What will other people think?

We all need to ask ourselves, how important are stranger’s opinions? MARCIA GRIFFIN

By Marcia Griffin

While I am sure men worry a lot needlessly, but speaking with a friend this week I was reminded of some of the things that needlessly worry us as women – and the main cause of that worry is generally what will other people think?

Now while what other people think can be a good influence it can also unnecessarily hold us back from doing what we need and want to do, in life and in business.

My friend stated that one of the things that worried her would be going into a restaurant on her own – and we discussed the impact this could have on one’s business life.

I was reminded of the time, at the start of my Pola business (which required that I spend about 150 nights a year staying in hotels) when I had to complain to the duty manager about my treatment at the bar of a very major hotel in Sydney. I had spent the whole day meeting with prospective and current Pola consultants in my room, which I used, for the sake of economy, as a product display area.

At the end of this type of day I needed to get out of the room and relax and eat. This particular hotel had not yet learnt to look after women travelling on their own, and I found myself being ignored by the barman, asked to dinner by the duty manager and asked for a post-dinner drink by the pianist in the restaurant!

All quite intimidating/flattering – whichever way you might look at it. My response was to never stay at that hotel again and over the next 15 years I travelled to Sydney on average 10 times a year. Generally, as the company grew, taking a room and meeting room – let’s say at a cost of around $600 per visit – which is a loss to that hotel of around $90,000.

At the time, the experience was a little unnerving, however I decided that this would not put me off eating on my own if necessary, and actually over the years I have become very comfortable with that.

There is no doubt that at the end of a hard day dining with company is great, but business travel sometimes precludes that. My thinking is that it should not keep women or men locked up in their hotel rooms ordering room service. I like nothing less than eating in my hotel room!

The question for many, including my friend, is what would other people in the restaurant think?

Really the only answer can be, these people are strangers, who knows what they might be thinking, what does it matter what they might be thinking, how can the thinking of strangers negatively impact on your life? It’s even possible that they are admiring your ability to be so independent!

So the problem of what others think can often be merely a reflection of our own insecurities or even our own way of thinking.

I would love to hear how others cope with the necessity or even choice of eating alone, attending functions alone or going anywhere for business that requires going it alone!

To read more Marcia Griffin blogs, click here.

High Heeled Success is Marcia Griffin’s latest book, and is a frank account of building a business from a solitary sales person to a multi-million dollar business with 4700 sales consultants around Australia and New Zealand. It recounts successes and failures along the way and was written to inspire entrepreneurs-particularly women to triumph in business.

High Heeled Success (Kerr Publishing) is available directly from Marcia (marcia_Griffin@msn.com.au) or Domain Books www.domainbooks.biz.