What’s Your Inner Dialogue?…

10:31 PM…Thirty Days and Counting…

“This is the headache of business,” The Fixer announces. It’s a pure business lesson. She flies in, broom stick ablaze, to talk details that make a difference in a business that succeeds and one that does not. All the flower arranging and party planning skills in the world won’t help. Damn.

Evidently, creative types suffer this malady frequently. Are you listening Photo Girl? You know who you are. We give away our work. We do not see its true value and for some reason, believe we should share it for free. Resentment builds. There is a conversation in our heads.

We think we know the importance of words. But do we realize the power of our inner dialogue to hurt us, and our income, if we are not careful of what we allow ourselves to say and thus push out into the world?

Emotionally, it makes sense to us. In a relationship, we understand that when someone does not feel appreciated something suffers. Fixer wisdom says we must recognize the same happens in business. “If you are not appreciated for your work or you are not paid on time, it affects your value, which in turn affects your income. If you are not feeling love, you may get customer complaints, something will go wrong.”

For this reason, our dialogue must be cautiously selected. “Be careful what you say,” she warns. “Change the language in your head. It’s not a bad thing to realize what you think becomes real. You now know you are responsible. You materialize everything. You are the master of this. That also means you can fix it.”

Part of mastering the business schtick for us women who spent more time picking the perfect chintz than following market fluctuations is to grow a thicker skin. Now. “Stand your ground. Never back down.” I never thought backing down was one of my talents, but evidently I treat business like I treat friends.

“You cannot run business like this. People get the idea they are your friend. I am not your friend. I am teaching you how to do business. It has nothing to do with whether I like you or I don’t like you. And you must do the same.”

“Join me. Bitch up a little. Use your powers.” Easier said than done buried in china patterns and fish forks.

“Just one word can mess with your head,” she cautions. Okay, then. While I’m in learning curve mode; my new word…badass.