Wear the Cute Shoes

Today I wore my cute shoes. The leopard-print flats from a dusty shoebox that’s been on my closet shelf for over 10 months.

Was I wearing them to go to work? Or to coffee with a colleague?

No, I work from home and had no special event to attend.

I was just running a few quick errands.

The CVS drive-thru for a friend who could not get out. Filling my car with gas. Picking up a birthday card for our daughter.

Moving Forward

So why the cute shoes when running errands? I needed to feel like I was moving forward. In life and in business.

Before the pandemic, I wore cute shoes when speaking at events, presenting business etiquette workshops, meeting a friend for coffee, or attending a professional meeting.

So, why wear my Nike running shoes for errands today when I could wear my cute shoes instead?

Because it’s all about how to move forward. But, moving forward comes after pivoting.

Pivot

So, back in August, I pivoted my in-person speaking and training etiquette business to a virtual etiquette business. To do so, I got credentialed as a Virtual Event Professional (VEP). I now produce LIVE virtual events for my clients on many of the same business etiquette topics as before, such as business dining etiquette, email etiquette, phone etiquette, and office professionalism.

Okay. Pivoting done. Now, how to move forward.

In my etiquette business, moving forward means adding new and relevant virtual training topics to my repertoire, such as Etiquette for Virtual Meetings. Moving forward means writing blog posts that are helpful and relevant to business professionals who are working remotely and doing business in new ways. Moving forward means I “dress for success” on Zoom calls instead of throwing on my Eddie Bauer fleece. Moving forward means I can wear my cute shoes on Zoom calls even if no one else sees them.

And, moving forward means it’s okay to wear cute shoes when I run errands.

What are you doing to move forward these days in life and in business? Go ahead and wear the cute shoes if you want. I would love to read your comments below.

You may also like to read  Rachel’s popular post: Etiquette for Virtual Meetings.

Rachel Wagner is a licensed business etiquette consultant, trainer, and speaker. She is the owner of the Oklahoma-based business etiquette firm Rachel Wagner Etiquette and Protocol. www.EtiquetteTrainer.com. Rachel provides onsite and LIVE virtual training presentations on a variety of business and dining etiquette topics for corporate clients around the country. As an etiquette expert, she is interviewed and quoted in a variety of local and national media outlets. These include The Washington Post, MONEY, Forbes, and many more. She is also newly credentialed as a VEP, a Virtual Event Professional, and Zoom Producer.

Photo source: Rachel Wagner