Meeting My Rock Star of girls world
In my head I had envisioned us becoming BFF’s because we have the same passion, working with the social intricacies of girls. I arrived to The Girl Meets World workshop and I was SO NERVOUS I didn’t talk to her. My heart was beating fast. I felt myself putting distance between us as I had put her so high on a pedestal there was no way I could reach her!!
As a big fan of Rachel Simmons I was so excited to meet her and learn from her ways to help the girls I work with navigate the tricky waters of balancing ones authenticity with other pressures and messages we receive from society.
I had been following Rachel Simmons (Author of The Curse of the Good Girl) for years. I admire how she has put herself out in to the world (as an author, appearing on Good Morning America, and other shows).
She was great during the conference. She was not ‘perfect,’ but her acceptance of her imperfections with grace, in my eyes made her seem even more perfect! I wanted her to like me and every time I talked in class (which was not often) I was nervous and felt I was showing a side of myself that was not going to enable her to be my ‘best friend.’ (Whatever that means).
These expectations I had, got in the way. I heard my internal critical voices loud and clear. I felt worse and worse as the days went by. At the end of the 2 1/2 day course I asked her to sign my book and asked for a picture of her. Ah, at last, we were not going to be besties but at least I got up the nerve to talk to her!
This experience made me think about girls and women who may be so eager for someone to like them they can’t be themselves. I was aware of what I was doing, but I couldn’t get out of the feelings I was having.
Have you ever wanted someone to like you so much that you couldn’t be yourself? Please comment below!
Zen Ya’all,
Kim