Donald Trump may be hogging the limelight, but I find Carly Fiorina the most interesting of the Republican candidates. She recently made a comment about being called “a bimbo and worse,” which is something most women can relate to (I certainly do)!

Before I was a blogger, I used to work as a realtor. Socializing was a big part of the job and we were encouraged to attend numerous events. The most coveted invitation was to an extravagant annual party hosted by a star agent. All of his parties were infamous for having good looking women. Anyone who wasn’t invited felt like a loser and those who were invited and attended often experienced and/or witnessed inappropriate advances/attention/behavior.

Though many will deny it, I think this is the rule rather than the exception. A woman’s appearance often matters more than her intelligence, even in a professional setting. And the women who strive to be both pretty and smart are often ridiculed viciously.

On a daily basis, we are scrutinized in a way men never are. Everyone is so concerned with skirt length, heel height, “tasteful” jewelry, the “appropriate” shade of lipstick and other mind-boggling nonsense that has nothing to do with business ability.

Clearly being a CEO of Hewlett-Packard is a tough job and not something that can be accomplished by a “bimbo,” yet Carly Fiorina still has to convince many people that she’s competent. Instead of being a negative, she insists that being underestimated has worked for her rather than against, which is a great attitude to have!

Are there inequalities in the work place? YES! Should there be? NO! But life isn’t perfect and we have to do the best with what we’ve got. If you’ve ever been denigrated and patronized, it’s hard to suck it up and carry on. But we can’t allow others to marginalize our efforts. Maybe you’re currently stuck in a job without wage parity. Maybe you’re bombarded daily with snide, superficial remarks about being “just a girl.” Maybe you’re the most qualified but were passed over for a promotion.

Take heart: None of it is permanent. There is always another company, another job, another way. Carly started as a secretary and now she’s running for president. That sure sounds like revenge of the “bimbo” to me…

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Buying a mattress can be an extremely frustrating experience—time-consuming, costly, and no assurance you’ll enjoy what you buy after trying it out. Couple that with the high-pressure sales tactic that most chain mattress stores use and it’s no wonder most customers avoid it.

Tuft & Needle wants to change that. All of their mattresses are designed and crafted in the United States and they use a stay-cool fabric that comes from a 90-year-old family-owned textile mill in the Carolinas.

Every mattress offers localized bounce, universal firmness, and great weight distribution. Sizes range from Twin to California King, with prices starting at an affordable $350.00.

Tuft & Needle mattresses ship for FREE (except to Alaska and Hawaii) and arrive in a small box the size of a mini-fridge so they are easy to handle and maneuver up tight staircases.  Every order comes with a 100 night sleep trial and satisfaction is guaranteed.

Experience the #1 rated mattress in the world and feel the Tuft & Needle difference.

I thought today would be a good day. It started off well enough; I was up by 6:00 am and headed into the kitchen. Lately, I’ve been craving beef stew and I was excited to do some cooking. While the meat was browning, I chopped veggies, listened to the radio and drank some coffee. Everything was calm, and quiet, and there shouldn’t have been a problem.

Then, I discovered I was out of garlic. Immediately, I started panicking and having ridiculous thoughts:

Dinner is ruined…What a waste…I’m so dumb…

It didn’t matter that I had 99.99% of the needed ingredients. Because one was missing, I felt like a complete failure, and I no longer wanted to cook at all. If it wasn’t perfect, what was the point?

Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with these feelings. Growing up, I was surrounded by highly opinionated, extremely negative relatives who constantly criticized everything and everyone. I was often scared of being ridiculed and in turn, I dealt with it by becoming a perfectionist.

Even though I’m grown up now, and nobody is making demands of perfection anymore, the feelings remain. I still want life to be perfect. I want to look perfect, act perfect, I want to be perfect. 

That desire for perfection causes constant struggle and puts me in a pressure cooker state of mind, trying to attain something that doesn’t even exist, and making me feel inferior because of a simple mistake that didn’t hurt anyone.

So, I took a 15 minute break and a deep breath, and went back to my cooking. I finished the recipe, minus the garlic, and it’s simmering away on the stove now. It looks fine and I’m sure will taste fine as well. Tons of worrying, for nothing. 

I’m trying to let go of perfection. It’s a struggle, maybe one I’ll always deal with, but it’s worth the effort. If we want to lead authentic lives, we have to accept reality: Nothing is perfect and anyone claiming otherwise is just fake. 

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have an interior designer in your home? It’s no longer just a fantasy with help from the interior design start-up Homepolish. They make it easy (and affordable!) to get an interior designer in your home who will help create the perfect space for you. The experience is truly one of a kind so we decided to break it down for you in three easy steps:

1. Let the designer get to know you.

Tell them the bare bones: are you interested in working on a home, office, store or something else? How big is it? Do you have a project budget? Do you own or rent? And then tell them the juicy stuff: What inspires you? What does your ultimate dream space look like? From picking paint colors to gutting a brownstone, they can handle any project, any size.

2. The first date, aka meet your designer.

Here’s what happens during your initial 1 hour consultation: you and your designer meet, they tour your space, you guys chat. Then your designer follows up with a few design options for improving your home or office. They start with a one hour consultation so that their designer can understand your goals, needs and wants. Communication is the foundation to every healthy relationship!

Homepolish wants the relationship between you and their designer to be as stress-free and helpful as possible. If during the initial consultation, you and your designer don’t get along perfectly, Homepolish will tweak the matchmaking process and send another on the house. The initial consult is $50 or $80 (Junior and Senior rates). If you’re over it, there’s no pressure to buy hours after the consult.

3. Purchase your designer’s time.

One of the many reasons Homepolish is unique to the interior design world is because you purchase time by the hour. Every hour is spent working on what you need – from picking paint colors to sending you furniture options to renovating your loft. Whatever the size and however complicated your project is, they are there to help! Junior designers’ time costs $100/hour, Seniors’ cost $130/hour and they have two package options: a Single Day session (three hours) and The Design Package (as much time as you want with a minimum purchase of ten hours).

Save time and money, sign up with Homepolish and rework your space with an expert!