Saturday, February 6, 2010

"The Luckiest"

I say it a lot... but not enough. I love my job!

There are a lot of great things about owning your own business, which for me is a dance studio, but at the same time their are a lot of things that can get you down about it. However, the good definitely outweighs the bad!

No question, I have a really great life. I get to do what I love day in and day out. I am a self proclaimed dance-aholic, I eat, sleep and breathe everything about this industry and I couldn't imagine not having dance in my everyday life. I could never have imagined myself going to an "office" job for 8 hours a day and then going home at night only to repeat the next day. I am happy to say that I have never worked in retail, or waitressed, or worked in an office in order to help myself earn a living. I have managed to support myself independently through dancing and teaching.

Sometimes I have rough days, but nothing is ever going to be perfect, so you have to learn to deal with the occasional complaint. Then one night when you get home from teaching, alone, to a quiet house, you find this on your computer...


It probably wasn't meant for sharing on the internet... but I get to gush once in a while!

From very early on in my teaching career I remember all the times that students would bring in drawings or cards they'd made for you at home. As dance teachers we do get a lot of these, and most of them probably get posted in your office for a few days to only then be covered by a bill to address, or even end up in the recycling bin. But what if you saved all of them in a special box, for one of those really bad evenings where you need a little reminder of why you love your job. Then you could go through them and know that these students took the time to think of you outside the studio and made something to let you know that they care. They're grateful for your dedication to them and that you share your love of dance.

I even keep nice cards and notes that parents write to me at the end of the year or just to say thank you. That way when that particular parent complains about something I have a reminder of the time when they were sincerely happy.

I am the luckiest person I know... I love my job! Not very many people I know can say that at the end of the day. It's not about having a job that buys you everything you want... it's about having a job that satisfies you on every level. So maybe I don't take home a 6 figure salary every year, or I don't drive a fancy gas guzzling car, but what do you sacrifice in terms of happiness at your job to achieve these things?

And in case you needed a little more convincing about how great my job is... think about the last time you got a loving video message from your clients!!!

1 comment:

Jen said...

Hello,

thank you for following my blog!

I must say, I am quite envious of your job.

Best of luck in everything,

j. diaries