cleansing thoughts: embrace some mystery. [part one]

the other day, i had lunch with red dress judge from Redeemer’s Entrepreneur Business Competition.

and i knew i liked her when she stepped on my toes before.

but i knew we were going to get along when she ordered a salad with french fries. and evenmore, when she invited me to pick a fry or two off her plate.

and we dined together for quite some time. and she asked hard and abrupt and clever questions about the plan of 100cameras. and it was fun. i liked breaking our mission down into pieces for her to understand. and i liked seeing how her mind would put them back together again.

she’s sharp and intelligent. and she’s blunt and wise. and she could tell when she’d just sent my thoughts into spiral.

so she would give me a minute or two to scribble down some reminder-words in my planner. and after reading over my scribbleness, i read some common life themes. that her red dress-ness spoke into process within me.

and i’ve been thinking about it ever since. because in-between business and brainstorm, she taught me about her journey in life. about being a woman. that moved to america from germany. that is driven. and talented. and successful. and highly respected. and most importantly – grounded.

she reminded me that
all is vain, if you’re not grounded. if you’re not rooted in the good soil.

–
a summary of red-dress thoughts. shared over french fries. check it,

i operate my businesses on quality of product and trust in service. because when people trust you and your services, they will come back to you. and i don’t ever fly solo, angela. in any of my ventures. because when i’m down, i need a pick-up. and when i’m up again, i need a crack-up. i need someone to enjoy the good with.

because i think we learn the most when times are down. that’s when we learn our lessons. our sharpening. that’s when we finally embrace the change within ourselves that’s been trying to carve itself into our identity for awhile. when it is hard, it seems like that’s when we grow best. like our roots are watered when we receive the rain. it’s the sunshine times that sustain us to make it through the next rain.

and i think you need partners for both. in business and friendships. for when it is up and down. someone to rejoice in the good. and encourage through the bad.

you know, angela. americans always want to know exactly what i do for work. they want to know the success of my businesses. of my brand. of me. just so they can google my name. so they can categorize me. why is that? europe would never ask me what i do for work in the beginning of conversations.

[i had already asked her. and she skirted around the topic. and i had already googled her - twice.]

i find it all irrelevant. so i don’t ask others.

if i’m looking for a business partner, i just want to see the proof of their talent. of their work ethic. i don’t want to know if they’re married with three kids. because someone with the happy-marriage could be drowning inside. or cheating.

if i’m looking for friendships, i just want to see proof of their friendship. i don’t want to know what they do for work. because friendship shouldn’t be based on salary or success. i know people who have all the wealthy friends, but are extremely lonely.

angela, i don’t want to categorize people. you know, based on seemingly shallow reasoning. it is judgement-like. and i feel at my best self, when i don’t let categorical thoughts taint my attitude and opinions of others.

that is when i feel cleansed.
–

i left there feeling very fortunate. because not only did she offer future advisory services to 100cameras. she offered future advice to me.

Tags: IF.