NOT AS EXPECTED

By Jessica Breazeale

So picture this: it's about seventeen years ago, and I'm making the rounds as a Life Skills teacher in the public schools of north Alabama. I check in at a middle school that wasn't on my regular schedule, and the sweet office worker does what office workers do — she announces over the intercom:

"If you'd like to meet with Mrs. Breazeale, please report to room 101."

A student shows up at my door. But she's not excited. She's not even neutral. She is perplexed. She looked at me like I was a math problem she didn't sign up for and said —

"Yooooou're Mrs. Brazil?"

"That's me! So glad you came!"

She was not glad. She squinted a little and said, "I just would have thought you'd be much taller... with dark hair... more dark-complexioned."

Now…I'm five-foot-four from Mississippi. I was not giving what she was looking for.

I asked her why on earth she'd have that picture in her head, and that's when it all made sense. Apparently, there was a Mrs. Brazil — a beauty queen type, basically a walking, talking Miss America — who had made quite the impression on this particular student. And this girl showed up to room 101 expecting HER.

Instead, she got me.

I laughed and said, "Oh, honey, I think I see the problem. I'm not Mrs. Brazil, the pageant person. I'm Mrs. Breazeale — totally different spelling, totally different human. But I'm happy to meet you, and I promise I'm still fun."

She left unconvinced. Possibly still grieving. I respect it.

That moment has never left me.

Whether we're talking about a middle school mix-up or a boardroom first impression, this happens all the time to me. How about you? We walk into situations with a picture already in our heads, and when reality shows up differently, we don't always know what to do with it.

So, let's talk about it.

Honest mistakes are just... honest. That girl did nothing wrong. She heard a name, built a mental image, and showed up with full confidence. We all do this. We Google someone before a meeting. We make assumptions based on a logo, a bio, a voicemail tone. It's human. It just means we must stay a little flexible.

Not being what someone expected isn't the same as being the wrong person. I was never going to be a statuesque pageant queen, and that's fine with me. I had something else to offer that student entirely. The same goes in business or in ministry. You might not be the flashiest option, the biggest agency, or the one with the fanciest office – or the minister someone pictured. But you might be exactly what someone needs. Don't shrink because you're not their original mental image.

Your reputation is already in the room before you are. That other Mrs. Brazil had clearly left a mark. This student expected her. That's the power of image — people start to anticipate you. What are people anticipating when your name comes up?

And sometimes — let's be honest — WE'RE the ones with the wrong expectations. We've all been that disappointed student at the door. We've passed on a great opportunity because it didn't arrive in the package we imagined. We've underestimated someone because they didn't look the part. Worth checking ourselves on that one!

The bottom line is this: stay open. Let people surprise you. And when you're the one who walks in and isn't quite what they pictured — own it. Stand in that room like you belong there (because you do), crack a joke if you need to, and let your actual self do the work.

The right people will quickly figure out that you were exactly who they needed all along.

Even if you're not a beauty queen.

(Not that there's anything wrong with beauty queens. I'm sure Mrs. Brazil was lovely.)

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