The Qualification of “Too Much”

He said to me, “You don't look like a CEO.”
We were in the middle of a meeting about recertifications when he said it.

For a while, I tried dressing like someone else's version of a CEO ... uninspired blazers.

Then one day, I put the red jacket back on. The fuchsia heels.
𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐂𝐄𝐎, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃!

Instead of leading from a corner office, I'm out inspecting properties.
Instead of saying, "You should," I roll up my sleeves and ask, "How can we work together?"

Every woman I admire has been called too much at least once.
Including me.
Men are more often called "decisive." Women are often told we're "too much."

𝐒𝐨 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦. 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

See the difference?

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.
𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩.
The funny thing is that nothing about the idea changed.
Only the timing of when others decided to celebrate it.

The very thing that makes you too much is usually the thing that lets you build what no one else can see yet.

And by the time everyone else can see it, you'll already be building what's next.