passion, pursuit, process . . .

Published July 30, 2012

in 3 days it will offically be 8 months since I jetted off to hawaii with 1 suitcase and no job. im incredibly grateful for all my experiences since and am eager to start making experiences on my own terms.

the retreat job I held is currently over for many reasons beyond my control but for the most part IM over IT. ive met some wonderful people and have really learned and grown as a chef and a person. one of the blinding lessons ive learned was that im sick of having a job SAVE me. im sick of working for someone else under someone else’s rules. the safety and security of working under a company or boss is so unappealing and that is something I NEVER thought I would say. at this point in my life, the safe road will only be traveled for emergency detours . . .

so where does that leave me?

everything happens for a reason, so it was no mistake that a month ago I had a ‘check craigslist’ urge. there was an job up for a juicing assistant that was more money and less hours. naturally, I applied even while I was still employed. I heard back from the woman who is a raw foods enthusiast and acupuncturist. when I emailed her back answering the list of questions she asked, I decided to stand up for myself and make it clear that I would only take the job with sundays off and the ability to work around my concert catering schedule. some time went by where there was no communication so I sent a few gently nudging emails. when I finally heard back, she told me that out of 45 people that applied I was out of the 5 chosen for an interview. and so, I went to her house and was completely amazed at the fact that she had every damn local fruit and vegetable growing in her garden as well as tons of foods being fermented and sprouted. . . . in other words, this chick is serious. I was completely authentic and showed her how I worked with the juicer and other equipment and was told that the job would be offered to myself or another woman with the same background as myself.

usually, I would worry. usually, I would question if I were ‘good enough’ but this time things were different. I told her that I appreciated the interview and that whatever decision she ends up making will be the right one . . . even if it isnt me. I actually believed this for once. today is monday and she told me id find out on tuesday which is tomorrow.

this morning I went through my expenses and figured out that I had exactly 2 months of bills covered in case shit hit the fan. the plan was to invest as much sweat equity into my own business whether or not I got the job. and if I didn’t get it, I would find something to keep me afloat in the meantime. just as I was writing this paragraph she called me early to tell me that I got it.

thank you, universe.

the job is for 3 months which is PERFECT. not only will I be learning some amazing new things about the power of food but ill be able to pay my bills, cover some business expenses and have some left over for food, gas, beer and fun . . . yes, beer ranks up with these.

the whole point of this post is to document the process of the things im doing to get myself running. I think I will be motivating for me and will also let those who read how much work/value is going in to the pursuit of pursuing a passion and making a living from it.

today I . . .

- went over my finances so I could see the big picture of how the next few months were going to be and how I would handle a budget

- received my course study information and test for my intuitive eating councelor certification. I plan to be officially certified by september first if not earlier and will be looking for a client at no charge in exchange for a testimonial soon. (if you are interested, please send an email to val@balancingval.com)

- submitted my paperwork for a business licence. um, this is HUGE. in 10 days I will officially have started a business in hawaii . . wtf!?

- continued to read the F out of $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau . . . big fan! lots of amazing info. must do a review in the future.

and now I am off to play for a few hours with some awesome people.

love and mahalos!