Connecting is Admirable
Do you truly know what it feels like to get outside of your comfort zone? For a lot of us, we don’t because it’s called literally going out of our way to make ourselves feel uncomfortable and why would anyone want to feel uncomfortable…
Although this may sound like something you’d rather pass on and just continue living your life I’m sure, but what if I told you that getting uncomfortable can be invigorating, inspiring, and just plain old fun?
If you’re still reading this and wondering what this has to do with our connecting event, just hold on, I’m getting there.
So on March 23rd at Maiden Lane Wine & Spirits, I hosted our second Connecting event, an evening for women in business and leadership. Coming up to the final days before the event, I kept feeling those imposter syndrome markers of “who am I do be hosting these events?” and “why would people want to come to my event?”. Just for some background info, I sold out tickets for this event in under 2 hours (which I’m so proud of) and had a massive wait-list for those looking to attend… so I really shouldn’t have been feeling like an imposter at all. But anyways, back to the story; I kept thinking, these women must see something in me and my idea that I apparently don’t.
On the evening of the event, I got dressed up, did my hair and make-up, grabbed my tote of items prepared for the event and headed down to the venue. When I got there, I was slowly having small heart palpitations and those negative thoughts and feelings started to bubble up the back of my throat. Time was ticking on by and I was internally sweating (and probably externally too). The first few guests had started to arrive and we were in the process of welcoming them and getting them set-up within the venue. After conversations with about 5 women who were attending, I realized that they were all out of the comfort zones and feeling imposter syndrome too. One women literally said “I don’t know what I’m doing here… do I even belong here? I feel so uncomfortable doing this”. I smiled (and chuckled a bit to myself) and said with an awkward sing-song tone (like I sometimes do) “I don’t know what I’m doing here either, but hey, here we are” and I added “Did you know there are 50 women coming tonight and if we all have 10 seconds seconds of courage, we can meet new people, rekindle old relationships, and really enjoy our evening - it truly is admirable of us”.
That night, I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many women say “This is not my normal” or “I’m having anxiety about doing this on my own” BUT I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many women come alive at a networking event. I saw so much laughter, smiles, and hugs that it truly made me feel so proud of what I created that evening.
So every time I host Connecting, I put out a questionnaire to create a blog with words of advice and encouragement for our readers or for those who missed out on getting a ticket so they can have a bit of the magic too! I try and put “easily digestible” questions down so that our contributors can write simple straight-forward answers without putting them on the spot…. so this is what they said the other evening;
Tell us your top 3 traits that make a great female leader.
Confidence in your craft but also in yourself.
Understanding and patience.
Adaptability and flexibility.
and one of my favourite answers - Approachable (I hate when you view someone as a leader but you can’t approach them).
How do you build meaningful relationships?
By truly listening to what others are saying, not just hearing what they’re saying.
Making a point to get together (coffee dates, meals, and walks), checking in is important.
Being open and honest and finding those who share the same values and ideas as you.
Share a mentor or a leader you admire.
Our chef Eva, she inspired us to be ourselves and create without units - Cat and Dayna from The Pantry Bakeshop
Julie Roy. She works very hard, isn’t scared to try new things and set goals - Serena from 519 Culture
Lisa Bhatt, Courtney Botterill, Jeanine Nakle, Magan Laporte - Nicole from Exhale Pilates and Wellness
There are so many and all women stand on their own - Tracy from YQG in Bloom
So to wrap up the event officially, I just wanted to thank each and every one of you who purchased a ticket and came to the event and for those who sat patiently on our wait-list and expressed interest in snagging their ticket for our third event, fingers crossed for you (details to come). I appreciate you all and this event literally wouldn’t be anything without you (quite literally it would just be me by myself hahaha).
Connecting with others is essential for human-life and connecting outside your comfort zone is truly admirable.
If you were at the event and want to see the photos captured, please check out Nicole Harris Photography and her beautiful gallery of images posted. Nicole also has a special offer for those of you who were looking to do any business branding photography! She is offering attendees of our Connecting event $100.00 off for their branding shoots for 2023, so if you’re interested in chatting more with Nicole about that I suggest you reach out to her directly!
Cheers friends and I hope to see you at our next event!
Markie.
