Embracing people who just don’t get it!
Have you ever had someone ask you, “How’s your little business?”
How did it make you feel?
Perhaps you thought it was nice that they bothered to ask you. Or perhaps you were just irritated that they didn’t get how important your business is in your life!
Or even better, maybe you secretly know your business makes more money than they could ever make in their little J-O-B!
So how do you respond to questions like this, or a general lack of interest or understanding about what you do? Let’s explore the options. Note, the difference responses could be applied to any “annoying” question at holiday gatherings. All choices are valid – which one lights you up?
Getting Angry
Whether you express your anger or not, one option to uninformed questions about your business is to get angry. My guess is that you wont express it, you’re much too nice for that, right? But inside you’re burning up. How dare they make assumptions about you?!
Feeling Small
Perhaps you’ll actually allow that comment to get under your skin and let it make you feel small. Whether they meant it that way or not, if you’ve got a ‘not good enough’ story in your subconscious mind, your interpretation of the question will put you right back in the moment you first felt small.
Feeling Flattered
You could choose to appreciate the interest in your business at all, ignoring the “little” part of the statement altogether.
Being Curious
Another option is to engage in conversation from a place of being curious about THEM. You may ask “oh, it’s good, why do you ask?” or “Oh, tell me what you remember about my business.” This will help you to actually know where they are coming from, rather than making assumptions.
Being Compassionate
Perhaps the person you are talking to genuinely can’t imagine the world of entrepreneur, and couldn’t fathom that someone they know, perhaps someone a lot like them, could actually have a successful, freedom-based business.
Remember what it was like when you were an employee? Did you ever imagine your life today was possible for you? How could you choose to bring that compassion to the conversation and put yourself in their shoes?
Being Playful
Playful is a great way of being in situations that trigger an initial anger or resentment response. How might you playfully respond to the question at hand, in a way that makes the whole conversation light?
Remember, how you interpret a question, and the place from which you respond not only affects your connection with that other person, but it affects your experience for the rest of the gathering! Choose an interpretation that makes you feel good!