The work beyond the labour of Love

I have been experiencing extensive amounts of self-nagging over the past week, having missed the deadline for this reflection by one week. Truth be told, I have found it rather challenging to get into a sustained rhythm and to organise my to-do-list and my work effectively, in such a way that I enjoy what I am doing and do not over-burden myself. Which takes us to today’s topic: work.

During the past year, experiencing increasing dissatisfaction and frustration at the workplace, I have often pondered about what that meant to me, about my ideal professional scenario, about what I am good at and what I would like to be doing for a living. I have similarly given a lot of thought to the role that my moral compass and my personal values play in the context of moneymaking.

If I must be perfectly honest, I procrastinated writing this testimony of my thoughts and feelings about work, being fully aware that once I open the Pandora box, things would no longer be the same, that admitting some truths to myself and the world would imply having to live in alignment with them, one way or another.

Since the start of the year, my full-time focus has been the new project, Full-time Self-love. Which is sometimes incompatible with having a 9-to-5 office job (even when said job has been work-from-home for the past 2 years). Wanting to invest your undivided attention and care into your own well-being implies some drastic decisions, such as being the master of your own time and schedule.

It makes a world of difference to be waking up at your own pace, starting your day with a quick prayer or meditation, with yoga, energy work, a nice shower and self-pampering, a healthy breakfast and journaling, as opposed to being rushed straight into unending e-mails, phone-calls and troubleshooting other people’s problems, by an alarm clock ringing and startling you.

Which makes me wonder: what am I really looking for, in my work? I have come to an age where my autonomy and my capacity to self-govern are becoming ever more important. I find it essential to be given the space to create (because, indeed, having a creative activity is of paramount importance to truly be capitalizing on my talent, imagination, resourcefulness and enthusiasm). I enjoy flexibility and the option of allocating my work time in a way that is compatible to my personal routines, needs and schedule.

I am passionate about seeing the results and the fruit of my work, which I quantify by its usefulness and service to other people: has my work brought added value and positive contribution to the lives of those around me? Have customers, collaborators, stakeholders or managers been satisfied by my work ethic, my professional conduct, my effectiveness, my delivery and my social or technical skills? That means I have done my job well.

I am most satisfied when I regard my job as a playground: a space where I can experiment, learn new skills, develop new perspectives, try out new ideas and elaborate visions and action plans that I then get to implement and watch blossom into wonderful achievements. Being whimsical and exploring work with the curiosity and excitement of a child is my favourite way to perform.  

With a South Node and Moon in Leo in my 10^th house (governing career, profession, livelihood, authority, fame, public image, reputation, work environment), I thrive when my efforts and my dedication are rightfully appreciated and I love being praised for my successes. The reverse is equally true, in that when my services are not rightfully remunerated or acknowledged, I tend to be very hurt, discouraged, demotivated and even resentful.

I can simply not tolerate unprofessionalism, gossip, micromanagement, lack of structure and sloppy, disorganised and lazy colleagues or bosses. I despise favouritisms, nepotisms, falsehood, flattery, dishonesty, bigotry and I dread it when power-greedy, self-centred unqualified, incompetent and incapable idiots land on management positions and are attributed decision-making functions.

I tend to become very passionate when it comes to defending my personal and professional integrity, I believe in transparency and straightforwardness and, over the past year, in several work circumstances, I have become a bit of a Robin Hood, siding with the vulnerable and fighting for that which I strongly believe in. I am very dedicated to wellbeing and work-life balance for myself and my colleagues, which is why I have found it impossible to control the urge of slamming against all stressful and perturbing elements (to be read: hierarchy).

And that brings us to the most pressing question: What do I truly want to do for a living? This, Dear Soul, precisely this! Writing, talking to you, sharing experiences, exchanging ideas about physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health and well-being. Creating beauty and harmony within and without me. Being a source of joy, a beacon of hope, an instrument of healing and a preacher of love is not only my dream job, but also my mission. I am here on this beautiful Earth to making love and light a common practice, a daily routine for myself and for anyone on my path.

The perfect workday in the life of the Love Labourer is a perfect balance of love of self and love of others. It includes the spiritual realm, by connecting with nature, pranic healing and massage, Inner Child and regression therapy, dynamic breathwork and meditation, intuitive coaching with the help of storytelling games or divination tools (Tarot, Oracle cards, runes, I Ching, favomancy or whatever other instruments the Universe might reveal to me).

But with 5 planets in Capricorn, my earthiness demands that I give body and tangibility to my work, that I bring all that into the 3D realm with more pragmatic and worldly forms of creation and manifestation (such as social media, public speaking, video production, photography, graphic design or culinary art).

Now, that I have finally dared to put all this in writing, I am grateful to you, Dear Soul, for allowing me this moment of honesty, for creating this space in which I can be true to myself, in which I can manifest my desires, in which I can alchemize thoughts into words and subsequently into reality.

With that said, enough chatting. Time to get to action. Time to put the vision into practice. Time to walk the talk. Time to live and earn my living as per my divine and earthly mission. Time to do the beautiful, fulfilling, uplifting labour of love.

Rolled-up-sleeves love,

Vladiana