Don’t take yourself so seriously.

Story time!

I arrived at a client’s office to lead a training in front of the owner, CFO, and HR department. After setting my bag down and placing my laptop on the conference room table, I pressed my hips back to take a seat. Only instead of successfully placing my bottom on the chair, the chair rolled squarely away from me as I crashed to the floor and rolled.

Because I can’t be anyone other than myself, I stood up, adjusted my clothes, wiped my hair out of my face, made a Mary Catherine Gallagher reference, and laughed it off.

So why am I waving jazz hands in my regular Saturday attire with gym hair sans makeup and a balding ficus tree in the background?

Because I’m a real person and that’s a real story and in spite of any insecurities that would make me want to be anyone other than me, I am exactly me.

Often we hold onto embarrasment for things that happen beyond our control. Things that have already happened and we cannot change, we ruminate on far longer than anyone else who saw it would. Perhaps that group is thinking about the fall, but I’m quite sure it’s only from concern for my well-being.

Thus, the moral of the story: no one is thinking of you as often as you think. If they do, they are thinking about your qualities, what they like about you, and how you make them feel.

That’s it. What a tragedy to take ourselves too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself and move on with your life.

You have more important work to do.