Have the moxie to do what you love

Holly emailed me about a problem she was having:

“I became a Virtual Assistant because I thought it would give me more control over my time, and because I could be more with my kids as they grew up. While the work is easy and the money is good, I find it just doesn’t jazz me. In truth, I have always wanted to be a nurse, but got married early, had kids, and now it seems impossible to consider ever seeing that dream become a reality. Any ideas for how I can enjoy being a VA more than I do currently since it’s the path I’ve chosen?

I shared with Holly some ideas for doing that (including creating a niche working with healers so that she could, at least, be closer to the field where her passion lies), but today’s moxie is what I want to share with you. It’s part of a deeper conversation I had with Holly.

Bit O’Moxie: Each of us deserves work that lights us up inside. If what you’re doing doesn’t do that (and I am sure there are plenty of VAs in situations similar to Holly’s), pursue what does. Even if you have to get additional training….even if getting the training you need happens much more slowly than you like, do it anyway. Do whatever it takes to move yourself toward doing he work you really want to do.

Remember that you have only one life, and there is no dress rehearsal. If your soul feels drawn to a specific sort of work, you must pay attention to that. Have the moxie, at whatever place in life you find yourself, and whatever age, and whatever life circumstances are staring you in the face, to do the work you feel called to do. When you do, you gift the world with your light. When you don’t, you make things a bit dimmer for the rest of us.

I’m happy to report that Holly is (nervously!) applying to nursing school, and, will use her VA practice to fund her education in the meantime. She’s looking at working with naturopaths and other types of healers.

Comments

[Petra Boucher]

I agree with you 100% Stacy. Allowing myself to do what I enjoy has led me to the path of starting a Virtual Assistance practice, and of course Assistu as allowed me to realise my dream with the moxie that it deserves.

I also know that there are several strings to my bow (or areas of real enjoyment for me) and I intend to pursue these, in the future, in complement with my VA practice.

The challenge I face is trying to impart on my child and younger cousins the sheer delight of pursuing a career that resonates with the soul and not just to go for the biggest buck today. Of course, all I can do is speak it and live it and see if I can be an example for them.

The difference for me has been that in pursuing my dreams I have experienced, for the first time, true excitement about getting up and going to work! :-)

[Antonette Artiz]

I get it! Sometimes, it takes not looking for an answer to see it clearly. While I know you weren’t writing to me personally, you REALLY were!

I've been struggling with the notion of not continuing to niche with a client base that really jazzes me. I pretty much tossed in the towel because of one very bad apple of a client. However, after reading this entry, I believe my unconscious plan was to throw out the baby with the bath water just to clean myself of the bad experience. Now, that my eyes are open again, I’m realizing that what I need to do is to get back up on the horse. (That’s the last cliché statement.)

Thanks Stacy for helping me to see that doing what I love, and loving the people that I provide the service for, sometimes comes with risks and even setbacks.

I am no longer a Moxie moron, at least not on this subject! :>

xoxo
AA

[Stacy]

Antonette -- good to know the moxiemoronics have left you for good on this topic! :)

S

[Stacy]

Petra -- a book that might be wonderful for you is _The Left Hand of God_, by Michael Lerner.

While the book is about reclaiming American from the religious right, at its core it's about how people are starving to get away from the corporate greed mentality that permeates so many layers of life.

It speaks to the very things you posted about and I think you'd really enjoy it!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
S