Today’s blog is on discernment and not trusting everything you read.
So, I recently started contracting for a high end matchmaking agency. Fun fact: I actually signed up in the past (yes, I've tried almost everything), so I know they really do try to help men and women find real lasting relationships. Anyway, I noticed recently that a few of the clients had cancelled an appointment because he read some really harsh reviews online and decided he didn’t want to clarify or find out more information firsthand.
This actually happened to me in my own Hypnotherapy practice several years ago when I was starting out. A man who had a vendetta against me because I was an Actress/Model decided to write horrible things all over the internet about me. I’ll be the first to admit that earlier in my career I may have taken a few roles and jobs that weren’t ideal, but that has nothing to do with my ability to be able to help other people overcome trauma, lose weight, manifest a lasting relationship, or overcome PTSD.
If anything, my colorful past has allowed me to reach more people and reinforce the wisdom that your past does no define you, it only shapes you. You have the ability to evolve and reinvent yourself over and over again. To this day there are certain reviews online that I cannot have removed, but I figure if clients are turned away by them, then those aren’t the right clients for me and perhaps didn't need my help.
FACE TO VOICE TO FACE: HOW TO JUDGE FOR YOURSELF
In the case of online reviews, be it Yelp, or any other review platform, I think it’s best to actually talk to the person or company who the review is about and use your own sense of intuition to determine whether you want to do business with them. Check in with your instincts and ask does this person or company seem shady? Do they know what they’re talking about about?
If they do seem questionable or you're very uneasy and unsure, stay away. But if they seem legit and honest and you feel good energy when you talk with or about them, then recognize that some harsh reviews aren’t always the best advice. Lot’s of time people write nasty reviews because they're angry in their own lives and they need someone or a business to take it out on. Many times a restaurant will have impeccable service but then one day the waitress or cook will be having a rough day and mess something up and all of a sudden a zero star review is online because that particular customer is going through a nasty divorce and going to lose custody of her kids and she got a jaywalking ticket walking over and goddamnit the cappuccino didn’t have enough froth! Zero stars!!!
The main reason I wanted to write this blog was to explore discernment because it doesn't apply to just Yelp reviews, it applies to everything. There’s been a lot talk this year about fake news, and fake stories. This is obviously a controversial topic. The thing is we need to decipher what’s "real" and what’s "not real" by using a combination of research and discernment. People often think that when a huge international publication writes something it automatically makes it real, but that’s not 100% true either. Not too long ago I read an article by a huge publication claiming coconut oil was bad for you. Coconut oil is not bad for you it’s natural and very healthy. After a few days of some serious research I found another big publication saying it was good for you.
So with anything we really have to use our own judgement especially in this day in age. Meditating and connecting to your thoughts, feelings and intuition will help you to decipher what is real and remember trust yourself. You know more than you think.