My mom always uses the saying, “If we all throw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.” I never fully believed in it until I went on a girls’ getaway with my closest friends from high school.
Sometimes before trips like this, you can start to worry and play a highlight reel of the most horrid Real Housewives’ trip scenes in your mind. You can begin to overthink and psych yourself out about the simplest things: what to pack, what sleeping arrangements will be like, what happens if you get “hungry”. But once you arrive and see those beautiful faces, you are reminded of why you all planned this trip in the first place, friendship.
During this quick trip, I bonded with friends that I haven’t gotten time to be real with in a while. The past times I have seen them I was running around and hosting a Launch Party, and another time hosting an Engagement Party – not ideal times to chat up on things below the surface. This trip was the perfect opportunity to allow us to talk in a way that only friends who have grown up together can talk.
On our three-day trip, we gabbed about everything under the sun – including our careers. It’s always so interesting the differences between what people THINK of you and your career and what YOU think of your career. I find that social media can really cloud our vision and give us false ideas of people’s careers and lifestyles.
For instance, all of my high school friends are working in the concrete jungle, New York City. When I visualize them and their careers, I see a combination of Anne Hathaway (post makeover) in The Devil Wears Prada and boss, independent woman, Miranda Hobbes from Sex & The City. I think they are all fabulous and intelligent women, strutting the streets in their sexy heels, kicking ass and taking names. When they visualize my career, they may see a combo of Carrie Bradshaw and Bethany Frankel. An entrepreneur writer on a mission! Setting goals and living life all while answering to no one but myself!
After we all got to chatting, the ideas we all have of one another’s careers is just a small portion of the actual reality of our jobs. For me personally, sometimes within my newly created career I feel completely lost and my friends were shocked to hear this. Yes, I chose to quit my job. Yes, I went out on a limb to create this brand and website. But the truth is – sometimes I feel like Sonja Morgan talking about her career. I sometimes get completely overwhelmed being my own boss and I even find myself anxious, which I never used to feel before.
Being an entrepreneur might look seamless to others but no one knows the bumps in the road that can come along when being your own boss. Just like I don’t know what it’s like to work in a high pace office, my friends face their own career obstacles – completely different from mine.
Don’t get me wrong, my girls are absolutely killing their careers and I too am pushing along on my path to conquering my dreams and making it big. The truth for all of us is, it’s not all Valencia filters and witty emojis on Venmo. It’s hard work. It’s sleepless nights. It’s sacrificing a social life to work late. It’s tough decision making. It’s gut wrenching. But most importantly, it’s determination for success.
What I realized on this trip is the most important job we all have to one another is being a real friend. It’s important to have those honest, vulnerable moments with friends to share, vent, and then encourage one another. It’s valuable to lower your guard and let people in behind the curtain. Just like my mom would say “If we all throw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.” We opened up this weekend to realize that we are in this together, no matter what our career paths may be!