“Just a couple more areas”, assured Claire, my Sephora beauty advisor as she moved her hand-held scanner around my face. The camera clicked like a paparazzi photo shoot or the opening to the J Geils song Freeze Frame.

“I’ve got most everything but you’ll need to bring your own foundation”, my stylist informed me.

“Umm, foundation?”, I hesitated. Should I tell her? My internal voice debated between confessing my make-up illiteracy & quietly Googling a fix later that night.

“Ok, I don’t, ahh, actually wear foundation but I’ll see what I can do.”

I assumed that women good with make-up were either taught by their mothers (my mom, on the other hand, made it very clear early on that I was on my own because she “didn’t have a clue”) or were just born with make-up skills like some sort of Mozart.

I would sometimes find myself looking at a friend’s fresh, dewy face & marvel at how great she looked. But never did I imagine that to be an option for myself. Nope, I was ready to call it a day if I was able to balance the line of minimizing any blemishes while maintaining enough facial color to assure people I hadn’t gone Goth.

I had waited to perform this errand until my out-of-town friend, Christy, was around to stand next to me while I we analyzed a bunch of colors on my face to determine which looked best. This was the part I dreaded because what always seemed easy to others felt simply foreign to me.

I almost made it past the Sephora entrance saying I’d do it another day when Christy hip-checked me inside like a roller-derby girl on a mission.

I stood in the aisle looking in the magnifying mirror at my skin after Claire had skillfully brushed the “base” onto my face.

I’m sure the sunlight shining in through the windows of the store didn’t hurt but my goodness, was it possible that my skin looked…Fresh? Hydrated? Dare I say, Alive?

Walking out to the car swinging that black & white striped bag, it hit me. For years I’d carried a limiting belief: I wasn’t good with make-up.

Which secretly meant I didn’t believe I could look my best.

Beliefs are sneaky that way. They creep in under the radar shaping choices & actions without us even knowing what happened.

In our careers, “I’m not good at that” can sound a lot like “I’m too old to learn something new” or “I couldn’t possibly prove myself all over again.”

But those are just the professional versions of “I’m not good with make-up.” Beliefs disguised as facts.

Part of my coaching work is helping clients uncover those same sneaky beliefs that are quietly limiting our potential. If this story struck a chord, I’d love to chat. You can find me at www.lifeelevatorcoaching.com& schedule a free consultation. You’ll be amazed at what you discover about yourself!

P.S. I’m feeling bold enough now to say it…lipstick, I’m coming for you next.