Safe Places and Passion

Many people are very comfortable in their safe places. We drive along our life road and keep our safe place in the rear view mirror while navigating the road at or below the speed limit. Then there are the ‘rest’ of us. We take chances in business and life that can be interpreted as risky by family members, friends and business associates.

In my family there are 4 siblings – 3 brothers and myself. That in itself was a risk – or at least at times to me! Two of us have normal 8-5 jobs in the corporate world. The other two have left that world and become business owners. We drive the more scenic route of live. Why is it that two of us have chosen this path? I am not sure, except that we have a passion for working for ourselves and all of the experiences that may bring to our lives. It is not necessarily the safe way.

I think we all need a passion to keep us alive, vibrant, and our brain fully functioning for a long time. Recently, however, my outlook was challenged on this attitude.

My husband had purchased an ultralight plane in 2005, against my strict NO! So, we had this yellow craft in the garage where my car and motorcycle should be. BTW – I hate yellow. My husband had just recovered from falling off our camper roof, shattering his heel, and being laid up for about 3 months.

Well, to make a long story short – he ends ups crashing his plane – straight down from about 100′. Thank God, he did walk away from this – even the doctors were amazed. After a surgery to repair his right wrist and left foot – he was again laid up for about 3 months. The blessing here? I work from home and it eased a lot of stress about who would help him out. The curse here? I work from home and I am not a good nurse.

Recently, we crossed this intersection again. He wanted a plane. We had many discussions about this and the fact that we had just gotten back on our feet from the medical bills. I was not supportive. Not at all. Then, I changed my mind.

Everyone needs a passion to feel alive. I know this. My work is a passion of mine and I love it. Realizing this, I consented to the purchase of the plane – and it is a cute little thing. Looks like a dragonfly and it is blue. I like blue. The change in my husband was dramatic – he spends hours and hours working on this plane and figuring out how to put the wings on more easily so his 5′2″ wife does not have to pretend to be a 6′ male to help.

The moral of the story? Are you one of these people who drive cautiously down the road of life always with the safe place in the rear view mirror? Afraid of what other people will think or say, if you drive off the highway onto the more scenic road to follow your passion? By not following the path you long for, you will never reach out into the unkown and touch your dreams. If you are being held to the speed limit by your safe place in the rear view mirror – take that baby off! Expand your road map and reach for those dreams. There will be lots of people along that road to wave a thumbs up as you go by.

The Price is Right

One of my favorite game shows is “The Price is Right.” I love pitting my knowledge of consumer goods and prices against others. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.

As a professional services provider, I sometimes win and I sometimes lose in the world of consumers of my services. And you know what? That is certainly okay because not everyone wants to pay the ‘price’ or we may not be a good fit.
What makes it harder for consumers of a VA’s professional services are people who have:

a) no clue what a VA is

b) no personal or professional experience with a VA

c) or a bad experience with a VA

A good VA can certainly overcome the bad experience a potential client has had with a VA. I have been lucky to work with a client for more than 4 years who had such an experience and her comment was, “I’ve tried this and it didn’t work.” We have an excellent relationship and I ‘think’ she gets it now.

However, the first two items are harder to overcome. Especially with the overwhelming amount of blogs on the Internet. One of the most recent posts recommended hiring a high school or college student for $8.00/hour as a way to hire an inexpensive VA who is “just as good if not better than a virtual assistant.” You can read Elon’s post here.

I beg to differ. First, their brains are not fully formed and although they may have out-of-the-box ideas, they more than likely lack the real world business experience that a VA probably has. As a VA, we are expected to stay on top of technology – so just because I might not be able to program my DVD (actually I can), why does this Internet Marketer think that I am not as technologically savvy as a high school or college student?

Not only do I have two business degrees, 18 years of administrative professional experience, lots of technical knowledge and drive to know and learn the most cutting-edge software and technology, but I have common sense. Common sense that has come with a lot of experience, mistakes and life. This is not to say that you could luck out and find a great student to do your work.

As you read her post, I question if she has had experience with a VA and why she would compare a VA with a student. Apples and oranges. Her previous post is on cost-saving products. We all look for cost savings on products, services, etc. I love free stuff, but if it does not perform the way I need it to – hmmmpfff – off to the next one. Going from Va to VA to VA is not cost effective nor beneficial for the client. Free is not always the best. Cheap is not always the best way to qualify or quantify professional services. And, VAs are professional service providers.

Next, how do you counter this attitude and prevalent thinking out in the netherworld? Good VAs will always be in demand and reputations will be supported by their work, skill, and quality. To constantly defend our profession or value can be daunting. Consumers are smart and will ultimately choose what works for them.

If you want to spend a lot of time training a student – go for it. However, to take a page from Elon’s theory – run a cost-benefit analysis. How much is your time really worth?

If you want to succeed – “think of only the best, work with only the best, and expect only the best.” (Christian D. Larson)

Play your own game of “The Price is Right”when looking for a great VA and win!