My whiney voice would like to come out to play. Although, I’ll justify it and say that it’s not all whiney. Just about 60%. About 30% is inspired and 10% envious. But at least 2 of the 3 are less than optimal, so continue reading at your own risk. But I suppose I can try to at least end on a good note.
Yesterday another smart, beautiful, ambitious woman in my life took a big step toward living out her, if you will, calling. Vocation shares its root with call (voice, Latin vox, vocis meaning VOICE and vocare meaning to CALL) and if you know this lady, you know this business venture will just make her sing.
She’s just next on the list of the women around me who continue to fulfill their calling, either “full time” or on the side. I’ve got a good handful of photographer friends whose clientele are growing; one is taking a step of faith in getting studio space (a great choice! I know she’ll fill it with all kinds of photgenic goodness. And that’s a freebie pun, just for you). I connect with a few that can keep their kitchen warm with all the baked good orders they fill. Another good friend ventured into a small business that shows a lot of promise and she’ll excel at finding ways to make it successful and build a customer base with her exceptional customer service. These ladies don’t just dream… they do.
Enter: whiney, inspired, envious self.
But I want to do the things that make me tick. I want to find that groove, dance to the music, sing along with life. Though I’m very fortunate and grateful for a job that has paid the bills and even offered mental stimulation, hiring people just hasn’t made me break out into song or tears, both of which are good indicators that your heart and your work intersect.
I keep searching the want ads, but so far no one is offering a full- or part-time position writing newsletters and blog posts about random topics, learning about the world, current culture and trends from a spiritual/sociological/philosophical/psychological perspective ) and sharing all this pertinent information in a way that makes people understand why it’s important in their lives. Affecting change in a positive way. Making people think and ask questions. And by questions, I don’t mean, “where is this candidate’s drug screen?” No, I want people to ask, “well, what does that look like?” and hope they offer suggestions.
I imagine a large amount of sharing coffee with others is involved with this position, and a good knack at font selection is a required skill. And hopefully it requires just enough time away from the children but yet allows that the laundry gets done and I can fix dinner at a reasonable hour. I cannot even believe there’s not a section for that on Careerbuilder.
From time to time I feel like getting more serious about my “writing”, and I’ve encountered some positive feedback to make me want to take those steps. But questions remain. What market? In what form would people read me? Who would publish? What would I write about that I could stay on-topic for more than 3 pieces in a row? I don’t have a “thing.” I read somewhere that you have to have a “thing.”
It’d be nice to recieve compensation, but that’s not what it’s about, really. I know lots of people venturing into these endeavors aren’t just out to make a buck, but to share what makes them tick. So the measure of success isn’t necessarily the paycheck, but rather the sense of participation and the gratification that it matters to someone else. It’s not what we produce, but who and how we serve. It’s hearing “my day was better because I enjoyed what you provided.” Honestly, being “published” is about being able to reach others, beyond the 12 people that stumble upon my blog in a given week. Oh, how I inflate. I can name a handful of cousins and 2 friends, so that’s getting me close to 12 if I round up.
So, I’m envious that this hasn’t happened for me yet (see that positive spin? YET. I make good on my promises.) – and probably even more acurate, I’m whiney because I don’t know how to move in that direction; but yet I’m inspired to keep my eyes open and perhaps even be proactive about it once I get an idea of what that might involve. You know… what does that look like?
Or I could just get independently wealthy so that I could stay home and write for free and hire a nanny to help with the kids when they need chased away from the stairs or a diaper changed. I could pay people to read it so that I could feel that positive impact. That could work, too. Right?
**Editor’s cut: From The David Crowder *Band, A Lark Ascending (Or Perhaps More Accurately, I’m Trying to Make You Sing)
And I’m trying to make you sing
From inside where you believe
Like it’s something that you need
Like it means everything
And I’m trying to make you feel that
This is for real, that life is happening
That it means everything
I’m just trying to make you sing