This was one of the first change-agents for my business strategy, and for me in my personal life; it was a switch, a kick in the pants, some lemon in my coffee, if you will.

I was at a cafe located in the lobby of a four-star hotel on California’s Central Coast, just finishing up a meeting with a client for whom I was doing a website. An apparently well-to-do man sat down next to me, his large diamond earring stud sparkling. His Chanel diamond studded-watch was sparkling, too.

For a fleeting moment I heard my inner 14-year-old oooh and ahhh.

The man’s whole vibe exuded that he was someone well-to-do, or famous. I had heard that movie or rock stars could often be seen in this small town, a quiet getaway from the LA scene. This man, with the powerful presence, was talking to his companion, his voice booming. His demeanor momentarily impressed me. Being a small town girl from Oregon, I am unaccustomed to overt displays of wealth. I thought, “Whoah, what a sense of confidence and poise! Is that what it feels like to have tons of money?”

The diamond man was, in fact, famous.

My enthusiastic client started up a conversation then began promoting me to this man.

The next thing I knew I was showing him my website and giving him my business card. Once everyone left, I was giddy inside. I felt as if was extraordinarily privileged, and, frankly, I had dollar signs in my brain imagining working with this potential new client. I was so excited in that moment that I decided to post on Facebook who I’d met and that I might do a website for him.

Meanwhile, the news in the hotel lobby behind me was blasting about the violence and massive, anarchical chaos in Cairo, Egypt. The government was advising Americans to “proceed to your local airport and secure commercial passage out of the country…further delay is not advisable”. Also reported on the news, was that the prosperous, traveling Americans were wondering when their travel money would be refunded. Yucky.

I suddenly felt an urgency to take the status post back off Facebook, out of a feeling of not aligning with my authentic self.

When I pulled up my post to delete it, I discovered someone had commented beneath my post:

u r pathetic

I quickly deleted my post. It shocked me momentarily as I don’t tend to run cross-grain with people… too often. The woman who had commented was actually from Cairo, Egypt. “Sheesh. No wonder she’s upset,” I thought. The comment did, however, cause me some self-reflection.

After going through a period of compassion for this woman, I felt I could see the world more readily from her position. That realization coupled with viewing the American travelers on TV who seemed more interested in their wallets than the sufferings of the Egyptians, and finally imagining those ultra-wealthy men I had just met from the perspective of the rest of the world, started me questioning:

Is making a lot of money with a client who is not on the track of fulfilling my highest potential worth it? Is one vanity site, even if it pays the big bucks, worth it to my portfolio and experience? Am I serving the greatest good? And, ultimately, was it in alignment with my true purpose?

Something about the meeting and the kudos – like I was one of the elite club – had temporarily clouded my vision. Later, I could clearly assess that these men were not my right clients, the forward-thinkers I want to attract and do business for. I thought after writing my sort of mission statement it would clearly represent my business and the clients I wanted to attract.

This course of events reminded me clearly and dramatically that my practices and policies absolutely needed to match my own brand’s message.

I’m already thinking and writing about the next post: Why it is so important for your business to stay true to YOU — in all your life’s endeavors… specifically, it is crucial to your own bona fide branding to embrace your authentic and baring-a-bit self.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic: where has it been more difficult or easier to match your brand’s message match up to your practices?