CEO For The Summer

 

For the first time in my life, this summer I decided to delve into the magical world of being an entrepreneur. It was only a matter of time, seeing that my family is full of entrepreneurs, but it was something that I had never done before, and I was scared shitless.

 

Over the years I have accumulated a passion for empowering people through 3,000 year-old teachings and tools from the lineage of King Salomon, so this summer I decided to take a break from my usual “I guess I’ll get a part time job”, and decided to help my mom run her healing center.

 

Like I mentioned before, I was scared shitless. I constantly doubted myself by thinking that no one would want to be guided/helped by a twenty year old. I couldn’t imagine collecting people’s hard earned money. I felt like an outsider with my friends because all of them had paychecks secured by their 20-40 hour workweeks – even my own family members said things along the lines of “But can you make any money from that?” and, “You should get a real job” (thanks fam). And like anyone else that has ever attempted at accomplishing anything, I feared that no one would show up to my events, and that I would be considered a failure.

 

But aside from the resistance that constantly told me to “get a real job”, my job was great! I let myself sleep in because I was my own boss. I stayed mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy because I was my own boss. I had plenty of time to work on my passion projects because I was my own boss. And unlike last summer when I worked in retail I was able to actually enjoy the summer, because I was my own damn boss.

 

Not even halfway through the summer I had reassured myself that I had made the right decision after hearing the complaints of summer job problems from multiple friends. In the end, the occasional self-inflicted attacks of resistance and fear was far better than the mental, emotional, and physical stress of being a slave to a job that I couldn’t give a shit about.

 

Never had I ever layed in bed with my eyes wide open until 4am fantasizing about how exciting my next day of work was going to be when I worked in retail, but it seemed like a daily ritual while working for myself. Retail definitely gave me excellent knowledge on how to serve with a smile towards peculiar customers that made me run up five flights of stairs to get them a product that I didn’t even know existed when all I wanted to do was tell them to go fuck themselves – but it in no way does it compare to being greeted by clients/friends that actually valued my work and what I had to offer.

 

Most importantly, there was no one that I could be mad at. I couldn’t call my boss a jerk because I would just be calling myself a jerk. Any failure that I experienced was 110% my own fault, which led me to quickly leave behind the victim card that I know all too well how to play. Most importantly, this summer gave me the reassurance and confidence to know that I was going to be ok if I don’t choose to go into the workforce after I graduate university.

 

So yes, there were a few hurdles that I faced throughout the summer, but it was all worth it to be able to serve myself, while making an impact on those that I had worked with. Even though I made about 2/3 of the money I had made last summer in retail, I wasn’t in the job for the money, and my summer filled with self-discovery, a lot of laughter, and a greater sense of purpose, which was truly priceless.

 

Nine times out of ten, the people that I know get stressed from their jobs, and find that they don’t have time for other activities other than jumping on the couch to watch their favourite TV shows. The only advice that I can give is that if you want to stop suffering and you want to start living, find a way to become your own boss, or at least find a way to do what you love.

 

 

 

Love, Hugs, Meditation, & Starbucks,

 

Stephanie Vassos