What’s Your Story By Sandy Chong

I was recently invited by Business Women in Heels to write a chapter for a book called “Rise Above…. Beyond Ordinary”. Eight chapters by eight women. All real stories. Each tale very different. Lessons learnt in every one.

For my chapter I wanted to elevate our industry’s image to the readers. I wanted them to see hairdressing through my eyes, what hairdressing meant to me, why I chose to become a hairdresser, and paint a picture of the industry in the most positive way.

My chapter is called “It’s more than keeping up appearances “ and my opening paragraph is this...

“The look on her face matched mine. Shock, horror, disbelief. The only difference was she had a bloody nose and I didn’t. OMG, did I really do that!?”

Okay, this may not paint a good picture of the industry - or me - but it does have a place in my personal story.

It was during the pandemic that I wrote my chapter. In doing this, I encourage you to write your own chapter. What’s your story? What have you had to rise above to become who you are today? What have you achieved so far in your career or life? How have you become beyond ordinary?

If you asked me these questions, I would find the answers hard to come by at first. Writing your own chapter, you recognise your journey of achievements, big or small. Writing your own story helps you see how and why you are the person you are today. Trips down memory lane are a reminder of the opportunities you embraced and challenges you overcame. You’ll be surprised at what you’ve achieved, moved on and forgotten how well you’ve done. You’ll also remember those who supported you and those who didn’t. Have you ever felt misunderstood? Overlooked? Betrayed by those you thought were friends? At the time it’s hurtful, but I’m sure has contributed to your growth. Looking back is insightful for how your history of experiences have influenced how you think and act today.

In writing about a small part of my history, I realised so much about myself, my business, and my life purpose.

Life is a rollercoaster at the best of times. The pandemic of 2020 and 2021 has been the lowest time for many in our industry. Owning a business is stressful. Owning a business during a pandemic has been a challenge mentally and financially, no matter how successful you are. The emotional swings and moods of the industry have been unpredictable, as so much is at stake. We all dream of success, but the pandemic has made us unstable with uncertainty. We’ve experienced emotions we are not used to…. anger, despair, frustration, sadness, and fear.

So, in this time of uncertainty, I encourage you to write a chapter about yourself. It doesn’t have to be published; it can be just for you. In times of uncertainty, it’s important to recognise how far you have come and regardless, still dream, aspire, and believe that there is so much more to expect and experience. Think about when you first decided to be a hairdresser. My answer to this is simply that my cousin and aunt worked for Vincent De Lorenzo. They had pageboy haircuts, wore miniskirts and high boots. I thought they were the coolest people on the planet. They were on TV supporting Mr De Lorenzo, so I thought they were movie stars too. They were happy, always laughing. I wanted to be part of that world.

I’ve achieved everything I set out to do, and now I have so much more to do for the industry.

For the rest of my story, I guess you’ll have to read the book…. but instead, I highly recommend you write your own and discover just how successful you really are.