or returning to running cross the finish line of a half or full marathon. The Turtles are on a mission to inspire others one city at a time. Next up: Missoula, Montana! (www.12minuteturtles.com)