What Happens If You Can’t Separate Personal Convictions from Your Business

It’s been abysmally quiet here on the Tips from T.Marie Blog, for that I apologize.  You see, I’ve always been told that one must keep their business separate from the things that one may be experiencing personally.  I’ve always thought it was pretty good advice. After all, no one wants their business to be impacted due to personal beliefs, right?

To be perfectly honest, although I’ve tried hard to follow it, I’m not so sure it’s been good advice at all.

I’m a firm believer in connecting with others.  Our businesses should be connecting with clients, potential clients and people we can help with our knowledge and services.  Not fake connections. Real, “hey, how can I help” connections.  The kind based on kindness and honesty.  Sure, sometimes those type of connections got me burned.  I ended up giving away information I should have been paid for.  There were the handful of folks who took advantage of my belief in connections, all the while simply mining for whatever they could get for free. They were the exception though, not the rule.  Overall, during the first 8 ½ years of my ten years in business, the person who shared information here on this blog and social media under the Clerical Advantage/Girly Girl Geek banner was me. Plain & simple.

Then something changed.  Well, not something. Me. I changed.

Perhaps it was reaching my 50’s and becoming a grandmother.  Maybe it was having some personal experiences that caused some serious introspection.  Maybe it was the election, its outcome and what has followed. I’d wager it most likely was all of those things and then some.  All I know is that suddenly it became more and more difficult to pull together sincere blog posts and social media posts.

I’d get half way through a blog post and realize it was garbage.  Everything I wrote was lacking something.  I didn’t find joy in writing it and I was certain no one would find any in reading it.  Had I run out of topics about online technology and small business? Of course not. It wasn’t the information that was missing, it was me that was missing.  My posts read like an old school book. Dry, with no life.  No passion. I knew that wasn’t how my blogging had started out.  I struggled to figure out what had changed.

This morning, as I once again bemoaned the fact that I hadn’t blogged in forever, it came to me.  I’m afraid that my personal convictions will somehow show in my writing.  What if someone sees where I stand on some pretty damn important issues and judges my business and services unfairly because of it.  I know it can happen. A client once friended my personal account on Facebook, and it wasn’t too long after a personal soapbox moment that they became a former client.

I have a dilemma. Do I return to writing authentically even if those personal convictions happen to make an appearance now and then?  Or do I continue infrequently posting dry, uninspiring material.

What exactly would happen if I can’t separate my business from my personal convictions?

I’d love to hear from others. Have you dealt with anything like this?  If so, how did you respond.  Do you think it is always best to be yourself or when it comes to business should you hide your true feelings about things?  Is it even possible to be authentic and hide personal convictions?  I truly would love to have a conversation about this, either here in the comments or on my Facebook page.