Ohhhh boy. The above one liner on Facebook which had me laughing uproariously is my description of a lady I met at a networking function last week. Granted, it was a casual affair. No need to don the stiff business suit, but still needed to gussy up at least a bit. So gussy I did, as did the other guests. Except one. Denim short shorts. Tight tank top with bra peeking up over the front of it.  Pony tail perched messily high atop her head. Flossed teeth twice at the table. Yep. Twice. Wow.

After recovering from the shock, my first thoughts were of excusing her attire and behavior. “Maybe she is just having a bad day.” “Maybe she really wanted to attend and didn’t have time to run home and change.” She also hogged the conversation mercilessly–oink! oink! Floss! Floss! “Maybe she talks too much because she is nervous.” Maybe I am being WAY TOO NICE! I try not to be a judgmental wench…I am not a paragon of perfection myself, after all.

Later, I considered the visual message she gave about herself thoughtfully. I felt confused about if I should consider doing business with this woman or sending her business. I wanted to  overlook these red flags–be nice. Then I remembered the two times I had done just that with other business people and the ensuing crapola extravaganzas. I knew in my gut these two were just hot messes looking for a home, but excused their behavior and ignored my signals to exit stage left asap. And I paid for it.

Lesson learned: ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR GUT WHEN YOU MEET PEOPLE!  When you hear those little bells going off telling you just what you need to know about the person, pay close attention. Get your rational self out of the equation, and let your intuition tell you who is right for you to be around. When I checked in with my gut about this lady, the title of this blog popped right into my head. That was all I needed to know. My answer is clear: don’t do business with the Trainwreck.