Living life as an example....

One of the tenets of my belief is that "you" live your life as an example to others.  What does this mean?  Well, no one is perfect, and we are all human beings.... in that we are small, and flawed.  We should be humble by the greater forces around us. (And I don't mean the government or churches).  I mean Mother Nature, and the intangible unseen forces of the greater universe around us.

I believe that I do live a life as an example to others - not always the best example; I suppose it depends on the day and the context of what I am up to.  But today, for this post, I want to talk about being "in service" to others.  I hear this a lot... and recently I was questioned about it (in an interesting way) and that made me decide to create this post.... but I digress.

What does it mean to be in service?  Well, for me it means that I will volunteer myself to help out a cause that I believe in, or share a skill that I have to help someone who needs it.  One can't make a living continually volunteering all the time, so of course there are times when I volunteer and times when I get paid, and other times when barter may be appropriate.

I could not in good conscience ask someone to volunteer for something that I am not willing to do myself; and I am happy to admit that I never have.  I am also someone who encourages people to value their time and energy, and when appropriate, get paid for what they do.  Because bills must be paid, and there is a certain satisfaction that comes from receiving a form of payment for a job well done.

What about the EGO?  Oh My!  That is a topic for a longer post.  Let me just say this about that.... Everyone has an ego - the ego can help us survive, and it can help us to be successful, overcome obstacles and strive to achieve goals... I am often mystified when people speak of the ego in purely negative terms.  We need a healthy ego to survive.  There are extremes of behavior, that is of course, human nature.  Instead of focusing on negative energy and thoughts; why not try seeking balance?  Because after all, none of us is perfect.  In our imperfections we are unique.  And often it is those quirks of "imperfection" that make us lovable to others, and sometimes even to ourselves.

Take care of yourselves.  Love yourself, love each other.  Be unconditional in that love... and be all encompassing in that love.  We are men and women by birth or by choice; we are human by genetics.  

Humanity is not a color, gender, religion, or political view.... it is all of those things and so much more.

Selling Yourself - Lessons in Self Confidence

What is the difference between self confidence and having a "big ego"?

When people ask me about my skills, I am not always comfortable blowing my own horn.  With a devil-may-care attitude I may say that I am the best, but I often have a hard time "selling myself". 

Friends and clients tell me that I don't charge enough for my services.  But I charge what I am comfortable charging - and that should always be my decision.  Does a high price point mean that I am more psychic than others?  Absolutely not - it just may mean that I have better marketing skills - or really good PR people.

I have been psychic my whole life.  And I feel that I have nothing to prove to anyone else.  I continue to grow and evolve my skills, and I continue to work with clients who are more often than not, pleased with the results of their time with me.

Recently, a friend of mine revamped my website.  She has done an amazing job!  It looks great!  And I am sure that this will be a good selling point in marketing myself.  I have re-worked my business card so they reflect my personality a little more, and have begun to "sell" myself more on the internet - using such agents as facebook, twitter, thumbtack, eventbrite, and linkedin to help promote me.  I have so many blessings of good friends, and good clients who want me to be as successful as I would dare to become.

This is the next leg in the journey for me to embrace my passion more fully than I have ever allowed myself.  I thank you all for your kind and encouraging words which help me to learn to be more confident in selling the LoonWitch.  I am inspired by your feedback as always!

One of the hardest lessons I have learned is how to take a compliment.  I am learning to just say Thank You when someone compliments me on my abilities instead of shying away from the compliment. 

Although many say that there can be no room for the ego in a successful spiritual path, I believe that when you are creating a career around your spiritual path, you need to have a healthy ego.  Being self employed means that you have to be confident, and that does take ego.  But learning to temper and keep yourself well balanced often proves to be a larger challenge as success comes closer.