WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BY COLLETTE SAUNDERS

I think we all agree that one of the most satisfying things that we can feel is to know that we have helped or made life better or easier or lift a burden for someone else. In fact, I think we would agree that doing for others, as we do in our working lives behind the chair, outdoes what we do for ourselves in terms of what we rate personally. Yet how many times do we look inward and ask ourselves the question “Who Do You Think You Are”.

Who are you? Someone asks, “Who is Collette”! It’s a different answer from most people, and absolutely most likely not the answer I would give to myself. It’s confronting to dig deeply enough to weed out the real answer. Life rolls on, situations and people change, and we are an accumulation of many things. It’s a hard question!

Perception is something that we have all become masters at. It starts in childhood. We show what we want of ourselves in order to achieve an outcome, a response, a thing, a friend, a client, a partner, to belong! We are energetically aligned to manifest, and I too believe everyone deserves to live their best life and experience their best selves every day. Peace of mind and success in whatever form that takes for you.

It can all easily begin with becoming comfortable with who we are. Getting deep within ourselves. To just notice and focus. Feeling at ease with ourselves. To have confidence. To stand at the starting point of change. Maybe you are not focused on yourself! Maybe you are so distracted and concerned, overloaded, that you can’t even find a moment to just be and see the gift that is the real person that you are! We carry so many labels don’t we! Some assigned to us that we’d rather not really have.

And so now to my point, which I usually take the long road around to when I’m telling a story! (Something that infuriates my family ha-ha) We build a perception of ourselves; we display it on the daily for the people we create for. We are confident to our public. We virtually become a part of someone’s lives from the chair, owned or claimed by them as “their barber/hairdresser”. We have power and persuasion on the daily. Yet why do we not have the same among our peers! Is it humility? Is it anxiety? Is it “I could never do it as good as ……..”. Dig into your subconscious self. Be able to empower yourself. Give yourself some gratitude, see yourself for who you really are. We can’t be someone else. Our work and creativity is our own. So many times,

I see the stunning potential of our industry people when they display their work on their social media. I know that their standard is exceptional. I want to reach into the doorways of their minds and open up and say, “Hey you amazing thing you…… put yourself out there”.

Recently I was one of the team of judges for Australian Modern Barber Awards - AMBA. An inaugural event that blissed my eyeballs. You’ve really got to hand it to Mocha Group. They are on top of their game when it comes to bringing the goods to the public (And while I’m on that I hope you all have booked your tickets for Hair Festival 2022). The entries were perfect. A mix of styles and themes that you would expect given the eye and the hand of these talented creators. The backgrounds of the people entering spanned suburban shop to franchise and boutique, which I was so happy to see. But excuse me for saying this…. But…. Where were all the amazing gifted on fire people who I see on the daily. I get it! It costs a little time and money to enter these things but damn… you are so worth that. Create those new pathways, upgrade, think success, harness things to work for you. Create the shift for you to achieve and become one of the people who shape and contribute to where the industry goes. Don’t just sit back and watch from the stalls. Don’t just let the same old ones each time get to waive around their trophies and say look at us we did it again. Bring your goods to the table and help steer this ship. This industry is changing. It has a fresh wind blowing and the past 2 years is bringing a new perspective. If covid did anything, it shoved us into a place where we don’t ever want to go back to. New eyes, new standards, new expectations. New selves looking inward for inspiration and 2022 is the year for it. These are our last Blogs for 2021. It’s been a good year. I’ve really enjoyed it and look forward to the next. So let’s go out looking in. Let’s dig and find that the gold we really have is in our own selves? Look in that shop mirror and be ready when you ask yourself “Who Do You Think You Are?”.

Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season to everyone.

Instagram: @collettesaundershair Founder: @australianfemalebarbers @afb_recruit Board Director: @jackreedfoundation