A couple of days full of pain, and a lot of prayers.

It is good to write about selling hair, new websites to design and success stories, like about happy clients. But sometimes when I talk with my clients, I also hear things that hurt. Financial stress, or medical issues, problems in the family, or too much to do and too little time. This week was a week full of emotion, and at those moments having a call over the phone, or a chat via WhatsApp feels bad. Bad because you would like to hug and comfort the person on the other side of the line. But that is not possible. Not because of Covid, but because of the distance.

I get inspired by the stories my clients tell me

When you work together with people to design a webstore, or to support them with marketing or operational support, you do not only talk hair. You also talk about other things in life. Little things like the achievement of kids at school, the first English words of the 5-year-old from a Chinese supplier, or the stress in the stores because of limited inventory thanks to Covid. All this small talk helps to understand each other better and to get a better result. Better because you can laugh together, and now I understand life in Nairobi, Brussels, San Diego, Benin-City or Qingdao is all the same, we speak different languages, eat different food and sleep at different times, but we are all humans, all parent or family. For me it is one of the drivers to pick the phone and to talk with my clients or leads instead of chatting. I get inspired and I hope to inspire you on the other side of the line also.

Sometimes it hurts, and I feel useless

But sometimes it’s like all the positive energy, all positive news fades away. Sometimes I hear stories that make me feel small, very small. Because I can not help the other. I feel pain when a young student from Kenya tells me her brother has covid in the same week her grandfather got a stroke. A girl, full of ideas, a girl that should enjoy life, but today is sad because of all the pain nearby. And what can I do? I can share her my compassion by sharing some inspiring words. I take some time, to pray for her and her family. But I also know I must keep faith in the Lord. He has a plan, and although it takes time we see, we need to have faith GOD will take care. But it is not easy.

I wish I could embrace her over the phone

And there was this call with an awesome woman from the US, she inspires me with her ideas about fashion and her lifestyle. Sometimes I even envy her because she followed what she felt. Wearing the clothes, she likes and wanted to wear. I recall being laughed at long time ago because I was wearing the same trousers as Don Johnson in Miami Vice. I loved to wear these trousers, but only for one day thanks to others. But this woman kept on following her ideas despite the remarks of her mother. And now, this woman, so much stronger than I am or was, she cried during our call. She was treated very unfair by her boss and felt left alone by her friends. I told her I wanted to hold her and give her comfort, but what could I do? I could only listen to her, telling her to drink some water …. I felt so helpless, so useless. We wanted to talk hair, but now her whole world collapsed. I was praying for her, and I will again this Sunday in Church. I must trust GOD will take care of her. He also made me understand, I must do better, I must free up more time for the people around me to listen and to be there for them.

I can only listen and keep on praying

Moreover, the husband of one other client was having serious trouble with his lungs. After the lockdown, where she lost her daytime job, she found the love of her life and after a long time she got another job. Things were going uphill again! Until her husband got sick. And again, I can read her messages, I can hear her talk on the voicemail, I hear the energy floating away. But what can I do? I can only listen and tell her; I am always here for you. I pray to GOD to take care of her and her husband. And I hope one day I will be wise enough to understand what the message is, GOD gives me by having all these marvelous people around me. Who sometimes share small talk, sometimes share their pain but always like to talk hair!

I am always there for you

I wanted to share my feelings with you, because although online webstores are full of technical stuff, there are real human beings behind it. Every visitor of your webstore has a story to tell. You can not talk with everybody, but when you get the opportunity to talk to your visitors, take the time to listen and to be there for them. That is the lesson I learned as a coach, I always want to be there for you, in good and not so good times! With or without a hug!