I'm sure we’ve all had challenges over the last 18 months including, but definitely not limited to our hairstyles and hairstyling needs! You might well view it as trivial, but my own experience recently has got me thinking…
I have been thankful throughout the lockdown that I’m not a high-maintenance, get-my-roots-done-every-6 weeks type of person. In fact, sometimes I “forget” to make appointments and have to wait longer than I would ideally like. But that’s just me. Some people wouldn't dream of letting that hapen - and that's just them.
I have also had “bad luck” with hairdressers. On numerous occasions I’ve found a hairdresser that I am happy with, only to have them move on.
So recently in the name of convenience, value for money and shopping local, I decided (after losing my last hairdresser) to go to my local salon and went with a stylist I chose randomly. She was lovely and the haircut initially seemed fine.
Discovering the horror – I need help!
That is until I got home. I discovered, horror of horror that I’d had a “bad haircut”!!!! Dah Dah Dah!!! What was I to do? The back of my hair was totally different at each side! So, I had some choices:
Accept it, or
Do something about it
It had irritated me for a couple of weeks, but I didn’t take any action (being low maintenance!), but it got to a stage where the irritation outweighed the indifference. So yesterday, I marched into a salon that had been recommended to me and said, “I need help”. I literally did say that.
I wasn't expecting to get an appointment so soon, but, the lovely lady I spoke with was able to put me in for an appointment the very next day. So today I met my new stylist, Chris. He nodded sagely as I explained my predicament and admitted that I was “missing a piece” behind my left ear. He diplomatically observed that he could see what the previous stylist had been going for.
It cost me over 25% more than my last cut, but now I’m happy and not lopsided. I am no longer missing a piece behind my ear!
So, I have resolved to keep up some type of maintenance and book in another appointment for 6-8 weeks’ time 😊
What this has taught me:
You can put up with something that you are not happy with, but only for a short time. Your tolerance has a “sell by” date
If something irritates you enough, there will be a time or an event which tips the balance and spurs you into action
If something goes wrong, then it is within your control to take action to fix it
Take responsibility and stop the blame game. You can put up with the problem and blame the hairdresser and moan and complain about her, but ultimately, it’s your head!
Reach out for help – there are people out there who will understand your issue, no matter how trivial others may find it. They will be prepared to listen to you and help you make things better
It may take some time and investment to get you to the place you want to be.
Mind your self-talk i.e. “I always have such bad luck with hairdressers!” What we perceive as “bad luck” is our own negative view (and can sometimes be self-perpetuating!) and can also be neutralised by taking action (like taking control and finding a good hairdresser!)
Recommendations are valuable
Investing in yourself pays off
Sometimes you get what you pay for
Hairdressers are not magic, and it is up to me to commit to seeing the process through
Hairdressing and career coaching
This is reflective of any other problems that we have in life and in particular in our career.
Replace haircut with career in this story (or anything else that's irritating you in life):
You can put up with a career/job that you are not happy with, but only for a short time. Your tolerance has a “sell by” date
If your career/job something irritates you enough, there will be a time or an event which tips the balance and spurs you into action
If something goes wrong in your career/job, then it is within your control to take action to fix it
Take responsibility for your career/job and stop the blame game. You can put up with the problem and blame your employer and moan and complain about her, but ultimately, it’s your career/job
Reach out for help – there are people out there who will understand your issue, not matter how trivial others may find it, and be prepared to listen to you and help you make things better (they are called career coaches)
It may take some time and investment to get you to the career/job you want.
Mind your self-talk i.e. “I always have such bad luck with jobs/interviews etc!” What we perceive as “bad luck” is our own negative view (and can sometimes be self-perpetuating!) and can also be neutralised by taking action (like taking control and finding a good career coach, mentor, recruiter or indeed job!)
Recommendations are valuable
Investing in yourself pays off
Sometimes you get what you pay for
Career coaches are not magic, and it is up to the client to commit to seeing the process through
If you are tolerating something in your career and the irritation is now beginning to outweigh your indifference or apathy, consider enlisting some support and investing in your own future.
You are responsible for your own career and changes are within your control.