Wednesday, July 17, 2013

365 Inspirations—198: Valuing Yourself: Getting Paid for What You Love To Do

Signing Books at Edmond's Bookstore in WA State
“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”—Goethe


 Writing is my passion and teaching and sharing are also my passions. I've been teaching ESL for years and it's been such a joy, but writing has always been something I've done on the side—until now.

I have closets full of journals that date back to my childhood. They've been locked away and have never seen the light of day until recently.

It was this blog that I started years ago that gave me the courage to pull my writing out from the closet and to start valuing myself as a writer. 

Now my writing and classes related to writing have taken center stage in my life. Just a few days ago I received a check from my agent for the Chinese translation of my book, Lessons from the Monk I Married and we are gearing up for another yoga/writing retreat at the Yoga Lodge in August. It will be our third annual retreat!

It was a long road to becoming confident enough to share my writing with the public. It took so much courage and still takes courage to "put it out there," but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Each and every time I take a step towards putting my writing, classes and my work out there, I'm facing my old fears and each time I do this it becomes easier to face them.

Every single one of us has these fears and old voices inside of us that try to tell us why we can't do what we love and be paid for it. These may be voices we heard when growing up that we made our own or they may come from the fears of others on the outside who have not been able to live their own dreams.

Whatever you dream of doing, start it. Do you want to be a potter and be paid for it? Start making pottery and start selling at fairs and boutique shops. Every penny you make towards doing what you love is important because that penny becomes a nickel becomes a dollar and so on. Before you know it, you will call yourself a potter and everyone else will start to refer to you as The Potter. And this becomes your life.

Remember, you can define yourself in anyway you choose. You don't have to define yourself by your day job unless you absolutely love your day job. Call yourself a painter or a cartoonist or a card maker or a builder. Whatever suits you. You get to decide. The more you place importance on what you love to do, the more others will recognize you for it. Before you know it, you WILL be paid for doing what you love, it's a natural progression.

Just remember to put your ear plugs in when the nay-sayers come out to destroy your plans and ideas. They will come. Usually these are people whose dreams were not realized and they are frustrated and disgruntled because of it. Don't let them rain on your parade. Keep positive and encouraging people close to you. This is very important.

Most of all, value yourself. You are the only one who can do this completely and YOU are worth it. If you value you, others will value you too and will compensate you for your work. 

Are you doing what you love and being compensated for it?

10 comments:

  1. Really need to keep a tally of how many times I read your blog and it's the exact thought/challenge area with which I'm dealing!

    Am in the midst of letting go of a rather toxic day job and the stability of a steady pay check/health insurance to run my own music studio. The physical space has recently opened up and lists of students are appearing.

    Thank you for today's blog~it feels like a little nudge from the universe reminding me that I am stepping in the right direction!

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    1. A space has become available and students are lining up!?%#* This music studio of yours is just waiting to happen! It's waiting for you to say, "Let's do it!" I say go for it Laurie. Can't wait to hear more about it. Thanks for your comment here!

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  2. Amen, sister! Love seeing you succeed at what you love.

    In other news, I RECOGNIZE THAT PICTURE!!! :)

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    1. Yes, I think you took that picture??? That was the day I met you by surprise! Can't forget it....a wonderful day indeed!

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  3. I'm glad you're finding yourself in writing, Katherine. I do write for a living, though not necessarily the kind of writing that I would choose to do if given the choice. I am a newspaper reporter, so I get paid to ask questions, listen to stories and write. I would love to be paid to do the type of writing and editing that is more "me." More and more I am considering myself to be a writer. I just need to say it more!

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    1. Yes, I think it is important to tell ourselves that we are a writer or a painter or whatever it is...and to say it often. You are a writer, Tina...no doubt about it! And your blog is a very big part of your writing and a place where you can really share who you are!

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  4. Such a wonderful post, and congratulations on your Chinese translation! I often think about how mean that little voice inside my head has been through the years. Thank goodness I have been too pig-headed to let her win most of the time.

    No writing paychecks for me yet, but I'm crossing my fingers. Have a good feeling about the future. :)

    Have a wonderful night!

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    1. Good luck LisaAnn....I'm glad that you are pig-headed with that little, mean voice inside. Stand up to that one. Put her in her place. I wish you all good things with your writing pursuits and if you have a good feeling about the future, you'll probably get just that!

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  5. I am a yoga therapist!
    (Just working on the process of getting there...)
    Day job is a means to this end.
    Nice post!
    I'm always thinking of how I'll merge my passion with my living.

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    1. I'm very interested in yoga as a therapy! Sounds like you have a wonderful job!

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