Finding Courage When You Want to Hide

When was the last time you wanted to hide? Well, for me, it’s been the last few days.. I have 3 weeks left before I compete in the Mrs. Utah pageant (May 23!) Right now I’m feeling exposed, literally because I just had a 7-layer skin peel (thank you SOO much to my sponsor Rosa Weber, of DermaNatural in Provo!) My skin went through several stages of being burned (natural solution), becoming extremely dry and tight, cracking, and ultimately peeling to reveal it’s tender pink baby soft new skin (the object is to minimize lines and rid sunspots, so far so good).

In the last couple of days while I went through this process I couldn’t just hide in my house, I had to get some things done, so I went out in public with sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat, but I still felt very exposed and embarrassed for how my skin looked. I was so self-conscious about it and was certain that everyone who saw me wondered what had happened. Sometimes I tried to explain, but other times, I just tried to keep my head up and smile.

On the worst day there was a few kids pointing to me and whispering at me and it was so obviously strange that my husband joked, “We’re so glad that she made it through… it was really tragic.” I then quickly explained that it was actually something I elected to do to help my skin and it would heal in a few days. While it was sort of funny that he said that, I was instantly reminded of a dear lady I heard speak when I was in junior high who had been a broadcast journalist and then was burned 70% of her body in a plane crash and her whole life changed instantly. She even went into a burning house to save someone after she had already healed from her burns and was awarded a high honor. She spoke with such courage and strength that her message has stayed with me all these years. I wanted to be like her–to inspire people, to make a difference in their lives and have the courage to do so, no matter what.

Today when I went out, I had to wear a heavy white moisturizer on my face to protect the raw skin, and wore my hat to shade my skin from the sun but took off my sunglasses in the store. I didn’t even really think about what my skin looked like and by the time I got back into my car I remembered and you know what? I didn’t really care. I somehow got over the fear of what other people thought about what I looked like… a good sign.

What does any of this have to do with business? Well, there may be a day when you get bad press or when you face a former client that decided to use someone else for their next project and you’ll want to hide from them. I’ve been in uncomfortable positions like this… maybe you’re facing something like this now, if so, I challenge you to hold your head up high and smile. You’ll eventually feel more comfortable in your own skin.

This post was written by Kelly King Anderson, Startup Princess Founder.

Your Turn: Tell us how you’ve handled a particularly difficult time when you wanted to hide… you don’t have to tell us the details of what it was that embarrassed you, just tell us how you got through it!