Empowering Expectations

Hey friends! As I launched MFM Concierge and have been preparing orders for the holidays, the idea of setting expectations keeps coming to mind. Of course, “setting expectations” can mean a variety of things, and rarely is it ever a bad thing. In fact, I’d argue it’s a very good thing. Brene Brown says “clear is kind, and unclear is unkind.” I’m striving to live by that in my daily life by being clear about what I want and need and asking others to do the same. 

Over the years, I’ve found this idea of sharing my expectations of the other person to be so empowering in my personal relationships - and, even, with clients. For instance, sometimes custom jewelry made from older pieces can still be just as costly as buying a new piece of jewelry. The care and knowledge it takes to remove the stones from their existing settings and the time it takes to create an entirely new setting from scratch all go into the final cost of the project - so providing your own stones can save you money, but not always. When I meet with new clients I try to remember to share this information so that both of us will be on the same page about what they can expect from me and what I can expect from them - clear is kind!

Another area I’ve seen settings expectations as a game-changing positive is in gift giving and receiving. Though we’ve only been married for 4 years, we’ve been together for almost eleven, so my husband and I have reached a point where I just tell him exactly what I want for my birthday rather than hoping and praying he can read my mind. (spoiler: he cannot.) Similarly, many times my clients and friends feel discouraged when they want a beautiful piece of custom jewelry for their anniversary or as a new mom gift, but they felt afraid or embarrassed to say it aloud. This fear and discomfort of speaking clearly about what you want only leads to disappointment. Just a friendly reminder from your neighborhood sentimental jeweler, there is ZERO shame if gift-giving is your love language. It doesn’t make you materialist or any of the other awful things you may think in your head. It means you give objects sentimentality, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. All this to say, THIS is one of the vital reasons I started offering my MFM Concierge service - to alleviate the stress loved ones feel when finding the perfect gift for their significant other. 

And here’s the thing - how will your loved one know you want something special and sentimental for Christmas this year if you don’t tell them? Another spoiler: they cannot read your mind (bummer, I know.) How about instead of wishing and hoping, you just copy the MFM Concierge link below, and send it to them? It doesn’t have to be followed by a huge paragraph of commentary (or it might, I don’t know your SO), but just a “hey, I think we’d both really benefit from this service” can go a long way. Then, once they get in touch with me, I’ll take it from there, and you can be as involved as you wish!

So here’s to getting exactly what we want for Christmas this year (and next)!