Years ago, my day began with the sound of an alarm clock,
the rush of morning dressing and breakfast and the continuous
worry of getting to where I needed to be or getting others
to where they needed to be. Then, the day, feeling long,
was controlled by the tasks imparted by others. The day
was recorded by answering the ringing telephone, filling
out emotionless papers, accounting for materials and dollars
that did not belong to me and most prominently, pretending
to be aroused by the listless activity of corporate world.
And, like all the others in my environment, I languished
in the desire to find peace of mind, looking forward to
any relief.
When my work day come to an end, I fell into step, looking
onward to an evening filled with home duties. And, believe
me, I was not a happy partner in marriage or a happy mom,
neighbor any friend. With the small amount of time allotted
to nurturing my own spirit allowed near bed time, I routinely
fell into a trance while sitting in front of the television
set.
And, once a year, one glorious week was dedicated to
relaxation and peace of mind. We, the family, planned
our vacation as wisely as possible. The dates were picked.
The location was discussed and finally the family embarked
upon a long drive toward an event filled yet restful spot.
Typically, the first two days of vacation were filled
with hustling activities, created to help the hard worker
unwind. Usually those activities, while entertaining in
nature, were the stressful in that I was still in the
work mode, feeling inclined to panic if we, the family,
were late or not fully prepared. Then, as I set through
the event, my mind would continue to run ahead of my physical
body and think about the chores of the next few days.
By day three or four my body would begin to relax and
I would, for the first time, begin to feel the on slot
of vacation. And then, on days five or six, I would begin
to dread returning back to my regular life. And finally,
by day seven, the family would, with sad faces, begin
packing and moving back into our vehicle to return home.
It is usually at these times that my mind would wonder
and begin to question the purpose of life. For me, a life
filled with such demand seemed to be somehow wrong.
I sat down and with determination, began using my natural
and common sense to develop a new life plan. While, I
had my intuition at my beckon call, I did not necessarily
know how to use it to financially support myself. And,
like everyone else in the world, I had financial needs.
Each Sunday, I would travel to an historic town in Maryland.
And there, I would meet clients and help counsel them.
My fees were quite reasonable. So, while I was fairly
busy, my fees could not financially support my or my family’s
needs. Then one day, I counseled a woman who had found
herself stuck in a difficult life lesson. She worked hard
at her career and raising a family. To support her financial
needs, she was forced to work hard. And, in the process
she grew tired and frail. As I suggested to her that she
take the time to find a new career and a healthier life
to follow, she explained to me how she felt that she could
not take the time to actually seek a new life and new
employment. I began to explain to her that one simply
needs to develop a vision and than trust that vision enough
to lead her along the way to a better destination.
As I continued to speak to her, I heard my own words
and decided to take a tremendous leap of faith and throw
myself into the work and life that I most wanted to live.
And in that process, I learned to vacation always. When
one learns to work only for that which she loves, then,
she is vacationing always for it is the love for our work
that keeps us healthy and strong of spirit and mind. When
we learn and become determined to work within our love,
then we will feel happy. We will be happy.
While, it is not advisable to simply resign from a present
work situation when a next situation is not close at hand,
it is possible to begin making small changes that take
us toward our love.
Here are my personal suggestions:
1. Spend quality time, deciding what you enjoy doing.
Make lists of things that make you happy. And, use these
lists to determine the exact nature of your joys.
2. Use creativity and freedom of thought to determine
a career path that allows you to participate in the things
that you love. Be playful when deciding upon this career.
Perhaps you will invent a job that does not yet exist.
Act as if you are a child and pretending or playing a
game. Choose a career as if you were a magician and all
can be possible.
3. Once you have chosen your career then realistically
look at places that might offer you opportunities to practice
this path. Plan to volunteer your time and skills. When
you are new and learning, do not expect to be financially
compensated for your time. These new places will be more
inclined to allow you to join them and hone your craft
if you are not asking for financial compensation. Then,
practice, practice, practice.
4. Eventually, if you love what you are doing, you will
find that you become quite expert at your work. Then,
you will find that others begin to seek out your help
or ability. Then, you are ready to set a small fee for
your work.
5. Seek to work and practice your craft on a part-time
basis. As you are still employed at your previous career
path, you will have to gently give yourself time to practice
you work of love. Then, as you grow more and more in demand
begin to raise your prices. As the market allows you to
raise your prices higher and higher, you will raise them.
You will know that if you raise your prices and lose clients
or customers, you have raised your prices beyond what
the market it willing to pay.
6. Now, when you have found the work you love and determined
your financial value, begin to work less at your previous
job and more at the job you love. Eventually, you will
be able to walk away from that which is not healing and
fun and toward that which you love.
7. Now, you are vacationing always and life will feel
wonderful.
sHEALy