You know those days when you’re not sure if you’re any good at what you love? The days when you compare yourself to everyone else trying to play the same game.
Well, if you don’t, I sure as hell do.
~
I used to always think that other people had a lot more leverage over me because they were more experienced, more knowledgeable, more whatever.
For instance, I’ve had my fair share of travels, but the number of places I’ve gone is minimal compared to the true travelers. I’ve also gone through a decent bout of problems over the years, but there are so many people who have it way worse than me. And I’ve always felt like I have so much wisdom and perspective to share, but I’m young… maybe my “wisdom” isn’t really “wise” in the eyes of someone who has lived a lot longer than me.
It was these thoughts that plagued me for so, so long. I guess you could say it was self-doubt, but it felt more than that to me. It wasn’t that I doubted my experiences or abilities because I knew that what I went through was real and what I had to share was legitimate. I saw this problem more as never feeling like I had enough of what it takes to be “great”.
Until recently…
A few years ago, I went shopping at a raved about boutique called Fiori in Franklin, MA. I wanted to see what the hype was all about, so I carved out an hour or so in my day and went. That hour or so was definitely well needed because I took my sweet time browsing each shelf, each room, each display one by one. This store, like everyone said, was entrancing. The merchandising— incredible. Each room felt like it had its own story, and I swear I could have spent hours and hours in there just looking at each and every item. It goes without saying that I was mesmerized by the entire shop.
I also wasn’t the only one who voiced out loud that they loved it. When I was there, I heard numerous people tell the workers that the store was beautiful. It seemed like everyone who shopped there was in agreement, myself included.
It was then, while I was shopping, that something inside me flipped, and it wasn’t my stomach. In that moment, I had a sudden revelation in the midst of browsing through lip balms and bath bombs. An odd time to have an epiphany? Yes, but those odd “aha” moments are usually the most powerful.
Every time someone told a worker that the store was beautiful, they didn’t further elaborate and give credit to all the brands that made up the merchandising assortment. They didn’t say, “I love your store, but I’m actually going to call up all the brands you carry and give them the real credit.” It was simply, “This place is beautiful. I love coming in here and shopping what’s in store.”
And for some reason, that made me realize…
That’s how people work, too.
We collect little things from all the places we go, people we meet, experiences we have, and we carry them with us. All of those pieces become our own brand.
Billions of other people travel. Billions of other people have problems. Billions of people are wise. Billions of people have the same traits as you and me.
But no one in the world has all the same little pieces as you do, carries them how you do, and displays them the way you do. We may both have wall decor and mirrors and painted prints, but they’re hung in different spots. They tell different stories.
It’s not about having the same things as other people. I mean, we’re human, when it comes down to it. We’re of the same species— we are bound to do some of the same things. But you can’t just think, “Okay, he travels WAY more than me, so he’s the real expert. And she’s gone through the absolute ringer, so who am I to complain about my problems. And he’s such a wise soul, so he’s actually the one with all the advice and answers, not me.”
That’s not what it’s about.
Fiori carries a list of products that are also sold in many different stores elsewhere. This is typical of most stores you go into. Stop & Shop, CVS, Target, Walmart. Even the smaller ones like Fiori.
But no other store had the same exact assortment, displays, playlist, charm, soul, etc. as Fiori did because no other store in the world has the same owners.
And that, my friends, is what makes all the difference.
~
I want you to know— truly, truly know— that all the pieces you possess are unique to you as a whole, even if they don’t feel so “unique” on their own.
I can only speak for myself, but when I started fully owning the fact that writing was my passion, I constantly compared myself to the big wigs, the New York Times Bestselling Authors. I thought, “Why do I think I can compete with them when they’re the best in the game, and it’s so well known.”
It took me a while to learn that I’m not competing with a single soul. Yes, those authors love writing, and yes, they’re phenomenal at it. But no one in the world has what I have in the way that I have it… the same goes for you.
So all I’m saying, is that a little store, in a little town (and perhaps a little retail therapy), isn’t gonna solve all your problems, but it might solve one of them.
Stand by what you own.
P.S. Do not walk—RUN to Fiori if you live anywhere nearby😊
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