Sometimes I'll write about wedding things, other times I'll write about my celebrant journey - it depends on the day. This day is about tall poppy syndrome.
Like another of my blog posts, My golden approach to celebrancy, the inspiration came from an article I read and an attempt to apply its key learnings because I'm a bit of a nerd like that.
An article in The Sydney Morning Herald highlighted some alarming statistics about the prevalence of tall poppy syndrome in Australia.
With the current rate of change there are many roles, jobs, and companies that we don't even realise we'll need yet and are yet to be created. For those with solutions, ideas, and grand plans - take the leap, be a poppy.
Get this - "Of the small business owners surveyed, 75 per cent believe Australia has a culture of negativity toward those with ambition. Nearly half of those surveyed say they worry too much about failure to act on their ambitions, with 48 per cent of women feeling this way and 54 per cent of millennials more likely to feel this way."
Let me talk to this for a minute because a) I'm a woman, and b) I'm a millennial.
MY JOURNEY
While being a celebrant isn't a new concept, it wasn't necessarily a role that I thought I would be doing one day.
When I took the leap to start my own side-hustle - a sole-trader business - the start of that journey was filled with angst at the possibility of failure but more than that, I was concerned about friends, family, and peers thinking I was being ridiculous for wanting to be, and taking the steps to become, a celebrant. Especially being so young.
I went to lengths to hide what I was doing (apart from telling the trusted parentals) because if I failed no one would know.
I look back and think, "Jorgia you're a lunatic because everyone would have supported your choice!" (and they do). Maybe it was my age, maybe it was fear that it wouldn't take off, that other's would criticise my choices, or maybe I feared being that poppy. What time I wasted on doubt.
Now, I sing it from the rooftops because there's nothing more that I love than being a celebrant.
Starting your own business, partnering up or even giving an idea the chance to grow can be daunting because we rely too much on the validation of others.
Bringing it back, tall poppy syndrome is a big issue in Australia.
By lifting each other up, celebrating successes, and backing others in their choices, we will all go a long way to achieve our goals.
This brings me to my next point, #communityovercompetition.
MY COMMUNITY
A strong community speak volumes and I'm lucky enough to have found my tribe.
Entering into the celebrant world, and even the wedding industry, I was thinking how competitive it was going to be and trying to strategise how I would carve myself out as something different. But the truth is, it's not that competitive because there is a celebrant for every couple and a couple for every celebrant. There's also only so many weddings you can do at 4pm on a Saturday.
We all have these amazing, unique traits that hit the mark for a couple. Sure some of us are really similar but that's great - it gives our couples a choice.
My tribe, The Celebrant Society, lifts it's members up. We share our wins, and there is always someone there to guide you when you feel you've gone off track. A healthy community and a strong one does better than a competitive one.
So the hot tip of the day is find your tribe because finding like-minded people is empowering and pushes you to be the best you can be.
I don't know about you, but I think a bunch of poppies that stand tall together and basque in the sunlight looks a whole lot better than just one standing alone.