The Road Home
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ASK SASHA the archives. . .
Sasha, ANONY. Dear Anony. Yes, there is a big market. And I will advise you how to market and network. And don't be afraid to step out. Ever. You were made way more powerful than your human thoughts which is the fabricated ability. You have boundless ability to do whatever your heart desires, based upon divine motives, which simply means your gifted abilities and God's will which is always good and joyful. Here is how you can become a freelance or contractual personal assistant. First, by way of word of mouth. Let all the folks in your network know that you are going to become a freelance personal assistant and work for a handful of families. You'd be surprised how many homes would actually prefer this as an alternative to having a full-time personal assistant relegated to certain daily hours. Is it possible to begin with the family whom you are currently serving? If they are a super busy family, perhaps they would benefit from having a clerical person do some of the general admin, and then you, as a freelance person doing more of the private and complicated matters. A website is a superb tool for this sort of work, because it serves as your overall brochure on the super highway of information. I suggest that you network with all the employment agencies and let them know that you are available for freelance work as a personal assistant for families needing flexible hours and services. Do you know Donna McBride? She's terrific. www.americanyachtinstitute.com and there are others in that network who could perhaps benefit from your unique services. Not many personal assistants can afford to take this route. They need the daily stability of a nine to nonstop hours job. So, in summary, here's some what to do highlights to become freelance: 1. word of mouth with your vendor and social network 2. network with domestic employment agencies 3. take out a small ad in the local hi-end magazine 4. network with Doug Turner at www.millionairesconcierge.com 5. get press. send out a press release to the local publications about your unique service 6. ask if you may put up a sophisticated announcement in the local country clubs and fitness clubs 7. do a speaking engagement at a
local country club or other exclusive clubs entitled something like: Keep me informed about how it goes, dear girl! Love, Sasha ====================== Dear Sasha: I would like to become a personal assistant but I’ve never done this work before. I’ve been a secretary in large corporations and in small law firms, but I never worked privately in someone’s home. How do I get started? Thank you, Nicole, Atlanta, GA. Dear Nicole: I get asked this all the time, so much so, that I realize that I must begin an entire how-to section in my website, relative to my essay that I wrote about servicing as a personal/executive assistant, the high-level socialites and celebrities. For now, here is a letter to you that will serve as a synopsis. Please realize, first off, that this type of job, while it seems all jet-setting and glamorous, is a very challenging and a very serious job. Your life is no longer your own. Your world becomes 24/7 service and you’re on call tending to a very large and demanding lifestyle. That’s okay, it just is this way. No it's not as serious as brain surgery, of course, and it's not rocket science. But it requires a generous, kind soul who is also tough as nails. Remember this job is entirely unpredictable, and it can be predictable, too. After all, you're helping to manage a personal lifestyle and life can throw some crazy curve balls that you may never have experienced or ever thought of having to deal with. Your first order of attaining experience if you haven't any in this line of work, would be to ask your boss, if you are already a secretary, if they would like for you to handle some of their personal family tasks that may need tending to. You’d be surprised how many bosses would jump at the chance to have someone help tend to their personal affairs, both their own and the spouse's, but bosses will rarely offer up such personal tasks because most secretaries feel it is beneath them to personally service their bosses and that it’s not part of their job descriptions. I also went the extra mileS to service my executive bosses and their families because it is my nature to love and extend my talents...not always good, but I do it anyway because I care. Another way to secure an entry-level personal assistant gig is through a domestic employment website such as www.robinkellner.com and inquire if anyone needs entry level in-home service help. You could begin by doing Gal or Guy Friday part-time help, which is especially needed around the holidays. Sometimes, though rare, a household will not mind if a new executive/personal assistant does not have in-home experience, but they have extensive experience overall as a professional assistant within the corporate or small business environment. Also check out becoming a babysitter for a high-profile family, (of course providing you have experience with kiddies), as a way to enter into the in-home personal assistant role. This is an excellent way to segue into a full-time assistant position because a lot of families will ask for someone who can baby sit, do assisting work and even light housekeeping. If you check out Robin Kellner’s website, for instance, you’ll see all kinds of household job descriptions. To educate yourself further on servicing the
lifestyle, get books on the following topics, for example: How does servicing from a personal perspective differ from that of an office environment? Well, YOU are in charge of boundaries. There are no human resource offices. When you service someone’s lifestyle, you get involved in everything. Discretion is KEY. The family life is THEIR business, not yours, but you service THE LIFE, so you’re like a manager for them. You deal with everything from hiring household staff, to coordinating with the curator for in-home private art collections, to creating the seasonal children’s wardrobe storage system, to running minute errands, to making tea, to juggling five different calendars, oh the list goes on. You MUST protect the family's best interests in ALL manifestations. You become a Jill of all Trades and a MASTER of all because you're expected to do your very, very best. You're in the hot seat in the personal job environment because everything eventually finds its way over to you, to be dealt with. Please take to heart the fact that you are overseeing someone’s lifestyle and this is a very serious job. Most likely this lifestyle is highly demanding on the lady and gentlemen and children of the household. Please try to understand how their time and thus presence is demanded by many different situations. Be kind, even though they may behave impossibly, and be a rock for them. Face every situation with love and peace. You are their personal gatekeeper. Therefore, you must be even-tempered, extremely graceful and calm. Pray a lot to maintain your peace, I'm not kidding. The gig can get intense. The stress level can be enormous not just for you, for the entire household and YOU are peacekeeper. You have to be very resourceful and anticipate needs way before they are presented. You have to reach beyond the definition of organized. Please, please study etiquette books because many of the formal households run like a regular business environment and subscribe to traditional etiquette mannerisms within their household culture. And some wealthy folks can be down right salt of the earth who do not at all subscribe to any formal conduct. As a matter of fact, there are some that are so earthy that you'd have no clue that they even had more than ten dollars to their name. Just like anything else, you need to understand the language that is spoken in another culture and the life of the fabulously wealthy and successful is simply that, a different culture. Not that they are better than any other human per se, but their lifestyle is extremely different than our personal lives. And just like entering into any unfamiliar culture, the situation needs to be respected, especially through attaining understanding and wisdom of said culture. Be resourceful and study up, and observe as well. Depending upon the household culture and customs, you will be expected to learn and practice the same level of etiquette as the family does at all times, while you're with them or representing them in any situation. Outside of your work environment away from their culture, honey, when time is yours again feel free to drink beer without a glass and eat French fries extra crispy with your "paws". If you go to another country and dwell, you’re going to want to learn the customs there, with all due respect, in order to better enjoy the experience. Well, in this case, you need to understand how the lifestyle works in order to better service and experience it. I suggest going above and beyond to learn everything you possibly can and then some. Here are some of the things you need to know as a high-level personal/executive assistant and this is a tiny list, believe me: • Understand the foundation of the lifestyle at hand: business, entertainment, socialite, etc. • Understand the household culture: formal, semi-formal, informal • Once you have an understanding of the culture, establish how you as the gatekeeper will service it, i.e., communication structure with household staff, office employees outside the home, estate staff at other home locations and internationally, outside service staff: PR reps, security guards, managers/agents, stylists, designers, curators, etc… • Then of course you need to understand how you will juggle and organize most effectively so that the entire lifestyle runs smoothly and this includes maintaining everything from household manuals, to wardrobe and style manuals, to lifestyle manuals (yep, how-to’s here as well), calendars, philanthropy, and much more • And the list continues… Now do you see why it’s so important to have experience if you want to enter into this level of service? It’s a very hard job, one that must be highly respected. Remember the wonderful biblical tale of Joseph in Genesis 39 which speaks about how God entrusted his servant Joseph because of his worthiness that was a result of his trustworthy nature. There are schools that offer training such as Donna McBride’s Florida location: The American Yacht Institute. She trains for a multitude of high level lifestyle positions. Please check out her website for more information: http://www.americanyachtinstitute.com/estate.htm Donna is wonderful. I no longer do this line of work because I'm too busy fulfilling my own artistic dreams and business endeavors, however, if you would like to try this work style, go for it, but please enter into it with a very strong, respectable, willing, and loving personality. Best wishes, dear friends. And remember to pray about any of your employment situations before entering into the arrangement. With Love, Sasha... Note, however rare, under no circumstances, should you ever put up with any physical or emotional abuse just because you work in a home environment and there is no human resource center to protect you and you need the job because it pays well. There's such a thing as battle pay because you will be paid handsomely to tolerate the most abusive employer. Remember that there are still employee/employer laws even if you're working outside of the traditional office setting. Beware of any employer who has violent tantrums or terribly demeaning communicative behavior which can also be very destructive. You are your own best measure of tolerance and self-respect. ================ Sasha, Three weeks ago I took the safety course, thinking it would be a great way for me to help out if anything would happen while my husband and I are out on the bike. I was hooked. I passed the course and when I got home your book was waiting for me and a very proud husband. Now I'm truly hooked! Your book is an awe-inspiring read that even my husband says has created a monster. I went out and bought the hugger kit and a different seat for his Sportster and told him to buy a new bike. There is only one flaw in this whole story. The Motor Vehicle Admin is denying me my right to ride because I have MS. I will fight them! They are not going to realize what hit them. I am a 36 year old mother of 3 that just graduated with a degree in Medical Research at the Univ of MD School of Medicine. I haven't had any serious problems with my MS and I did my internships with the right people at the MS clinic here in Baltimore. Reading your book has made me realize my own dreams and I will keep my dreams alive. By the way, the Sportster is a 2002 883R. Maryland and their ignorance will not stop me. -Jean M. Spice j1spice@netzero.net
I’m stunned about this. What an outrage! Can’t a medical professional attest to your abilities to ride? Is this an official act of discrimination? Indeed fight this. I thank you for your very kind compliments about my book. I’m honored that you support my work. It’s fun to create “monster” riders by stirring up someone’s passion for two wheels and the open road. God bless you! Ride on! You passed the course…wield the sword of truth at this officious administration. Why don’t you jump into the motorcycle forum and explain the situation because surely you’ll get great feedback and support. www.motorcycles.about.com You may also want to contact the American Motorcyclist Association, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the Motorcycle Industry Council, Motorcycle Riders Foundation. You go girl! With love & s’miles, Sasha ================ Hey Sasha: I saw your show on TLC on May 13th. Just
wanted to say Hello! And cool show. Dear Dan: Well I am honored that you reached out to me. Thank you for your compliments on the show. I'm thrilled to hear about your love affair with your motorcycle...yes VaVaVroom. It'll be a "roamance" to last a lifetime. I know lots and lots of folks who got their bikes without a license and who knows if they even ever gotten one. Most are old timers who had been riding since before a license was necessary or even taken seriously. So....please visit this link in my website for more tasty motorcycle information so that you can become a most amazing and safe motorcycle rider. Keep the shiny, smiley side up and the hungry rubber side licking asphalt. Love, ================ 01.05.04 Dear Sasha: I really liked your account of being a personal assistant. I am currently one and I really dislike it. I am really not into being a "servant" for someone, rather the decision maker or at least responsible for my own actions for myself and not for someone else. I've got a degree and trying to find something else to do but the job market is very tough. I am stuck so am looking desperately for some inspiration to see the brighter side of my current role. Please help if you have further advice on how to survive here :) Thank you. May Dear, dear May: Firstly, no matter what gig we assume in life we are always serving one another as others serve us, aka taking care of one another simply with a smile, a kind word, whatever actions we do in life... I like to think of the role as personal assistant as completely watching someone's back. I brought a lot of my motorcycle lifestyle ethics to my role as a personal assistant, complete with leather outfits sometimes. As well I took pleasure in assuming a decision making role to make "their" lives and households run most efficiently. As I mentioned in my essay about this gig, I chose families or individuals with high moral ethics, otherwise, I'd take the temporary gigs typing on the graveyard shift for some NYC law firm so that I could hang with the cool artists also working to make dreams come true by using their temp gig for daily dough. Now, it seems that you'd like to migrate into another field or choose another path to follow. What is it? Share with us here! First we need to discover what makes your engine rev full throttle, whatever that may be. Then, if you must, switch out of the PA job you have and assume an entrepreneurial role whereby you have several clients that you service as a PA, which means on a much less needier level from the employer's perspective. They may need someone that comes in three times a week for four or five hours do pay bills, sort invites, schedule calendars, errands and so forth. You can pick up two or three clients and schedule them on your own time as you pursue something else. That's what I did. It was way better for me because it allowed me the freedom to pursue my true artistic lifestyle. Granted, now, it ain't easy juggling two lives, your own pursuits and the responsibilities of caring for the life of an employer, but it can be done because it's all in the attitude of gratitude; that gratitude is the CHANCE to be YOU, be free to do what you want in life and choose the passionate employment route....your heart's desire for work. For now, here's some survival techniques: 1. Dream Journal. You must write every morning in your dream journal using the positive present form: example: I am successful. I am engaged in the job of my dreams. etc...because it invites all that you desire to come to you. No kidding. I've done this for years. 2. Spiritual Journal. This is your journal to write to God about anything and everything in life like GOD is your best buddy. It's also the place to invent personal prayers and mantras. You don't need to write fancy or anything. Just long hand journal out your thoughts and make notes in the margins when cool stuff pops into your brain because that's GOD giving you guidance. 3. Make a true goal. For instance, I'm ditchin this sorry gig in six months and I'm going to do XYZ. That way you free your mind and the rest will follow. Worked wonders for me. I'd go to the gig and think, okay eight hours of stuff I don't wanna do because I had a whole bunch of Bikerlady Inc stuff to do and the last thing I wanted was to give all these precious productive hours to someone else. But, I had to pay my bills and so I went into work with a renewed mission to do the best damn job for my employers ever, as if I was doing the job completely for Bikerlady. And in the end, I was...because I was proving that I will do what it takes to make my dreams come true. It was all part of the plan. And I've got lots more goals, girl...lots more. 4. Make sure you schedule fun stuff on the weekends and after work with your buddies, or at least connect with your passion in those off-work hours where you're bogged down with the "have-to-do's" that feel like those tasks are draining your last cell juice outta your inner battery. Always make sure your schedule has more fun stuff then have-to-do's because the fun stuff generates great ideas and gives you epiphanies as to how to make your next successful move in life. A smile will dial you in to what matters. 5. The trials that you suffer now are only temporary. It's like when you're on a long butt burning journey on your bike and you think, GOD I weathered storms, broke down, lost baggage in the wind, ugh...right? Well, that's the best part! Because GOD is whittling away the fat so that you'll be phat with the TRUTH...your truth, your purpose. Sometimes we've got to do that which we detest, a job, a task, whatever, because it's part of the fortitude training and perseverance stamina. "Eh, you want some of this, you want some of this...you want a piece of me?" says GOD, "Show me." Your true degree should be a decree "my degree is to take care of me." A degree means you learned how to do something under the studious measures of teachers and so forth. But we all have different degrees in life, different measures of passion and levels of faith and perseverance. Get the highest degree of awareness for your most passionate, heartfelt dream. Then saddle up and chase it. In the meantime, walk into your PA gig, head held high as if you've just gotten off your motorcycle and think as you eye your employer, hey, I'm here to take care of you, watch your back while I'm here for the time being. But, like a gypsy soul, you've got to find your heart's desire. Because, like I say above in my essay, girl, There's a Place for You. And for the time being, you're where you are, just passing through as you discover the depths of your true place. Love & Respect.... Sasha Note: refer to this essay My Life as a Personal Assistant... ================ 12.08.03 Sasha: I recently got my motorcycle license. I have a Yamaha VStar 1100 Classic 2001. I was pretty confident at first when I took the motorcycle safety class but now I have a fear of riding even though I love it. I am pretty much afraid of making those turns on highways or street. I can go straight, no problem...then again, so can everyone else. I think maybe I am intimidated by the size of my bike. I told my boyfriend to rent me a smaller size one and then maybe I can ease into mine. I don't know. I passed the class with flying colors, now I'm just plain scared. I work in a hospital trauma unit and see lots of motorcycle accident victims. Maybe that's why. Do you know anyone who feels the same way? How can I get past my fear!? I want to ride my bike more than anything! It's just sitting in my garage! -Micheline Dear Micheline, windsister! Uh! Do I know this! When I passed my test with flying colors and had to set out on my brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle in my training ground of NYC I was scared poopless. But, I refused to let the fear steal my ride. I will tell you, it is about the breath. The breath of life. The beautiful feeling of trust. The beautiful feeling of forward movement. First of all fear takes our vision and our sensitivity away. And vision and sensitivity is awareness. To ride a bike successfully you must be totally aware of your surroundings which means you must be sensitive to the activity of riding the bike and keep your eyes lifted in the direction in which you want to travel. Do not separate yourself from the activity at hand, operating the motorcycle. Take deep breaths to connect with the activity at hand which will help you focus. See, I don't care if you've got a 250 Rebel or a giant Road King, if you've got fear, you've got the biggest obstacle in the world to going forward. Fear puts the breaks on. When I finally mustered up the confidence to take my bike out on a virgin ride, I had to do this in the middle of chaotic NYC. Here I passed the motorcycle safety test in the middle of a parking lot in Long Island, a suburb of NYC. Fine. Now that I'm faced with every single obstacle taught in the MSF class right here in my own neighborhood, what the hell am I supposed to do? How do I ride? How do I practice. Well, the only thing I could do was get on my bike and plan my voyage. The first step, ride around the block. Let's see, in that small block ride I went over gravel from an unpaved road, metal plates covering the road from the repair work, a bus cutting me off when I finally made a left hand turn, people walking in front of me. A dog peeing on my rear tire and then having to make a very tight left, then right turn into a NYC municipal parking garage and then squish my bike between two cars to get to the most impossible parking location designated for motorcycles in this garage, which was really a place to dump the trash and no cars could fit there, except bikes. How did I accomplish this on my Sportster? Well, I took a deep breath and was aware of every single second. I prayed and asked God to guide me and teach me. I asked Jesus to ride pillion as I would never ask Him to ride Bitch 'cause that would most likely not be accepted well. Then came my second trip. Ride the bike through the city then out of the city on the lumpy West Side Highway with all the impossible merges and turns into highways, parkways and toll booths. Jesus Christ! Yes Jesus Christ! I would yell to my passenger Jesus Christ. My hair stood on ends the whole time but I would not let fear rule my riding roost. Nope. I ended up journeying all by myself nearly 200 miles from NYC to New Paltz and back. On my return trip on Interstate 87 I was elated. By the time I got to the Palisades Parkway towards to GW Bridge I was singing at the top of my lungs: "I did it. I did it. Oh yes indeed this road is mine!" I allowed the bike to do her thing, pull me forward, pull me into the direction that I needed to go. I took it very easy, gentle. I treat my bike like my darling pet. Gentle, easy. She's a road diva all by herself and now I must curtail her from fighting taxi cabs who cut her off. But, this wonderful bike and I have bonded. If you feel the need, however, take a private safety class or two to review the lessons learned in class. It will be very helpful and informative for you. Plus you will have a chance to ride the little 250 bike. But, realize that fear will put the brakes on anything. And we are not intended to live in a world fraught with fear...but to meet fear with faith! Have faith in your riding abilities, and in God. Check into my Ride'licious page for wonderful beginner rider resources, too. By the way, I spent a few years convalescing a friend back to normal body function after his severe motorcycle accident, so I understand how being constantly exposed to trauma could rack your thoughts, but greet that fear with a huge overdose of faith, the best intervention that'll lead you on the right path to fulfilling your motorcycle dream. Also, I advise you to join a local women's motorcycle club. In your area, you have several. Go here and click on the national groups and check out where they have chapters. Also, please join our women in motorcycling forum where you'll meet lots of ladies who ride. Oh, and check the International Star Riders Association for other Yamaha VStar riders in your area! Now get that bike outta the garage! S'miles! Sasha ================ 11.27.03 I have a few questions about taking passengers. I own a 833 HD Sportster, and ride it everywhere. I'm married and have a 10 year old son. My husband or son do not ride at all, so sometimes it's hard to cope with no one in your family sharing your interest. On with my question, both my husband and son would be fine with being a passenger on my bike. I've never carried a passenger before, but I am eager to show them that I can, and show other woman that it can be done. I am very confident in my riding skills that I can handle this, even though my husband outweighs me by about 50 pounds, and my son is significantly lighter then me. How do you tell a passenger to mount? Do I tell them to have their arms around my waist? When I take a passenger, do I mount first or should they get on first? My son is not able to get on the back of the bike yet. Where should the passenger be on the seat? Should they be toward the back or close to me? One of the women that I talked to said it doesn't matter where they sit, but yet another said they like to have the rider almost hug them so they can feel my movements, and if they need more stability they can squeeze their legs slightly. Could you give me any tips? I've asked a couple other women and one even sent me pics, which was helpful. Thanks, Abbi Dear Abbi: Thanks for your letter. Lots of ladies ride without nary a family member who even knows the first thing about motorcycle passion. I, for one, am such a gal. But I find love and support in my motorcycle family of bros and windsisters! I'm proud of you for taking that honey of a motorcycle out there on your own. Here is what you need to know to carry a passenger. Make sure that your bike is properly set up to carry a passenger. It should be equipped with a passenger seat and passenger pegs. I suggest putting a passenger backrest on the bike for extra safety measure, especially carrying children. Children's feet should definitely firmly reach the passenger pegs and if their feet cannot, you can safely re-position the pegs to a different area. Make sure your son knows to keep his feet on the pegs, not dangling. Go to my kiddie rides page for more info. A passenger should mount as follows. First you get on the bike and stand it upright holding the handle grips steady, with both your feet planted on the ground in a standing/bracing position. Next you tell hubby or son to get on that bike from the left side, avoiding the pipes. Your son may need to hoist himself up from the foot peg if he can't reach to swing his leg over while standing on the ground. Next you tell them this: no sudden movements at all because their movements transfer to the bike and can throw it off balance. Develop some kind of hand signal if the passenger needs to stop because yelling and distracting you otherwise is NO GOOD while you're driving. Have your passenger sit comfortably on the bike, not wedged right into your backside, because if you need to do some defensive driving and they slam forward into you, it can totally throw you forward. So, have them sit squarely center on the seat, holding lightly to your waist, or to a passenger strap which is located between your seat and the passenger seat. A child can snug a bit closer to you until they get used to riding as a passenger. Instruct your passenger to go with the flow and to look through the turns with you, over your shoulder, as you do while driving, because this way they will lean with the bike, not fight the lean. More info can be found on my passenger page. The passenger should be aware of their surroundings and should especially hold on so that if defensive driving is required, they don't go flying off the bike because you had to do a fancy maneuver or hit the brakes to avoid a collision. Practice passengering your husband and son on a quiet side street with minimal traffic and obstacles. And make sure that before your passenger dismounts, you have the bike steady, as if they were mounting. They should never get on or off the bike until YOU are ready for them to do so. And, if they don't listen...then they stay home and you ride with some cool windsisters and bros! S'miles and hugz! Sasha ================ 11.10.03 Sasha, This is why I love riding so much. When I'm on
my Harley, I feel I can do anything. And the world reflects that back to
me. People say, "No way! You don't ride, do you? You're too skinny/
too quiet/too young/too What a dear letter! I'm honored that you would consider me a role model. But all that I do is Papa Universe flowing through me. Yes, the motorcycle is a limitless being, an extension of ourselves, calling us out to play in the middle of the road towards our destiny, our heartfelt purpose. Yes! That windy rush of freedom that we feel is the same rush of freedom when we've finally release the shackles of a dull life loaded with have to do's, and assume all the realities of a true, honest existence. That leads to many sweet s'miles, eh? The CROSSROADS. Ah. I rather enjoy this part of the journey. Time to kick back and have a think. Not even look at the map. Time to change direction. Just feel where to go...feel it in yer bones, yer heart. Doubt and uncertainty from others, dear Jenny. NO. Listen not to what OTHERS tell you is the right thing to do. Listen to the quiet still DREAM that is wanting, yearning, bursting to come forth and experience LIFE. Give your dream LIFE. Switch on the ignition, give it a little throttle and let it ROARRR to life. Let the winds of change direct you! Throttle revvin is my daily exercise. I just go out there and live my dreams because I'll be damned, indeed it would be a damnation, that I'll be an old bitter bitty crying in my whiskey laced caffeine muttering a bunch of coulda, woulda, shoulda's: the mantra of the damned who never reach forward and inward and upward and outward to attain their deepest dreams, the elation that makes a person soar with joy. Sure there are some scary things to face when you abandon the familiar and take that leap of faith and run wild pursuing your dream with no canteen or clean socks. Oh the people around you will say, "but you have no canteen, how will you quench your thirst," and you will respond, "I'll find a stream, I'll sip from a puddle if I have to." Then they'll say, "what about your socks! you have no clean socks!" And you'll say, "who the hell needs socks when I'm footloose, barefoot and fancy free??" Many people are afraid to see other people change their lives in order to accommodate their deepest desires because it means altering perceptions, modifying lifestyles, changing heart sometimes, re-living, stepping outside of the excuse-ridden comfort zone which is a prison. Eventually, however, the person who does take that leap of faith and follows their heartfelt desires becomes an inspiration to others to follow their journeys and don't be afraid. I "do" because there are many, many bros and sis' out there who simply cannot "do" or pursue their dreams due to circumstances, utter trauma and therefore are stripped of resources and loaded down with seemingly insurmountable obstacles such as hunger, poverty, abuse, illness and more... I "do" because I simply CAN and WANT and I don't care about the monsters that try to pull ya down, you know the jealous, the limited, the meanies, the liars, mere lack of resources compared to severe lack... HAH! I say, get the heck out of my way and I just parade by saying "God Bless You," as a response to their negative vibes. (see above commentary at the top of the page for more about that response). There is no safety net in my life. I take risks in order to evolve as a spiritual being, in order to fully experience this earthly episode. Oh I make mistakes, sure. I get that worrisome pit in the bottom of my stomach wondering where the next $ may float in, but it WILL. Every situation is a preparation for the next great adventure. We're gifted with FREE WILL. CHOICE. I choose life. I choose love. That's how I base my decisions. What'll help me experience the KINGDOM. LOVE and LIFE. And accordingly, that directly relates to my positive community relationships, utilizing my God-given talents and boldly stepping outside of human created boundaries that are completely useless and damaging to my evolution and threatens world peace. The most depressing thing in the world is to NOT embrace your God given talents, whether you're a painter, a business person, a school teacher, a nurse, a farmer, an actor, whatever the talent is that is your bliss is what you need to be doing to truly understand LOVE. DOING what you love is an act of DEVOTION. A DEVOTION to exercising the best choice with your FREE WILL. LOVE OF YOUR PURPOSE AND TALENT + DEVOTION TO YOUR INNER TRUTH = FREEDOM & JOY! Jenny, I look forward to seeing your artwork. Brava and best wishes to ya, windsister! I'm proud of you! Your first art show, wow! Here are some excellent books to read which will further encourage your artistic talents and your dreams forth: The Dream Giver, by Bruce Wilkinson Ride with love and s'miles, and keep your inner motor revvin! The power's at your fingertips... -Sasha ================ 10.13.03 Dear Sasha: I caught you on the Discovery Channel. I just want to tell you that I admire you for being who you are, for not fearing, for believing in yourself and all you have to offer. You are living the life I always wanted to live, but I have always kept myself in the background, shy, fearing rejection, laughter, or judgement of some sort. The COMPANY and BUSINESS TYPE fields scared me because I haven't really done anything career wise.("I don't know what I want to be when I grow up", and I'm 40 something). And that makes me feel inadequate. But I love riding my Harley, photography, creating collages, writing poetry and many other things, and that's what makes me happy. Hey wind sister! Thank you for your letter and sweet compliments. But let me tell you! I went from an ugly duckling, self conscious little chickie to who I am today. Why? How? Because I realized I've got a mission in life and so do you. IT sure ain't to be fearful. God teaches this. Fear is like a jackknife tractor trailer in the middle of a cliffhanging, road where there's no shoulder to scoot around it. The only judge you answer to is TRUTH. GOD who created you. Be bold because you have an important mission to fulfill that is directly related to your purpose in life which may have nothing to do with life as you've known it, but as you desire it to be! You already said what you want to "be when you grow up..." here it is and it's what you are "But I love riding my Harley, photography, creating collages, writing poetry and many other things, and that's what makes me happy." My dear, fear is a tool that balances our risk management in life. When it takes over your life and stops you like a moose in the middle of a two lane rickety road, then you got to tell it to back the eff up so you can continue explorin and roarrin through life. And, see, who cares what other's think about you? They're only humans trying to make their way in life, too. So, come forward sister...you're gigantic and precious with a very important purpose in life as an artist and a goddess on your Harley. "Motorcycles taught me how NOT to be limited by other people's perspectives," is what Debbie Evans, US Trial Champion and top Hollywood stunt woman and mother of three kids and a wife, declared in my book, Bikerlady. Companies and businesses, when presented in a most truthful, loving manner, are really vehicles for productivity and evolution. I think what you fear are the ill-willed folks at these behemoths. But, fear not! You may or may not have been meant to work in certain staunch businesses or companies. Perhaps you were meant to work as an artist in a small business, or as a business person in the motorcycle industry! Most people who are fearful of traditional corporate lifestyle and are afraid of conformity, uniformity and so forth...are usually the artists! Like me!!! Let you be you for all your beauty and treasures...there's a giant purpose WHY you are created as you are and, sister, ride with it! I'm an artist of sorts, jill of all kinds of trades and skills and I couldn't choose the road that everybody else thought I should travel. I'm always an artist first. Sometimes I've got to pick up an odd job here or there to patch me through to the next project, but I'm almost to where I'm home free and self sufficient with funds and resources. My inner direction leads me elsewhere from other's expectations, society's definitions and it's really joyful. Listen to those things that bring you utter joy and since you love writing, dialog to God in a spirit journal as if you're hanging out at your favorite watering hole talking to your best friend. Be candid, rant, rave and let the artist within you reveal more treasures about yourself you didn't even know you had!!! Grab your destiny by the throttle and rev loud. Love, PS...balance fear with faith. Power over fear with the knowledge that you possess an inner calling and strength that is from the CREATOR! GOD! And age means nothing. Age is a number that counts how many years you've lived, which is an insignificant number compared to how many beautiful breaths you have taken and will take. Life is measured not by age, but by action. |
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