Career Coaching for Women | HerNature
Portrait of Carole Dupre at sunset with blue sky and pink clouds, Clarks Hill Lake in South Carolina.

How Do You Know You’re Starting To Get It Right?

The moment that you feel just possibly you are walking down the street naked … exposing too much of your heart and your mind, and what exists on the inside That is the moment you might be starting to get it right.

-Barry Schwartz

I’m challenged by this double-dare of a quote from psychologist and author Barry Schwartz. It’s taped to my sun room wall, where I see it nearly every day along with this candid photo of me featured above.

The back story to the photo is that a hiking buddy took it as the sun began to set over Clarks Hill Lake in South Carolina.

My friend really liked this shot of me. I did not.

Feeling of being exposed

“The angle, my chin, it’s not my best,” I complained. But the bigger truth was that he caught me in a moment when I was in my heart. I wasn’t posed or faking a smile. I was uninhibited, happy and lost in nature.

In other words, I felt exposed. He had captured the free-spirited tom-girl I rarely let people see. And it felt scary.

The photo also captures a time when I was in a state of uncertainty. I was thinking about evolving my business to make the impact I wanted to make. And boy, was I vulnerable.

Keeping things real

Today the quote and my photo take center stage in my work space. They remind me: If I’m not feeling a little freaked out about what I write in this blog or what I share with my clients to help them on their personal branding journeys—then I’m not even close to getting it right.

Do you have a photo or quote in your work space that exposes your heart or challenges you to keep things real? I would love to see it and feature it in my blog or social media.

Email me at carole@itshernature.com.

I double-dare you.

-Carole

Photos: Carole Dupré candid photo at Clarks Hill Lake, SC, by J. Penberthy. Sunset photo, Sony a7, 16mm, by ©Carole Dupre LLC. All rights reserved.

As founder of HerNature®, Carole Dupre’ guides professional women in unearthing their natural strengths, clarifying their niche, landing their dream jobs and launching businesses that honor their true nature. She is a career and business branding coach and a certified personal brand strategist, resume writer and digital marketer.