Written by: Laura J. Wellington, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Having recently stopped seeing someone, I decided to rejoin the dating pool through online dating. No doubt, it is a jungle out there but never did I expect such a primitive response from an accomplished gentleman and potential suitor.
Engaged in a back-n-forth dialogue as we were, he noted the many businesses accredited to his hard work and entrepreneurial savvy. I applauded him for both, after all I know what it takes to do what he has done as I had done it in my own way, myself. When it came time, however, for him to ask me what I did for a living, I listed half of what I actually achieved in my life. I held back a bit simply because I don’t believe that everything needs to be laid out on the table immediately. To this, I received the following response,
“I don’t think we are a match. Way too many accomplishments to your name.”
If you think I am kidding, think again. The feathers in my cap fell limp for a moment. I had never been vetoed because I excelled at my life and, in that, my profession. Then I realized that I had been “dating profiled,” placed in a category simply because of my specs.
I was stripped, tied, and tossed into a bucket without so much as a true conversation or actual understanding of who I was by this gentleman. Ironically, what began as an affront, turned into renewed perspective.
“Dating profiling is no different than any other profiling, including that which continues to go on in the business. It is archaic in thinking and may just rob you of hidden gems – people who may make all the difference in the world.”
It is something I am remaining extremely conscious of as I ponder new hires for a business I will be launching this May. I’ve decided that many of these new teammates will be senior citizens–a culture predominantly short-sold prior to getting to know them–not unlike, dare I say, “me” when I was dating profiled.
Same as dating profiling, senior profiling is unfair, unjust, and unintelligent, especially since so many seniors offer talent, skills, insight and experience you just can’t buy. To overlook this is foolish…by me or any other business owner. If I didn’t feel passionate about this before, I do now. I’ve learned to take the signs where they come and it’s served me well.
In the end, I guess I should send that gentleman a note of gratitude. His dated outlook both saved me from dating him while cementing my thinking on something I had been weighing for quite some time now. Better yet, I will just have one of the senior citizens I hire send him an invitation for a free trial in May.
One good turn deserves another.
Laura J. Wellington, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Laura J. Wellington is the Founder of Celebrity-Lifestyle blog THREAD MB. A Media-Tech Entrepreneur, Wellington is also an Award-Winning Children's Entertainment creator and Author. Critics have called her most recent book "Be Careful What You Wish For" a 'magnum opus'. A TEDx Speaker, Wellington's newest venture is called ZNEEX, an app that combines fitness and socializing for users and their dogs in a fun, new way that has partners saying "it's the best idea that they've heard in a very long time" (coming to you May 2022). A mother of five, Wellington was widowed at thirty-five years old. She has won The Forbes Enterprise Award, Multiple Telly Awards, The Buzz Award, and many more.
