Lessons learned handing out flyers
Today, my job was to find places to put up flyers to advertise my new business. I don’t know what exactly I was expecting, but it was an emotional roller coaster, and I think that would have been true even if I hadn’t also been PMS-ing.
I started out strong – I meditated this morning, I said my positive affirmations aloud to myself in the mirror, I talked to my spirit guides and asked for guidance about where to go and how to know a good place from a not-so-good place for putting up a flyer. I packed up my flyers, my thumb tacks, and my courage and got in my car. I put on Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, and felt great about the day ahead. In hindsight, this may not have been the best pump-up audiobook for the task. Or maybe it was? Jury’s still out.
I knew enough to set a goal for myself and not try to distribute all 50 flyers in my hand– I decided 6 would be a fair number for one day.
The first place was easy – a convenience store/Dunks/post office (quite a combo, I know!) near my house. I had the thought that it might be fun to scratch a scratch ticket at the end of the day after distributing my flyers, and I went up to the counter and exchanged smiles with a delightful cashier who wished me luck. I felt lucky indeed! Then I made my way over to the bulletin board – which was not a cork board, but a board to tape your flyer. I had thumb tacks, but no tape. Fortunately, there was a janky piece of tape stuck to the board already, not holding anything up, so I scootched my finger nail under that bad boy and after a full minute of picking at it, I got it up and taped my flyer to that board. I never looked behind me to see if the kind cashier had been watching my finger scratching shenanigans, but I hope he enjoyed the show!
Then, I headed off to get some lunch. As I was driving to Chipotle, I had the thought to see if there was a bulletin board at Mann’s, a sort of permanent farm stand, and pulled a sharp exit right. I walked into the place, looked around, lost my courage, and left. I wish I could say this was the only time I chickened out entirely and didn’t speak to anyone, but it happened at least once more. Ok maybe twice.
I devoured some Chipotle in my car, still feeling a little scared of being seen, and I listened to Eckhart Tolle some more. Again, jury’s still out on whether this was a good choice.
I worked up my courage and popped in …and immediately out, of a waxing place, and then a nail salon, not seeing bulletin boards and running away scared rather than talking to someone. But at last, I walked into the Planet Fitness, didn’t see a board, but did see a lovely guy at the counter. After some quick small talk, he agreed to let me put my flyer there on the counter for people to see as they signed in! What a gem. I felt grateful and emboldened.
I hit up a liquor store next, not to buy champagne to celebrate. I approached the cashier and the words jumbled themselves together and tumbled out of my mouth. What I was trying to ask is whether they had a bulletin board, and what came out was utter nonsense. After I choked out the right words, they told me they didn’t have a place for the flyer. My first outright rejection. It was definitely a little sting, but not every place is right for every flyer.
Still full of optimism, I made my way to another gym where I met Elias at the counter. He told me they probably couldn’t put my flyer up, but he wanted to see it anyway; he said he saw the word “magick” on my shirt and was curious. He happens to be an occultist and now also my new Instagram follower! He promised that if he couldn’t put my flyer up at work, he would find a good place for it. The Universe is amazing, and people are awesome.
Next, at the spa and salon where I get my hair cut, I got my second outright rejection. I started to think that maybe I was being too specific with the language – asking for a bulletin board specifically. What if I left it more open-ended – like, “do you have a space where I can put this flyer?” Hmmm…
I’m not sure if I should count the next stop where I left a flyer. I walked into an empty business park with a lobby and left it on a table. There were no other flyers there, but hey, I figured, why not? Maybe I can start a trend.
I next made my way to the metaphysical shop where I have taken many classes with awesome teachers and bought many of my crystals and books. As it turns out, they do not allow flyers, the rationale being that if one customer wanted to put up flyers, then they would have to let everyone put up flyers, and that would be mayhem. This didn’t sit right with me. I think we can always choose to operate with an abundance mindset, and in this more marginalized context especially, we have the amazing opportunity to help each other out rather than hold each other back. We can decide to believe that a “rising tide lifts all boats.” In this moment, I made a vow to have a spiritual space where all of the flyers are welcome. I’ll have a whole dang wall covered in people’s beautiful flyers made with love and intention, and it will be glorious.
I headed off to Andover next, starting at the Whole Foods. The rejection here stung worst. It felt like she took some joy in saying no. In hindsight, I have the perfect comeback – I would say, “ok, no problem; I would love to give it to you personally! You are awesome and I think you have magick within you.” I’m saving this one in my pocket for later.
I popped into another salon, another rejection, but a friendly one.
I’m not going to lie, I cried in my car a little bit right here. Just a little welling of tears, no spillover. I know what you’re thinking – boohoo, you big baby! This is nothing compared to what’s coming and what other people have to deal with! And what I’ll say back is, periods are wily and have a mind of their own. And rejection hurts, dangit! But you’re right, it certainly wasn’t worth losing my momentum over. I honored my hurt little feelings, and then I gave myself a new pep talk and headed on.
I made my way to the Andover Public Library, which is an absolutely beautiful space, and where I plan to spend many hours of my life moving forward. I handed my flyer to a lovely clerk, and they told me there is a screening process to decide what to put up. At the very least, someone will have eyeballs on it, even if it doesn’t make it to the center stage. But hey, we’re manifesting big things! Why wouldn’t it make the cut?
I headed over to the independent bookstore, which incredibly has been in business since 1809! Every time I go, I fall in love with the people who work there. They are curious and well-read, kind and helpful, really just pure magick, and today was no different. The woman at the register walked me to the bulletin herself and was ready to give me a tack before I pulled my own out. She said the café across the street also had spaces for flyers. This kindness was a total gift, and I soaked it in.
At the café across the street, I put up my flyer and ordered an iced tea. When I asked the barista how sweet the sweetened iced tea was, she said very, and I opted for the unsweetened instead. This magickal mermaid barista performed some straight up witchcraft and added a splash of sweetened iced tea to the unsweetened iced tea for me, and I’m not lying when I say it was the best dang iced tea I’ve ever had. The Universe is amazing, and people are awesome. I am so grateful for this act of kindness!
At this point, I called it a day on the flyer distribution. I cried in my car a little more, this time out of gratitude for kind strangers. Again, periods are wily MF-ers.
When I got home, I vowed to learn from every encounter today, which is what this post is really about. Here is what I learned, and perhaps it will help you do something hard too:
We have the opportunity at any moment to say or do something for someone else that can make a HUGE impact on them in a positive way
People love to connect with each other. I intend to spend more time on the schmooze tomorrow. I just love finding what lights people up – it’s my passion. I intend to do more of that tomorrow.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
We can always choose to meet an unkindness with radical compassion
Our words matter and are so powerful – I am going to try to keep possibilities open by using more open language in my requests to put up flyers moving forward!
Bring thumb tacks AND tape
I’ve decided Eckhart Tolle was not the best choice for this – I think Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass is the right pick for tomorrow
6 flyers in 1 day was a good number
Going in having rehearsed your pitch is a good idea to avoid the mumbles
Not every place is right for every flyer
Did you forget about the scratch ticket?! I didn’t! I broke even, and that is perfectly ok for today. Tomorrow, we integrate everything we learned and we win big!