1 event: 4 emotions

A few weeks ago, I Attended my friend Samira Amin Udugampola, MBA ???? launch party for Executiv (launchpad for female execs).??

During my “commute” home, I started reflecting on the evening. S/O to Meghan S. Andrea Khan, ACC khan Chris Henwood Ari Aronson Karen Hsiung @Fotini Iconomopoulos Teresa Di Felice Paul Kaye Dhaval Bhatt Nigel Udugampola Katrina Garcia @susann I am sorry I didn't meet everyone by name, but all my interactions were awesome!

That evening made me feel a lot of things; I have summarized them into four.

1. Pride
2. Memorable?
3. Forgettable
4. Validated

The first emotion is Pride?

Those who followed our love story on Linkedin (Here it is again) know that?Samira is someone whom I genuinely respect, value, and appreciate.

When we hear of people leaving corporate gigs to become entrepreneurs, their origin story is typically years long and fraught with delays and derailments.

Not for Samira.

She started finding a voice as an extremely popular and sought-after career coach and content creator. She grew her following all while raising two young sons and working full time. She mentioned, in passing, that she may*? make the shift into entrepreneurship.

I budgeted 12-18? months as a time to follow up with her on this.

Fast forward three months, and she bet on herself, left her corporate role and she is doing it!? she launched executiv; not only has she launched, she has built an app, grown a roster of colleagues she has started accepting members.

She did this all while consistently checking on how I am doing. We can all check in more, do more, support more-? busy-ness is a reality not an excuse.? Some of my most senior contacts find the time, even a quick check-in means a lot, especially for those looking for work. I try my best to check in and support, and it really makes an impact.?

I am also proud of Costa (Constantine) Patiniotis and the growth of his business and hearing all about his family.

The next feeling was Forgettable.?

I ran into somebody I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. Excitedly, I approached, truthfully assuming a hug was imminent. It turns out it was a handshake, and they did not remember me, not one iota.

I am not egotistical at all. I can be fraught with self-doubt and insecurity, but I do think that I’m somewhat memorable. While humbling, it was a good lesson, a reminder that regardless of how you think the interaction went, not everybody feels the same way when meeting.

It also reminded me that my priorities are not everybody else’s. I am sensitive, so I am often hurt or offended when I think people are ignoring me. The reality is, it's not about me.? I have no idea what’s happening in their world, and it’s usually not personal. I need to work on lowering my expectations while still supporting those when they reach out.

The next emotion was Memorable.

While at this event, I stumbled upon a familiar face, a trio of nice men sipping wine on lounge seating. One looked so familiar, but I could not put a name to the face; it was killing me.? We continued to talk, and it came to me. This was Miles Kettner .. as in Miles, Kettner and Melissa Muskat .

In my very first job, I worked as a receptionist at the Dunfield Club. Thank you again Denise Buffett for hiring me! It was there that I met Miles and Melissa, and I have always loved talking to them.

They were so warm and patient with me even when I was fumbling through my first job, and I always wondered what happened to them. Seeing Miles again and knowing he remembered me in a very positive/non fumbly light was amazing.?

It makes me wonder why I take the “forgettable” moments so seriously and don’t truly celebrate how awesome it is when I make a great impression on someone (professionally or personally)

In Business Development, I do a lot of outreach and have started shifting the narrative to celebrating the wins rather vs focusing on the losses, the brush-offs, the rejections or the ones who want to avoid meeting/collaborating. This is definitely a work in progress and a hard belief system to change.

It's a kinder way to treat myself because the alternative is too challenging and draining, we are all human and life happens, mental health struggles happen so... when possible let's try to just lead with kindness. Its my approach to my work and my life, everyone starts ar 10/10 for me and they lose points at the same rate.

It's a shift in narrative with the same outcome, go in, assuming the best vs having to start at one and claw your way up.

The final emotion is validation. Early in the evening, I talked with 4 relative strangers, and we shared raw stories of feedback we had been given that has stuck with us for years, even decades. I had been carrying around feedback tor years. It turns out everyone has one sentence that lives in their heads: rent-free. This conversation happened organically and with no judgment. One guest said we should remember all the positive words we hear vs focusing on the rare negative ones.

It was validating to know that despite how we appear on social media or in meetings, we are all human everyone struggles with self-doubt and it is ok, welcomed even to be honest and open about these things.

Non sequitur, but an important thank you to Julie Howlett , who has made me feel 3/4 of the emotions: memorable, validated and proud to be her friend, thank you for the continued support and encouragement over the years,

In closing, congratulations to Samira on your launch and as always, I am here to chat about partnerships, collaboration, and, of course, life stuff. c/o Kelly Greene Co.