“In the spirit of transparency…”
I really hated, and still hate, corporate speak. “In the spirit of transparency” was another bullshit phrase, usually used to make it seem like you were letting someone in on a secret, or as a way to couch some sort of bs news/feedback/etc.
Yet, transparency has always been important to me. I use it as a way of providing context, letting people know what’s going on.
It’s super important to me as a business owner. To a certain extent, I’m always transparent. The exceptions are around boundaries I have in place around my personal or biz life - not everyone needs to know everything.
So why am I bring this up today? I went to my facebook group to share a little bit of what’s going on with me this week, and I started to write…you guessed it…in the spirit of transparency.
The first thing I was going to share, was that it was brought to my attention through my mentor, that I’m still not feeling like I can show up fully as myself. It surprised me, and yet it didn’t. I’ve been on a journey to bring back the full ME. Some people see and know her, some don’t ;)
The second thing I was going to share was about how I’m handling this week as a chronic illness warrior.
I have, frankly, a litany of health shit. Crohn’s disease, Fibromyalgia, Joint Hypermobility syndrome, anxiety, occasional migraines, and my recent dx, Gastroparesis. Some of these I talk about, some I don’t.
The past five days have been hard for me - in a way that many people may not understand. I’m not so sick I can’t do anything, but I’m not feeling so well that I can do my daily work. I don’t always know why something ‘flares’ up - it could be the weather, stress, too much activity, not enough activity, or a day that ends in ‘y.’
My general approach to sharing this would be to provide some sort of ‘lesson’ - something like “because of this, I’ve prioritized what I need in order to show up for my clients, and that’s it.” And ok, sure, I just said that ;) but I’m really sharing to show part of my “truth,” part of the real Jen.
Whenever I talk about my health stuff, it’s not for pity. I share it for others who may also deal with chronic conditions. Those who might not feel seen beyond their conditions. Those who might feel like everyone else has it together but they don’t. And those who simply want to know they aren’t alone.
So if you’re one of those people, I DO see you, and I understand you. My ear is always open for you, to support you in any way I can.