Hello again! Its wednesday!! Of course when you're on the self employed path there is no hump day lol. Each day is its own, independent adventure!! ;-)
This past week I feel like I've been really aware of how one decision leads to another and another and another! Its so much easier to see these links after the fact, but I've always tried to see opportunities around me.Think about some of the things that have probably happened in your life. It could be as simple as listening to a friends referral on a car salesman at a Lot you never would have considered and getting a great experience. It could be as big as taking a major career "plunge" because the bakery you've always tried to copy at home is closing... and its for sale cheap!
I always say everyone has opportunities we just don't always have our eyes open!!
So, back to me! GEEZ!! ;-)
About halfway through my run at The BIG salon at The BIG Mall I was sitting on my couch, buried in near tonnage of papers and a clunky old laptop. I was compiling all of the notes I had taken from classes over the years. Creating a reference book and writing my own apprentice training manual. TOTAL. DREAM. COME. TRUE. I was also watching a dog competition show. I don't know why!?! Probably couldn't unbury the remote!
Lightening Bolt! I wanted a DOG! But I was easily gone 12 hours a day. Wouldn't a dog be nice? Sure I didn't know shit about dogs but, but, but... I did a survey online and beagle was the best breed for my lifestyle.
A day or two later I'm having lunch with 2 friends. I excitedly tell them about how I want to change my life i.e.get a dog. They look at each other like a moment like from a movie and say" we have the perfect dog for you!"
Its a long story of why this overweight, depressed, 5 year old beagley mutt needed a home but when they brought her over for a visit she sat all 60lbs of herself right on my lap!
I could go on forever about this dog and me but I'm going to come back to this another day.;-)
My point(finally)for this topic today- what my dog did for me... Now some people might say "damn your life/career really fell apart after you got a dog. I say we came into each others lives when we were most needed!
Besides all of the emotional well being and exercise I've gotten from having this sweet dog many opportunities have come my way!
A client of mine bought a dog walking business and then moved to my neighborhood. She taught me how to walk my dog! (for a year that stubborn damn dog dragged me down the street going crazy on every other dog she even thought she saw!!) Later when I was desperate for more income that same friend was in need of a part time dog walker/ petsitter . "My" dogs were mostly downtown, which i loved! We always left notes for the dog owners and through that I became friendly with some very cool people that I had never even seen in person! When my friend was selling the business I knew I would miss these neighborhoods.I started thinking it was time to become self employed. One day, as I was bending over to pick up dog poop ( the constant reminder to stay humble!) I saw a new rental salon opening right on one of my favorite streets! The next day a friend said she had already checked it out for me!! WEIRD!
So I start the adventure of self employed hairstylist, and the new owner of the dog biz eventually asks me to work for her because I'm a hardworking responsible person! She and her husband eventually become hair clients.Another "human dog client" lives across the street. She loves the way I do her hair;-) The mom of one of her friends comes in for her hair and her dogs are now clients too. Another "human dog client" became a friend. I was the only one that would pet sit his wild dog! I now adore this dog like a niece lol. On day he asked if I was interested in doing a top to bottom house cleaning for him since his house keeper flaked out.By then I was much less weirded out about my new attitude toward doing non career work.
BIG BIG bucks just in time for xmas!! Oh and then! I started cleaning for him once a week! One day his friend asked me to take the dogs to a photoshoot. The photographer was brilliant!!! Now I'm part of the team working to make his vision of a cool new local magazine come true!! SERIOUSLY!!!
I truly believe these things would not have happened if I hadn't decided to take a chance and make a change.
Getting a rescued twice, used dog that was almost nothing like what I thought I wanted, But was unbelievably exactly what I needed!!
**don't have a totally unrelated funny story today because I want to take a moment to tell you just how much I really love my dog! Even if not a single work or social connection was made because of her; she would still be one of the best things I've ever done for myself!It's been 8 1/2 yrs now. She's 13 and we walk 2 or 3 times a day and sleep together every night! She quickly got down to her proper weight of 40lbs, learned how to walk on a leash, and grudgingly puts up with other dogs!! We ADORE each other!! Rescuing an animal is also rescuing YOU! ;-)
See ya next wednesday!!**
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