Contests for VA Services

I just received this Google alert for Virtual Assistance – IAC Professionals Seeking Savvy Entrepreneurs to Get Creative and Win Innovative Prizes.

After reading the press release, I did visit the IAC website to read more about them.

I must respectfully say, that I am against a contest for virtual assistants and giving your work away for free. If you are a professional building a reputable business, why give away the thing that you have worked so hard to build? I don’t see lawyers having a contest to give away their services, do you? How about plumbers? Hmmm, don’t think so!

Now, if a VA wants to volunteer for a non-profit, a church, or an organization they believe in and want to support, that is completely another matter. You don’t donate your services with the intention of gaining new business. You donate it because it is a charitable organization or you may want to build more skills.

I see these contests on other sites, such as Elance, etc. I think this is demeaning to our profession. We have a hard enough time when people want to pay less than $10.00 an hour for our services or start to tell us that we need to know everything in order to be a virtual assistant. I left the corporate world to run my own business so that I can live the life I want with balance and integrity.

A contest for my services would so be not with integrity. Not only that, but if you are familiar with the Law of Attraction, what kind of ‘client’ are you attracting who basically want to test drive you?

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When do you pay attention?

I have to admit it. I like running my own life. However, I am getting messages – some not so subtle – that I am not really running my own life. And, not as well as I could, if I were.

After attending an IAAP Annual Meeting here in Grand Junction where we had a face reader, tarot card reader, a palm reader, and a handwriting expert, I decided to make some definite and concrete changes. Especially in the handwriting. Guess what? By changing a small thing, I am paying more attention to my intuition – especially when it comes to my husband flying his planes. Okay, that is another story – needless to say, Planes – 2 Husband – 0.

Stacy Brice just held a great conference call regarding David Neagle and his event in Las Vegas. I will be in New Orleans at that time and unable to go, but I did sign up for his newsletter and “Art of Success” series and his blog. Well, then I tuned into Hay House and guess what they are talking about? Yep!  Emotions and Intuition and how focusing on what you want is critical, especially by correctly focusing your thoughts.

Plus, last night I attended a teleseminar on vision boards.

Phew! Am I listening? I think I better because I cannot dodge those smacks from the Universe as well as I did when I was younger.

Since I want to live this segment of my life as well as I can – I am taking stock of my actions, desires, and goals to make it the best segment possible – no commercial breaks allowed!

I challenge you to be joyful in whatever life segment you are in, appreciate those bills – means you have things and food and a roof over your head, appreciate that husband who likes to crash airplanes – means you have someone who loves you and expands your patience zone. I just heard on Hay House – “Life is good and it is right now!”

Challenge taker anyone?