Hearts and Smiley Faces

When you are discovering your unique sense of style, sometimes you have to go with what feels best, not what people tell you are professional or not.

Long ago, well about 18 months ago, I used to work for an unnamed tech company—trust me, if you are here, you’ve used them. At that company, our culture was very friendly and we used a lot of emojis and icons to convey feelings and emotions; perhaps that is because we were never really interacting with one another and had to find a different mode of expression ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

Well, fast forward to forging my own way, creating my own company, and company culture! When dealing with other professionals, contractors, vendors, etc. I started to doubt whether I should use these characters as a means of communication, I mean, would anyone take me seriously in this new landscape if I were using smiley faces and hearts in my correspondence? I kid you not, I had several conversations with friends around this because I knew in my spirit that I had to put a smiley face after my name. Why you ask? Because I want people to feel happiness and joy when they connect to me. So, after much deliberation, I realized that I am the master of my own domain and should not have to adhere to antiquated and archaic rules around what it means to be professional and what it does not. 

Sure, are there some items that are truly not up for debate at this point, yes, and I don’t need to go into them, you know what they are, read between the lines. But when we are talking about creating joy and when you are your brand, I’m going to be me, and you do you. With that in mind, I started putting a smiley face after my name as a signature: Michelle :) And then it mushroomed a bit to whenever I was feeling joy, I would put a smiley face and then gasp, maybe a heart. You know what, it worked! I started to be my authentic self and not question my abilities because they may not be deemed as professional, which one may equate to not capable. I started to find my voice and provided the space for others to have theirs as well. Look, I’m never, ever going to write in lawyer-speak, it ain’t me, but I can talk at the same level as my lawyers, get things done, and add in a smiley face or two...and maybe a heart...just to add some Michelle panache and flare. I hope you do too.

Please don’t let others' thoughts about you and what you come across make you judge your own abilities, capabilities, or effectiveness; I’ve been down that road one too many times. Find your voice and stick to it...and on that note :) 💜

Michelle :)