Today Was Just a Rough Day

You know, loving your job doesn't mean that you love it every day. Some days are filled with too many people with too many voices and too many opinions. And by the end of it all you find yourself thinking that being stranded on an island with a case of merlot is sounding really good.

First of all, not everyone in the world is as intelligent as I am. Or maybe I'm not as intelligent as everyone else in the world. All I know is there are days when I find myself having a difficult time communicating with my clients. Like we're speaking different languages altogether, and it's all I can do to break everything I say down into one syllable words and just nod and smile instead of actually trying to hold a conversation.

Then there are the "Oh, that's why they keep saying you shouldn't do anyone any favors" moments, where it occurs to you that you agreed to offer a client a special, flat-rate price on her services in exchange for her active referral efforts. As in: She has a business that should go really well with mine and she has an opportunity to hand out a ton of my business cards — which I printed up especially for her customers with a little incentive offer — but after nearly a year I have yet to hear a peep from anyone who mentions her name. Mmmm-hmmm. And the problem is, I don't think she's taking advantage so much as she seems to genuinely not get that she's getting a break. So I guess that's going to stop. Which totally sucks because she just poses such a great potential to me as a means of bringing in new business. But if she's not going to work the angle and actively promote me, then it's not worth it.

Also, I have officially reached the point where my clients are paranoid. Look. "Relax" means, "don't point, don't lean on your elbows, don't talk with your hands, and don't try to anticipate what I need your hand to do next." As in, "just relax." Why is this such a difficult concept? Not only is it apparently a difficult concept, but why don't people want to relax? Why do people argue with me? Why do they guffaw and say, "I'm just not a very relaxed person"? DUDE! (I am so from California, can you tell?) Just relax already! Don't argue with me! I AM HOLDING YOUR HAND. You cannot tell me that you are relaxed if I have to grab your finger from above and grip it like a toddler holds a spoon!

You know what else? It has been a long time since I felt like I was back in junior high school with the popular girls making fun of me. But today my clients and my coworkers ganged up on me and started teasing me.

I'm not saying I don't get teased on a regular basis. There are several running jokes around the salon involving me and my obvious superiority over all life forms on this planet. Or rather, involving me and my claims to my obvious superiority over all life forms on this planet.

Seriously. Tonight I came home feeling just a little beat up. A little unappreciated and a little like I didn't get asked to the prom. Or more like I did get asked, got crowned prom queen, and am now standing on stage dripping in pig's blood.

And for the record: My business cards say "nail artist" because I'm a nail artist. I need potential clients to know that I do nails. They say, "mentor" because I want my peers in the industry to know that I'm available and willing to help my colleagues. And they say "genius" because it's funny and makes me think of Wile E. Coyote. Most people like my business cards — so maybe my grandmother was right and the pretty girls really are just jealous.