Creating A Charmed Life #9 “Work A Charmed Job” by Victoria Moran
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 11th, 2008
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Good Morning fellow charmed life readers. I am feeling more charmed today than I have in a long time. I slept well and I am feeling a break in that which has been consuming my mind lately.
I got home from work last night and I took a long hot bubble bath and read a few chapters of ‘Creating a Charmed Life’, and there were quite a few that felt so right on for me that I thought that it has been such a long time, I would share one with you.
If you are like me, you may have had to go outside of your norm and do some things that maybe you never thought you would need to do. For me, that meant going out and getting a job after being on my own for so many years. I was looking forward to the venture yet not sure just what I was going to land.
Anyway, the chapter that I wanted to share is called, “Work a Charmed Job”.
The work we do can enhance our soul as well as our resume. Few of us had the benefit of an academic advisor or career counselor who recognized this vital dimension.
-Victoria Moran, Author, ‘Creating a Charmed Life’
Victoria starts out in this chapter by saying that she always figured her livelihood would depend on a PC. And she thought PC stood for Prince Charming. Hmmm…a bit off subject but I had to laugh at that one because as much as us girls might have an independent streak (I know I do), we also might have a touch of the Cinderella Complex. Again, I’ll admit it – I do. About 15 years ago I did a personal growth work shop and came to the conclusion that one of the most important things in my life is to be taken care of, right up there with being loved and cherished. Not that I don’t want to be responsible or have the desire to take care of others and myself…I do. But what I do know about myself is that when I am taken care of and my life is a life of ‘ease’, my best qualties thrive and grow, my creativity is boundless and my love and care huge. The ‘ease’ in my life brings out my hedonistic ways and the best of me gets lots of shine time. I’m not ashamed to admit it – Nothing wrong with knowing what brings out your best.
Anyways, back to the main subject…
Victoria goes on to say that when she loves her work and feels satisfied by it, she know that spiritually she’s in reasonable good shape. And contrary, when she has been ignoring her deeper self, even having her dream job, which she has now, seems like a burden. When she is experiencing one of those times, she doesn’t want to be a writer anymore, she fantasizes about being a Chanel lady in the cosmetic department at Saks. Ha! I fantasize that too except I’m on the other side of the counter buying Chanel!
Living a charmed life is tough if the work that you do doesn’t play some part in it, especially because we spend so much time doing our work. The Buddhists call it right livelihood – which is somewhere in the whirlwind of keeping busy, earning our keep and expressing our talents.
Again…The work we do can enhance our soul as well as our resume. And because many don’t recognize this, there are many out there who do jobs they can perform but don’t love. I have been blessed to have been able to do what I love for many years, and live a life where my time and schedule were pretty much my own and how I set it up. So for those of you that aren’t ‘working a charmed job’, how do you change? Victoria suggests:
Take a flying leap of faith. Could you work for yourself? Or get a job in a field that you find endlessly fascinating. Or do you believe in something so strongly that you would do it for nothing if you could? Brainstorm your possibilities. With sufficient patience and planning, you probably can open up the restaurant you’ve always wanted. Or go back to school. My thoughts: Stop being a banker wearing a suit all day long and teach Bikram yoga. I bring this up because we had a friend who did just that. Your friends might think that you’ve lost your mind – we thought our friend did – but Victoria say, ‘Maybe you have, but losing your mind and finding your heart is as pretty good trade. I agree with her.
Make a living the easiest way possible and find your dreams after hours. People who make this choice may give up an impressive job title, but they get energy to spare for art and music. Could this be a way for you to enhance your soul?
See the work you do as spiritual practice. Do the job you do right now in a way that reflects what you believe in. If your beliefs are worth living by, they’re worth working by. This will bring a higher degree of integrity to your job and ultimately to your company.
See the forest and the trees. Too many people go to work, put in their time and go home. (sometimes I wish I were one of these. I care too much about doing a good job that even if I do not like what I am doing, I want to do my best.) But if you keep sight of the big picture, your work instantly becomes more meaningful. To put your kids through college? To express yourself? To help others? These days, with the state of our economy, it may be even just to put groceries on the table and keep up with the mortgage. So remember this when the little things are especially irritating. I was irritated a few days ago, thinking, ‘What am I doing here?” Not that I felt that I was better than anyone I was working with but that I never imagined myself working in the position that I am in today. On the other hand, this job reminds me so much of a job that I had in my early years that I have to laugh sometimes. And yes, I am keeping site of the bigger picture and I am grateful to be working, even if these days it is almost every day.
Discover the inner aspect of the work you do. Every task is part of something bigger. At the core of all honest work is service, providing people with something that makes their lives a little better. When you see it that way, God becomes your employer regardless who signs your paycheck. I love getting good service and I love giving it. Being of service to others has always been on the top of my list along with inspiring others, no matter what I am doing. I have to say that every job I have ever had, even the ones where I had the same question, ‘What am I doing here?”, I have always been able to follow its’ course and discover the jewel that it has brought me in my life today. This job will be no different.
Readers: Can you relate to any of this? Comments? Blog me.
PS: In case you haven’t noticed, I have added ‘Creating a Charmed Life’ to the Carrousel of books above. Really, this book is simply wonderful and should be in the repertoire of every girl’s favorite reads!
Hi Zen Lill: It is always wonderful to see your comments on my blog. I apologize that I have not been able to reciprocate at all these days, although I did read your postings yesterday. I am disappointed that I have had no time for extracurricular activities, let alone any blog time except my own. I wish you were closer so that I could turn you onto the best eggnog there is…made fresh here in SF -I think I blogged about it awhile back. You would love it with your brandy! Cheers!
Dwight: Congrats on getting in! But silly you…now, how can I tell if you are a black man writing in unless you bring up the fact? And…In fact, how do you know that I am blocking anyone let alone a black man? I am sure there are many who have voiced their opinions but maybe have not revealed that they are black. You are just too silly…but hey I’m happy that you finally made it in. Good luck next time!
Hello Anonz: Good to hear from you. Happy you are alive and well. And as always I enjoy when you share your knowledge. I have only scanned it, but I will give more attention to you as soon as I am able.
Got to run…
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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December 11th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
This Common MISDIAGNOSIS ?Can Land You In A Nursing Home!
HERE’S HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES
BY DR. MARK STENGLER
It’s absolutely heartbreaking. All over America, nursing homes are filled with frail, feeble residents suffering from dementia. In many cases, these folks are so far gone they don’t even recognize their own children.
But I’m going to let you in on a dark, dirty secret: Many of these patients do not have dementia at all. Their memory loss, confusion, and delirium are caused by prescription drugs!
And so are many of their other problems.
This is not just speculation on my part. It’s fully documented in the medical journals. In fact, it’s so common that there are even medical terms for it. Like “polypharmacy,” which means giving a patient too many different drugs. And “iatrogenic illness,” which means any illness caused by doctors.
According to the medical journals, polypharmacy and iatrogenic illness are rampant in this country.
• One study concluded that one of the major causes of falls in nursing homes is the side effects caused by medications.
• Another study found that 97% of nursing home patients take at least one drug, with 17% taking 5 or more!
• Yet another study found that many drugs can cause Parkinson’s-like symptoms and concluded that “drug-induced parkinsonism is frequent.”
• And still another study listed 22 different categories of drugs that can cause symptoms that mimic Alzheimer’s… plus 14 different over-the-counter drugs that can cause those symptoms!
Here’s a typical scenario. A healthy person goes to the doctor for a checkup and is told his cholesterol or blood pressure is high. So he starts taking medication, which causes side effects. This leads his doctor to give him a second drug to treat those side effects. But, of course, that second drug causes new side effects. So the doctor prescribes a third drug to treat the side effects of the second one!
Before you know it, the person’s health is spiraling downward and he soon needs people to take care of him. And everyone just chalks it up to “old age.”
Except for the insurance companies. They know better. Recently, I spoke to a 72-year-old woman who was turned down by THREE different long-term care companies, even though she passed her physical with flying colors. The reason given? She was on too many prescription drugs.
Yes, the insurance companies know that if this woman continues to take her meds, it’s only a matter of time before her health deteriorates. And they don’t want to be the ones footing the bill when that happens.
But you can fight back against this system of medicine run amok. First of all, make sure you always try natural remedies first. Pharmaceuticals should be a last resort, not a first option. Secondly, if you have a loved one in a nursing home, talk to a naturally minded physician about possibly weaning them off the drugs. This single step may make a huge difference in their health and well-being.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Hi Mischa, I’m totally with you on the ‘cared for, etc…’ paragraph, I work best under those conditions, I don’t feel Cinderella-like bc of it, though one of my nicknames is Queenie, (independent with a royalty complex?) hahaha, I don’t need rescuing though, but I admit open adoration does bring out the best in me : )
I’m stepping out on the limb next year, it’s a must, I work well with others I just prefer not to work for others, kind of wish I could carry several seasonal lines though, that would suit the insatiable clothes horse aspect of me. The idea of committing to one bugs me but I see no choice at this point in time and you know, money is money, I might as well do the Zen thing and be ‘mindful’ and create the ‘right livelihood’ while visualizing women tossing their credit cards at me shouting ‘I’ll take it all’ : ) and me smiling while opening commish checks with some zeros on the end worth talking about.
& Oh man, I took Bikram’s yoga for 4 years 4x’s a week with Bikram himself, it was incredible at the time. I went back a few weeks ago after a few MIA years. I walked out after 20 minutes, hahaha, that 105 degree room temp dealio just didn’t work for me anymore, that and it wasn’t Bikram or Raj (his wife, another inspiring and engaging teacher) teaching the class.
Sweet pea, yes, I saved the best for last : ) hmm, someone sounds a little – uhmmm, lonely? Listen, babe, when you are ‘summoned’ in dreamland or in life, you better have some time on your hands, and ‘good’ is an adjective you can use for a McDonald’s milkshake, I sincerely doubt it’d be an adequate description of an encounter of any kind with me. Did you read my ‘Erica Jong – words to live by…?’ blog entry today…hahaha…ah, oh yes, I’m laughing out loud as I write this…
Thanks for your two on the auto industry bailout’s, the youtube investment guru’s name came to me, it’s Jim Rogers, a pal forwarded the vids for a few reasons; thought I’d like his take on things and the man recently moved to Singapore, JR had a bit to say about the auto and banking industries in the US, do you know/know of him?
Be safe and you know it’s always ‘good’ to hear from you, sorry, just had to work that adjective one more time…
Luv, Zen Sweetness – Zen Lill to the rest of you ; )
December 12th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Zen Sweetness
You talk me into ecstasy. What you do with the word good is awesome! Make mine a double.
I really didn’t get to finish my thought on the auto industry. I had pressing issues from our “resident torturer.” He means well. It’s his responsibility to insure that my teams are self sufficient, independent on point, but function as the integral parts of my overall plan they have been assigned. So he is tough and always on when we see him. He orders; we jump. I had to jump so I couldn’t finish my thought yesterday.
The bailout won’t pass the Senate because the republicans will play politics over the country’s needs. They will convenience their ignorant supporters that they are the balance between giving the country to the people and saving it for business. Obama nailed the republican party when he said that for some politics is a business not an opportunity for public service.
Sure many democrats due the same. They treat public office as a business for their personal gain too. But for the republicans that is ALL politics is, “nothing personal, just business.” I should know. It has been a very lucrative enterprise for me and my associates for more than 30 years.
The chief republicans that oppose the auto bailout have foreign auto maker plants in their states. These are men who claim to be pro American, but are willing to sell out the country for a few dollars more. They want to bankrupt the big 3 and allow the foreign auto makers to buy them up. Google each republican senator opposing it vehemently. You will find a foreign auto maker plant in his state or a long standing opposition against unions. With this defeat of the bailout they get a twofer. They get to break up the big 3 and to destroy union power for big business.
While I have the time, let me comment on the indictments by the US justice department against the ILL governor. First it is a ploy for the “pay to play” US attorneys to keep the jobs they got from Bush.
95% of the US attorneys know too well about “pay for play.” They got their jobs by agreeing to tow the line. Meaning they would seek to prosecute anybody the Bush boys asked them to. And correspondingly they would not prosecute anybody the Bush boys wanted to have a get out of jail free card.
Obama is very much aware of this. He wanted to take office requiring the entire office of the US attorneys to tender their resignations so that new appointments could be made based on merit not political or “pay for play” deals. These guys are trying to keep their jobs by making it seem that if Obama asks for their resignations, he is trying to cover up their investigations. And they get to continue to pay their dues to the RNC by casting taint on Obama.
Have you noticed the extra scrutiny the press is giving Obama’s possible connections to the scandal. These are the same guys who didn’t appear to have the balls to question the Bush boys about anything they did from weapons of mass destruction to shattering the protections of the Constitution to Bush’s midnight shattering of the environmental, and labor protection laws. The reason they seem to have discovered their balls can be discovered by googling who now owns them. I will leave that surprising discovery to you. See my Sweet, I can play on a word too. Of course, it just doesn’t have sexual largesse that you can impart.
Second it is a notice to Obama that the “justice” department under Bush has been monitoring every conversation between Obama, his staff and every person or group they have been dealing with. The Bush boys are looking for leverage to keep Obama from launching investigations into how they ran the government for the last 8 years.
I have been told they really have nothing on the crook that could stand up in a court of law. But a court of public opinion is a different story. And the by product is they will get to keep their jobs. Yes, the governor is a crook. But the crooks in the justice department were more interested in getting something on Obama or the Dems as a whole than in prosecuting a crook for what they themselves have done to get or keep their jobs.
Make no mistake the incompetence that makes up a US Grand Jury allows any US attorney to get a federal indictment against a rock. Google the make up of any grand jury. You will find that they are made up of a few “selected” citizens who are supposed to be capable of evaluating evidence the city, state, or federal attorneys bring before them to determine if the evidence warrants an indictment. The rules and procedures to accomplish this are so skewered towards getting an indictment by the government that it is basically a farce.
My point here is pay no attention to the fact that a “grand jury” found that a government attorney had presented enough evidence to warrant an indictment by any level of government.
The RNC needs to find something to galvanize their ignorant racist horde to get out the vote in 2010. They will play any card that turns up to light a fire under that group of morons. I am looking forward to reentering the game in the latter part of 2009. If Obama follows the line of the previous Dems and refuses to call the RNC dirty political tactics what they are to the public, he will be meat for the slaughter. A one term nigger, oops, the new term coined by the RNC for the n word will now be “black bird.”
Most of the RNC is livid with McCain for not allowing them to use Rev Wright as a weapon against Obama to cut into the 43% white, 72% jew, and 67% latino vote that the black bird got. To McCain’s credit he didn’t do it because he had suddenly acquired morals. He did it because Obama’s camp signaled that if he did, they would expose his and Palin’s connections to their controversial pastors. He didn’t think he could win on that one.
But the RNC was convinced that Obama would have lost more votes than McCain would since whites tend not to care if white candidates associate with pastors who are racists. Lets face it most of us whites if we are not secretly racist (come on you know a little part of you believes that we are better because we are white), we certainly have plenty of friends and relatives who are and we “tolerate” them. After all if we whites express a derogatory opinion of OTWs, it is just freedom of speech or our “conservatism” showing.
I bring this up because I am often chastised for being openly racist. When the person doing or condoning the chastisement is doing the same thing under the title of being just conservative. At least, I am honest about believing I am better because I am white.
Please Sweetness, don’t frown on me. I am like an alcoholic attending an AA meeting. I fall off the wagon sometimes. But I am determined to lose this racism thing. I need you to reach out to me as a fellow would in AA.
Racism is a neurosis like alcoholism is. Maybe psychosis would be closer to the truth, but just the same we who suffer from it need help not talking down to.
Now I hear the call to exercise. I am trying my best to make this 40 plus body respond as a 20 something killing machine. So I have to answer that call.
Anonz