“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” This quote most of us recognize from the fabled story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The mirror is owned by the Wicked Queen who asks this question every day. The mirror never lies. Or so is the belief.
Reality does not demand it. Yet, we have made it an obsession. It is said never judge a book by it’s cover, yet we spend oodles of time getting the cover design right rather than investing our time and effort into making the content of the book better. I know people who hire professional photographers to get their profile picture the best ever to reflect on their social media handles because we are so caught up looking at ourselves and admiring the vanity that stares back. What if the focus were to be directed at posting content that is generous, progressive and builds connections?
More of the same- we find plenty of time to respond to trolls and memes rather than invest it wisely in serving our best customers. When did you last befriend someone on social media based on the designer Hawaiian shirt he was wearing or actually bought a book because the fonts on the cover were brilliantly designed.
The perception is that your tweaking and polishing and making things as close to perfect is being done for those whom you seek to serve. Reality is that the community is not so demanding and it is all our own making, the fuss around mirror magic. The thrill of the chase is in showing up and shipping out your work or craft regularly, authentically and generously, not in chasing vanity.
Let the mirror remain on the wall, not be your wall to go over! And in any case, every mirror has two sides.
Time for some reflection?
ENDS