While November doesn't officially start until tomorrow, #scorpioseason began last week and therefore I began my November birthday season mode. And I'm not only celebrating my actual birthday, November 7th but also what I consider to be the re- "birth day" for It's Just Stuff.
It was exactly one year ago on November 1st that I made the decision to go back to an "all in" mindset with this business after losing a W2 job a few weeks before (no fault of my own...just one of those things). To say that I am grateful for all that has happened over the past year is an understatement. I have mentioned several times in past blogs and social media posts about how incredible this experience has been for me especially while we are still dealing with COVID vaccine and mask mandates.
So November is a big month of celebration and gratitude for me indeed. But at the same time, I am reflecting on the fact that I am going to be 59 years old...GULP...and while I am very healthy and extremely happy, I can't help thinking about how my mother was 59 when she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. I'm not dwelling on it but it still is present in my mind. I'm only human and it is just one of those things that I feel like I need to honor in some way.
So for this particular birthday, I am honoring my mother's fight to live your best life and am heading to the mountains for two days next week to breathe in all of the joy I always feel when I am able to be one with nature-ish. Trust me, I am not camping...it is November after all in the Rockies so I will be enjoying what appears to be a very cozy, comfy cabin right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. I've actually never spent a night up there so I am very excited to be able to wake up and not have to make the hour and change drive to watch the sunrise from somewhere inside the park, hike and hang out in Estes where the elk may still be doing their fall rutting thing like they were a few weeks ago when I spent the day there with some friends from Florida.
Come on...how cute are they? I mean, I know they will charge humans if taunted or feeling threatened but still...
Anyway, November also marks the one-year anniversary as a personal assistant for a client. What began as a 15-20 hour a week gig helping him with various household tasks, organizing, etc, morphed into more of a project manager role once he decided to remodel and redecorate his entire house over the past 9 months. And while the house still has a little bit of construction and clean-up left to do, I am thrilled with how everything turned out especially given the delays due to all of the issues caused by the pandemic. I fully expect to share the big transformation by next month but for now, I think you'll see just by looking at the "before" vs. "almost after" photo of one area of the basement, this really was a massive job...
I am beyond grateful to my client for affording me the opportunity to work with him over the past year but I think my work there is more or less done on any kind of regular basis. I consider that a positive rather than a negative because it means I have set him up for greater success in terms of executive functioning moving forward and he doesn't need me to do most of the things that he was, in fact, struggling with a year ago including paying bills, making appointments, travel arrangements, coordinating with his ex-wife various things related to their son, etc.
And even though I was also doing a lot of meal prep for him every time I was there up until the kitchen was demolished in May, he is not someone who really likes to have to deal with thinking about defrosting something in advance. And even when I left meals in the refrigerator for him to consume over the course of a few days, a lot ended up uneaten. It's not that he didn't like the food, he just seems to prefer going out or ordering in.
I suppose I could be upset or concerned about losing the steady income, but trust me, I am extremely busy thanks in large part to how aggressively I have worked leads on Thumbtack over the past year. In fact, I recently received "Platinum Pro" status, the highest level on that platform and as a result, they offered for me to be part of a beta program that will help increase my chances of securing leads even more. When I spoke to the rep, he said that no professional organizer or move management specialist has received as many jobs and positive reviews in such a short period of time so, yes, I will give myself a little pat on the back for that achievement.
I also need to give a little credit where credit is due to being a Scorpio. I know, the whole astrology thing may sound a little "woo woo" but I really do believe that there is something to be said for how every Scorpio I've ever met has a lot of the same high energy and intensity as me. We are a very passionate bunch and we do nothing half-assed. So I wear my Scorpio badge proudly and will never consider it a curse. It has gotten me through a lot of "stuff" in the past 59 years and will no doubt continue to influence me day by day.
Meanwhile, with Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season just around the corner, #TeamIJS will continue to be very busy as we are already booked through most of November. I am, though, looking forward to taking the week of Thanksgiving off to spend time with most of my immediate family in California, the first time since May 2019. But as soon as I get back I will roll into December with my team and finish out 2021 with the knowledge that I built something pretty awesome over the past year and have no doubt it will continue into 2022 thanks to the incredible support of my team, my clients and my community at large.
So on behalf of everyone involved with IJS, thank you for whatever part you may have played in this year's incredible success. And to all of my fellow Scorpions out there, especially my father and sister-in-law on November 2nd and a relatively new Scorpio in my life with a November 8th day to celebrate that I will be sharing my RMNP adventure with, Happy Birthday!
Be well...be safe...and remember...
コメント