***𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫? 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬!***

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In thinking about the age-old metaphor “smoke and mirrors,” I have come to the conclusion that it has a multitude of meanings.

I believe that in order to succeed, entrepreneurs must share their vision with the utmost confidence from day one.

Imagine my pulling up to a shop on Rodeo Drive in a beat-up car to pitch my bespoke luxury brand. Now picture my pulling up in fancy wheels that I rented for the day. In the world of luxury, image is critical… I call it strategic “smoke and mirrors!”

Achieving success takes a great deal of courage. It is important to understand that “smoke and mirrors” is not always an act of deception, but often a deliberate component, crucial to building a successful brand.

This is certainly not to say that using “smoke and mirrors” to intentionally mislead is not uncommon.

On the flip side, there is the act of looking through “smoke and mirrors”… my lovely, perhaps passive aggressive euphemism, for calling out judgemental behavior!

I once had a young intern who became incensed when she saw a man drive a fancy car into the garage of a small apartment building. Her knee-jerk response was to call him a “poser” and launch into a diatribe against people pretending to be someone they are not.

"Perhaps,” I said, “you are looking through “smoke and mirrors!” He could be driving his boss's car, or perhaps he won it on The Price is Right, or maybe he's a car guy and has chosen to live in a place that allows him to put his money towards his passion, or maybe… just maybe… he’s a visitor and doesn’t even live there!"

Judgment comes in many forms. The way we interpret “smoke and mirrors” says just as much about us as it does about the people we are judging.

Spending countless hours in rideshare, I find it to be a great example of misjudgment. Do you step into a car and recognize that quite often the driver is a realtor, a graphic designer, a filmmaker... the list goes on… and that this is their respectable side hustle, or do you see them as your personal “chauffeur” who is without dreams… take a moment to digest that!

Some call it: “smoke and mirrors.”

Some call it: “deception.”

Others call it “acting as if.”

I call it: “OWNING IT.”
I call it the confidence required for an entrepreneur to realize his or her vision.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 “𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬” 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫?
𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

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