by sHEALy

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 workday came 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 bedtime, 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 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 onslaught 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 then 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.