Snootyvixen

 I never really subscribed to the saying “A woman’s work is never done”, because it really doesn’t mean anything. It could be applied to many things. I’m not going to analyse it in the deep sense – suffice to say that it depends on the work. Break it into tasks and they get done. Take it as work, as a whole, and it also applies to men. Right?

THIS woman’s work – this woman who is currently putting down words – this woman is reveling in gratitude for work that is manifesting, and all I can say is don’t ever, ever, ever question the law of “it will happen”, aka “good things come to those who wait”. And I’ve waited a long time for this!

Let’s step back a bit. I’ve known Steph Calahan for a while now. I couldn’t honestly tell you where we first met. It was probably a Chamber of Commerce event where she had a booth and I was manning a booth for my employer at the time. Either way, I had Steph’s card, and I think it may have been one of those situations where I forced my friendship on someone. You know how you do it, you see this person on LinkedIn and send a connection request. Then you see them on Facebook and send a friend request, then you follow them on Twitter and all of a sudden they are in the circle we call “friends”. I think the closest we actually came to meeting was when Steph ordered Girl Scout Cookies from one of my girls and we met in the YWCA parking lot to exchange cookies and check!

I think our friendship was destiny and now it really is friendship and not just a social media hook up. So, when Steph suggested we meet because she wanted to know more about this little venture I was trying to get off the ground, it was a no-brainer. I had no idea, not a clue that this meeting would change the course of my life for ever.

We chatted, because my mind is a little like the phenomenon we call the World Wide Web – I go off on tangents. Often. So, we chatted about what I do, what she does, our families, how we loved the coffee shop we were meeting in, but most of all I felt something I’d never felt before. This person across the table from me was truly interested in me and what I was trying to accomplish. She wasn’t just paying lip service. She was really listening.

When we parted company that day, I had that “OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I JUST DONE!” feeling. I felt like I’d gone out and bought a car I couldn’t afford, or bought a fancy outfit that I’d never wear. But somehow it really didn’t feel wrong. Just didn’t feel like “me”.

When we talked again on the phone later and made an arrangement for Steph to coach me, I knew in my heart it was right, but I felt, again, like I was getting something that way out of my league. A business coach? For me?  Had I gone out on a limb for my heart instead of my head again?

I had nothing to lose though. Not a thing. For a while I did a second take every time I thought of the cost of the investment. But, let me say for the record, this is the best relationship I’ve ever had. Without a doubt.

Not only have I grown within myself through our weekly sessions, my business has grown, because this is one of those relationships that keeps giving. First there was the training. Steph gave me access to training, not only because it would help me with what I needed to do for her, but because it would help with what I could do for other clients. This was the first time someone invested in me for the betterment of me. What a novel idea! Someone giving something, and – well, I won’t say expecting nothing in return, because of course there was work to be done, but she could have gone out and hired a VA who was experienced in the systems she wanted to use, right?

Steph believed in me. Steph believes in me.

She pushes me to think in ways I’d never thought of thinking (make sense? LOL!) and gets me analyzing myself. And that has become fodder for many of my blog posts, and given me material for many more!

Then there were introductions. I was totally blown away when Steph said she had recommended me to someone – and that someone has turned into two “someones” and I say to myself (or, actually, I said to big black hole known as Facebook) this is the way life is supposed to work. And this is the first time this has worked in my favor! I have always considered myself a connector, and thought that if there were a way to monetize that, I’d have no worries for the rest of my life. But what if “monetize” does not equate to currency? What if “monetize” is just another word for the law of reciprocity. Because the foundations I lay in contact sphere A do not necessarily mean a reward comes from that same contact sphere – it could come from contact sphere Z. And I’m fairly positive that contact sphere Z is where you would find Steph.

The one thousand thank you’s that I release into the atmosphere on a daily basis, the removal of negative people from my life, and being the best me I can be … among a number of other changes … have come back to reward me. And, if you ever EVER thought twice about getting a business coach, let me tell you that would be one of the smartest moves you will ever make in your career. EVER.

Thank you, Stephanie Calahan. All of my thousand thank you’s for today are for you.

photo credit: Jo Jakeman via photopin cc