Impactful or Impressive?

Why do you do what you do? What is the motive? Are you looking to impress for attention from others or to make an impact for the Kingdom of God?

Have you ever taken the time to sit and really examine questions like these in the various spheres of your life? If not, you should! 

I’ve had to ask myself these questions many times and still do, to keep myself in check. I have recognized that in the past, I wanted to impress. I wanted the likes, the validation, the compliments and expedite the process. I didn’t see it as an issue then, but I was looking to entertain because my focus was about being accepted and liked. I operated as though I had something to prove. Instead of being fulfilled by this, I felt inadequate. I was a pretender and I veered away from my true self in trying to please and be enough for others.

As a solo esthetician and entrepreneur, I needed to stand out to be different in my marketing and philosophy. God was giving me ideas that I dismissed because I thought it wouldn't impress people or it would take too long. I kept up with my training and I loved and still do enjoy the education of this ever-advancing industry, but I missed the differences in the ideas God was giving me to make an impact in the industry. This kept me from effectively marketing my business and taking steps to grow. Skincare is constantly changing and there are new manipulations, products and procedures becoming available all the time. 

I am conservative in my skincare practice. I believe in having few modalities, products that address the root issue and allowing the body time to adjust for a regimen, treatment or product to be most effective. For the majority in this industry this is an unpopular stance. Beauty and esthetics has become about treating the problem with quick results, various modalities and treatments with no down time. Instead of looking at how I could be a force and stay true to what I believed, where God was directing me, I veered to charming others.

Being conservative in the skincare industry means the process will be longer before seeing results. When I was looking to impress, instead of impact, I became impatient. Being effective meant giving every individual a customized experience, at every session. I didn't skimp on knowing them, how their homecare routine was going, making suggestions based off new information and education. Wanting to suit others made my practices messy. Instead of focusing on knowing the ingredient detail on one or two products and carrying them or recommending them, I would try to know many different ones. Instead of focusing on putting money and time into events that would put me in position for the next step in the process, I signed up for programs that had zero to do with improving my knowledge and experience. I began to focus more on the money and the turnaround time, instead of on the people and listening to what they were needing from my expertise to rouse not only the health of their skin, but their overall well-being. 

I am a Christian and strive to live my life in obedience to God and the example of Jesus Christ. This along with my minimalistic skin care practices did not allow me to veer too far off, but I did waste time and energy. I had so much different information on products and processes that I became overloaded and would get them confused. Then I would stress out and question if I knew what I was doing. The trouble was not that I didn't know what I was doing. I’m a very talented esthetician, but I was so worried about others' opinions and being impressive, that I allowed that to override my confidence. It delayed my process and instead of being where I should have been in my business journey, I had to recognize and evaluate why and who I was doing it for. I took a couple wrong turns, but by God's grace I still ended up where I was supposed to be. 

Being dynamic for Christ, will more than likely be unpopular, not easily accepted and you will need patience sometimes to stand firm on the truth. Have you ever worried about what others would think if you made a decision or declaration? Even amongst those in the faith. Remember, cultural Christianity is not conversion. When we are trying to be impressive, most times we are working from the motive of our self-seeking desires. How will this turn out for me? Will admitting the error of my ways make me look foolish? If the “likes” on a post are few, will that make me feel like I’ve failed, even if it was the truth? Examining these questions helps answer if the direction is given to you by God to make a difference or rather to fulfill selfish desires.

Living a life that is impactful means standing on truth and being obedient to directions given by God. Confession to one another, self-examination, confrontation, seeking the best for others even when they have wronged you, being patient with the process, not seeking validation from a worldly stance, all make for an effective life. It shows the condition of the heart. We should be living as we have nothing to prove. God will use you to bring Him glory if you seek Him and His ways. He will place a desire in your heart to be less distracted with self and focused on the change you can make for His kingdom. Even your opinion is not allowed to interfere with the direction given to you by God. You don't need to be concerned with being impressive for the Kingdom because His plan and purpose will prevail regardless. Choose obedience, choose to be authentic and God will use you to impact the lives of others in whatever you do.