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This has been on my mind since Sunday, and I couldn’t really keep it in any longer…
I love Dancing on Ice, it’s not even a guilty pleasure, it’s just pleasure.
It’s a couple of hours I get to spend with my girls, watching something that isn’t Disney-related, and brings back fond memories of my childhood when I was all about the figure skating, spent all weekend on the ice, and wanted to be Jane Torvill… the thing that gets me about the show is the “celeb” aspect, but that’s mostly because I’m not entirely sure on the parameters of what makes a celebrity a celebrity any more…
This year, I knew who Didi Conn (OMG! It’s Frenchie!!) and Brian Mcfadden were and what they were actually famous for.. I weren’t really bothered about the others. (Same as I’m only interested in Torvill and Dean as judges)
BUT… that’s not what this is about…
I wanna talk about Gemma Collins, a.k.a. “The GC”
I am not a fan.
She’s not my kinda person, I’m not hers. It’s that simple…
But I do respect her for what she’s done these past few months by being part of Dancing on Ice.
I used to spend every weekend on the ice, and I loved it, but I wouldn’t dare do it now. Yep, I’m scared of it.
I haven’t stepped on the ice since I was about 14, and I haven’t even taken my own kids, even when they’ve pleaded.
Gemma went onto the show knowing it was going to be hard.
She also knew people would be waiting for her to fail. to fall, to show herself up in some way.
Ashley Banjo mentioned a few times in his feedback that she’s been dealing with a lot of hate online (I’m ignoring Jason Gardiner, he’s a whole other ballgame)… she has, I’ve seen it.
Facebook and Twitter were the WORST places to be on a Sunday evening.
Endless comments spewed from friends of mine, some of them who post “live and let live” and all the fluffy posts all week long about being supportive of others, and non-judgemental… as soon as GC came on screen turned into vile haters.
I’m connected to “Life Coaches” who write all week long about supporting people to live their best lives on their terms, but by Sunday night, they’re saying truly awful things about someone who IS trying to live their best life. Why? Because she’s doing it differently.
It must be difficult being personally attacked, and not letting the pain show.
It must also be hard to constantly reassure close family and friends that it’s all good and all worth it. The people who really know her, and love her, because when you attack one person, you attack them as well.
This is what gets me.
No, I’m not a Gemma Collins fan.
But I do respect what she’s done, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t say so.
When McFadden dropped his partner, or any of the other skaters wobbled or slipped, the audience went up in a gasp of “oohs and ahhs” hoping they were OK… Gemma fell fully on her front, and the majority laughed. She got back up, smiled, waved, carried on, finished her routine. The country laughed and said, “it served her right”. How? Why?!
A fall like that bloody hurts! And to do it in front of a live audience while being broadcast on national TV? Devastating.
But I’m sure GC takes this in her stride… it’s part of the life she’s chosen for herself in the public eye and the unrelenting realities of Social Media.
Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do in our businesses?
We’re trying to live our best lives on our own terms. We’re growing businesses. Showing up to the world. Sharing our message.
Some will love us, some will hate us (haters gonna hate)
But how are you doing it?
How do you handle the negativity?
Do you hide from it?
Do you doubt yourself?
Do you carry on?
Do you stop putting yourself, or your work out there because someone doesn’t like it?
How about 10 people? 100 people? 1000? a million??
When you have absolute faith and conviction in what you’re doing, you won’t let anyone, or anything stop you
If this is truly what you want, if this is what you deserve, and this is how you want to run your ship, then take a leaf out of The GC’s book: Ignore the naysayers, do it anyway.
So what if someone doesn’t like your idea?
Someone else will love it.
So what if someone writes a nasty comment?
That’s on them. It’s their opinion.
But here’s the reality: it hurts. It hurts when someone doesn’t like our idea, we feel it as a personal assault. A personal attack.
And that’s just when people attack our WORK, not us as people.
We all need to be a little more GC in our lives.
I’m still not a “fan”, but I do admire her for having the strength and courage to show up fully, unapologetically, without trying to hide who she is, or what she expects in/from her life.
I admire the strength she has to take all the shit that’s thrown her way by strangers, and keep doing her thing.
I also appreciate that in her final week, she stood proudly, acknowledged that better skaters have left before her, and reminded us that she did what she came to do: push herself, try something new and have fun.
So what are you waiting for?
What are you hiding from?
Why?
What are you gonna do about it.
Get your message out there to the world.
Share you business unrelentingly.
Haters be damned.
I’ll catch you later,
Debs x
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