Ever show up in the wrong attire? I sure have. My wife, too. In kindergarten her Mom dressed her in a Halloween giraffe costume and sent her to school. Problem was – it was on the wrong “wear your costume to school” day. Awkward!
Speaking of grade school; picture a 5th grade boy
wearing black; thick-soled; round-toed; wingtip-type; orthopedic shoes to
school every day. That’s what I had to
wear when going through a growth spurt that caused excruciating pain in the
heels of my feet. Boy, did I feel awkward.
That feeling out of place feeling can test our limits, for
sure. I bet you’ve experienced your
share of awkward moments. The good news
is such experiences help us build a stronger foundation. Ah yes – that growing up destination known as
“confidence”.
Awkward experiences help with the “growing up” part because:
There is both peace and power in knowing and understanding who you are, where you're from and where you're going.
Doug
Burgum
“Peace and power”; I love that phrase! Peace and power to overcome awkward; to develop
confidence.
Confidence helped me throughout my sales career even when not
properly attired. I met a prospect once
in Palm Springs, California. There I was
in a suit and tie. He walked into the
conference room wearing shorts and a golf shirt. He greeted me with, “You’re not from around
here are you?” True enough LOL!
I closed a deal in Salt lake City once in spite of my
attire. The executive team at the awards
company, O.C. Tanner invited me to join in their pick-up basketball game one
morning. Such an invitation was quite the
compliment. They played at their Latter
Day Saints church every morning from 6:30 to 8am before going to the office.
Afterwards, we showered and dressed. That’s when everyone knew “I wasn’t from
around here.” I wasn’t wearing sacred
undergarments per their religious practice.
We finalized the contract back at their office nonetheless. I think they respected that I knew who I was;
where I’m from; and where I was going.
Fast forward to today… fashion and personal appearance is
diverse, true? For those remote workers,
what is “appropriate business attire” in your home office? Do your company and clients expect you to be
on camera?
Being “remote” means much more than merely the geographic
location of one’s desk. It can really
test one’s confidence. If you’re feeling
awkward in such a setting don’t worry:
Personal
growth and increased confidence take place when we are testing the limits of
our lives.
Tom
Payne
When at our limits we can reach back and remember who we are and where we came from. That’s a foundation of peace and power to carry us on to where we’re going.
GAP
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