Grounds for Dismissal

I recently had someone ask me to promote their cause.  It looked fantastic, but there was something about it that I just could not reconcile.  I think you’ll find it funny – so I’ve decided to tell the story here:

First, a little background.

I regularly get requests from people who want me to promote their stuff to my list. Because of the sheer volume of requests, though, I’ve had to set up some personal rules that help me quickly decide which ones to take on, and which ones to dismiss.

By the way, just for fun – see if you can find the man’s face in the picture of coffee beans at the left.  I know it seems irrelevant right now, but by the end of the post you’ll see why I’m having some fun with the coffee theme today.

So here’s the funny part.

Rather than editorialize what happened, I am just going to share the email conversation that took place, and hope you find the humor in it that I did:

Hi Leslie,

I admire your commitment for helping people take control of their lives and businesses to become more fulfilled and create greater peace of mind. Because of your passion to help people take their lives to the next level, I want to extend this invitation for you to be part of a unique initiative that’s giving women around the world a BOOST!

My name is Julie Clark and I am the founder of The Inspirational Coffee Club, brimming with motivation and encouragement to help women refill that part of themselves that gets poured out in the daily grind. (As you probably can relate!) Our one-of-a-kind, coffee-themed approach to life improvement is catching the interest of women from all walks of life because it’s a fun and refreshing way to get reinvigorated.

In November, The Inspirational Coffee Club is preparing to give women around the world a desperately needed shot of inspiration by creating a first-of-its-kind ‘virtual coffee break’ to launch its first book: “Inspirational Coffee Breaks for Women: 12 Ground Rules for Pouring Your Heart into Life.” This unique guide for life is overflowing with heartwarming stories and rich wisdom to help women discover creative, new ways to renew and revitalize their lives. It’s a true dose of encouragement for the soul! (And you don’t have to be a coffee lover to enjoy it!) But this isn’t any ordinary launch…the goal is to make it one of the most uplifting and encouraging ones ever! With the support of extraordinary women like yourself, this launch has the potential to be the ULTIMATE LIFE BOOST for millions of women.

Currently, I’m partnering with other like-minded entrepreneurs who have the same passion for inspiring women and whose wisdom could add an EXTRA JOLT to the ‘virtual coffee break’ launch. You would be perfect, Leslie! Now, more than ever, women need your kind of expertise on how to access their inner guidance system to help them discover their best path and most fulfilling future. The goal is to get numerous partners who are willing to share their knowledge by offering complimentary downloads to provide tips and advice that help women improve in all areas of their lives. Then on November 16th, the book will be launched to subscribers around the world along with your amazing downloads to help give women an added JOLT, making this one of the most invigorating launches ever!

This is an opportunity for you to create some BUZZ for your business while getting in front of hundreds of thousands of women, being part of something fun and new, and increasing your visibility, list size, and brand. It would be an honor to have your involvement as we brew up a partnership to improve women’s lives.

Please let me know if you’d like to be a part of this unique ‘virtual coffee break’ campaign on November 16th by providing a free download to be included in the EXTRA JOLT bonus materials and sending an email out to your subscribers on that date. If you are on board, more details will be emailed to you as the launch date gets closer, including a sample email you can use for your subscribers.

I hope this opportunity excites you, Leslie. You’d be joining an amazing group of women! Together, we CAN give women around the world a LIFE BOOST!

With warmth and inspiration,

Julie Clark, founder
The Inspirational Coffee Club
www.theinspirationalcoffeeclub.com

Here was my reply:

Hi Julie,

Thanks for your interest.  I’ll have to chew on this for a while – it’s kind of funny – I LOVE your theme and think it’s really catchy – my dilemma is that I am a member of a religion that encourages a strict  health code against addictive substances, and in that code it does specifically name coffee. In fact, probably half of my subscriber base would think I have “fallen to the dark side” if I became a part of the club, even if I never touched a drop!  LOL You know how rumors can distort things.

My work is not directed exclusively to members of my own religion, in fact I make a point to stay completely neutral to show respect and support for people of all backgrounds.  But I’ve never had to grapple with this particular issue – when something comes up that doesn’t exactly fit “me”, I usually do best to just be myself and let the consequences follow.  If I do that here, I would need to decline the offer to participate, because anything to do with coffee isn’t “me” at all.

At the same time, there are a lot of subscribers who would probably really resonate with this, so when I am not so buried in urgent projects, I’ll let it “distill” in my mind and we’ll see what I feel is best under the circumstances 🙂 Thanks for your understanding – and I hope you find the same humor (or irony?) in this dilemma that I do.

Warmly,

Leslie

Here was her response back:

Hi Leslie,

You are so adorable! Your email did make me smile. The fact that you’d put so much thought into being a part of the launch even with your dilemma makes me realize how much you believe in my mission and I so appreciate that! That being said, I don’t want you to participate in anything that would make you the least bit uncomfortable. So I completely understand if you have to decline.

I’d feel awful if anyone thought you had fallen to the dark side! LOL That was cute.

Have a great day!

With warmth,

Julie Clark, founder
The Inspirational Coffee Club
www.theinspirationalcoffeeclub.com

So there you have it.  This situation was too good not to share, and hopefully by sharing it, I’ve put a smile on your face, too. If the story doesn’t put a smile on your face, hopefully the hidden man in the coffee beans did.

By the way, don’t you think the title of this post is perfect?  I crack myself up.

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Leslie Householder

Leslie Householder is the award-winning, international best selling author of The Jackrabbit Factor, Portal to Genius, and Hidden Treasures: Heaven's Astonishing Help With Your Money Matters. Since 2002, she has helped people all over the world discover and apply the Rare Kind of Faith that causes things to happen for powerful life changes. Through story and shifts of perspective, Leslie aims to help her readers crush every challenge, achieve every goal, and vanquish every monster under their beds. Above all, Leslie is a dedicated wife and mother of seven children.

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