Personal ads! They’re … personal! Very.
So my itty bitty personal ads made me realize that it’s time to make a regular practice of trying to feel okay asking for stuff.
Ever since I posted the first one asking my perfect house to find me, which united me with Hoppy House, I have been a fan of the madness that is personal ads.
And now it’s my (cough, addictive) weekly ritual. Yay, ritual!
Let’s do this thing.
Thing 1: Retreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaat!
Here’s what I want:
To lead more retreats.
Teaching for a week in Taos was so full of fabulous that I can’t wait to do it again. I mean, I know I’m about to leave to teach in North Carolina and then off to Germany to … do more teaching.
But retreats! I want retreats! And while I’ve taught all sorts of weekend workshops or ongoing series of workshops, I’m really ready to start doing longer, more intense events.
So what I’m asking for is:
A number of really great places to host them over the next couple years.
My ask:
These places are safe, comfortable and grounded.
They accommodate vegetarians and can handle people with various food sensitivities.
Yeah, they’re probably run by tree-hugging hippies, but they’re also responsible, responsive and willing to engage in clear communication.
They don’t require me to “apply” and be part of their official calendar or whatever. They get that I’ll be bringing my own people and doing my own m-word activities.
(Of course I won’t actually do any “marketing” at all, because my whole thing is playing hard to get, but you know what I mean).
Ways this could work:
People could post suggestions here (maybe even with links and other relevant information) in the comments about places they’ve been, taught or visited.
People could contact Marissa with detailed suggestions.
Someone could mention it in passing.
One of my Kitchen Table students might know the perfect, perfect place.
My commitment.
I will be open to the right places showing up.
I will be curious and ask questions. When I talk to friends who are likely to have Good Ideas about this, I will give myself permission to ask them.
And of course, I will love the spaces where I end up teaching. And do crazy amounts of wacky-healing-stuff beforehand to make sure that the space is ready for our work, because that’s how I do things.
Also during. And after. Seriously — we will leave the place full of love (us and the place), and it will be all kinds of beautiful.
Thing 2: a Very Personal Ad for my friend Chrisandra.
Here’s what she wants:
Chrisandra Fox is the loveliest person and she’s also a fantastic yoga teacher.
If you own my non-sucky yoga package you know her as the woman on the cover of the dvd. She’s been in Yoga Journal, she’s taught retreats, she’s great.
And she’ll be in Portland (yay!) from August 24 through September 12.
During this time she’ll be offering private lessons.
So if you’re in PDX (or the general area) and can fit one in, I am going to give this a super-high recommendation.
Let me know in the comments if that’s something that speaks to you, and Marissa will hook you up with Chrisandra’s contact info.
Thing 3: A title for my Shiva Nata Manual.
Here’s what I want:
I posted about this already on the Shivanaut blog (and got some terrific responses), but I really need a title for the manual.
And the more help the better!
The manual is a big freaking deal to me, as you will remember from the ghost of Very Personal Ads past.
And it’s a big part of the Advanced Kit that I’m working on.
And I am stuckified about what to call it.
Here’s how I want to get this:
As an epiphany. Bam! Either during or after my Dance of Shiva practice.
In meditation.
Here in the blog or over on the Shiva Nata website.
Or on Twitter.
Someone will come up with just the right thing, and I will have my perfect, simple solution.
My commitment.
I will be crazy-grateful.
I will love this title and love my book and not hide anymore.
Whoo! Shivanauts! Hot!*
*Also: peculiar and hilarious, but still …
Thing 4: all the Right People for my workshops in Berlin.
Here’s what I want:
Smart, fun, delightfully kooky people at my programs in Berlin in September and October. Berlin is my favorite city to teach in. By a lot.
Here’s how I want to get this:
Surprise me.
People will read the faq and go aaaaaaaaaaaaah, yes! And then if they have questions, they will ask Marissa.
My commitment.
The fun: it will be out of control. Also the epiphanies.
Progress report on past Very Personal Ads and what’s going on with them.
Just to update you on what’s happened since last time.
I asked for an agent for my unborn-book … and got a really sweet email from someone I totally admire suggesting that she might be a good fit for this, or at least a good connection.
So that was … neat.
I also asked for quiet time to decompress.
Not so much of that. But on the other hand, things weren’t especially hectic if you think about the fact that I’d missed an entire week of work.
So that’s something.
And I think I will just keep asking to get better at giving myself time to rest and recuperate.
Comments. Since I’m already asking …
I am adding to my practice of asking for stuff by being more specific about I would like to receive in the comments. And that way, if you feel like leaving one (you totally don’t have to), you get to be part of this experiment too. 🙂
Here’s what I want:
- Your own personal ads, small or large. Things you’ve asked for. Or are asking for. Or would like to ask for.
- Thoughts or ideas about ways any of the personal ads listed here could come true.
What I would rather not have:
- Reality theories.
- Shoulds. As in, “You should be doing it like this” or “That’s not the right way to ask for things — instead it should be like x, y and z”
- To be judged or psychoanalyzed.
My commitment.
I am committing to getting better at asking for things even when asking feels weird. I’m committing to giving time and thought to the things that people say, and I will interact with their ideas and with my own stuff as compassionately and honestly as is possible for me.
Thanks for doing this with me! You guys rock. I say that every time, but it’s true.
Follow
Okay, I’ll play! 🙂
1. This week, I’m writing an e-book.
What I want:
* Uninterrupted time to write.
* My muse and other allies to show up with support, encouragement, inspiration, and the occasional piece of dark chocolate.
* The qualities I want for the process are grounding, clarity, focus, spaciousness, ease and purpose.
* To finish a mostly polished draft by the end of the week.
* To have someone whose opinion I respect look over the draft and give me clear, honest, constructive feedback.
* To find the perfect image for the cover.
* Skilled help in launching it once it’s done.
My commitment:
* To show up at my desk each morning, present and open and willing to fully immerse myself in the material, and in writing.
* To draw from the deep well of my soul, and to bring all my skills, wisdom, understanding and experience to the process of writing this e-book.
* To ask for what I need and to receive it fully and with great gratitude.
2. Retreats! Havi, I’m with you on wanting to teach more retreats.
(There’s a wonderful retreat center just outside Portland (StillMeadow) that fits many of your criteria. It’s where Chris Zydel and I will be teaching our intuition and creativity retreat next year, in the fall, and it might be perfect for you to teach in too.)
What I want:
* To co-teach retreats with friends and colleagues who are as skilled at what they do as I am at what I do. Whose work is complementary to mine, so that together we can co-create retreats that are richer and more interesting than anything either of us could create alone.
* To teach in a wide variety of beautiful, nourishing, heart-and-soul-centered places, both here in North America and elsewhere.
* I want this to happen easily, simply, and serendipitously.
My commitment:
* To be open and available for new synergies to develop.
* To do my part to make these retreats a profoundly rich learning, healing, creative experience for everyone involved.
That’s it for now. Thanks so much, Havi, for this invitation to play.
Have a beautiful week, everyone.
Love, Hiro
Oooh, I thought of a couple of other retreat places you might want to check out, Havi. Breitenbush, which is in Oregon. And Indralaya, in Washington State.
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Sunday Poem #4 =-.
I wonder if you’d be open to doing a retreat with the Art Quilt Network (I think we’re booking fall 2010 and beyond; we have two retreats, one in the fall and one in the spring).
I’m in the midst of rearranging/clearing my studio space, and trying to rev back up into creating mode, so:
What I want: someone who can use these supplies that I’ve grown out of, instead of sending them to the landfill. A clean, clear space in which to work.
How I can find you:
Craigslist, Facebook, yard sale flyers, Twitter or Plurk
My commitment: to use and appreciate the items I have kept, and to be mindful in the acquisition of future supplies so that it doesn’t get so out of control again.
Andi
.-= Andi´s last post … Uses for Hand-Dyed Fabric Part I =-.
Okay… deep breath and begin
1. What I want:
A job.
In Bristol or the South East of England so that I may be closer to my family and friends.
As a QS, being paid good money with good career prospects
With super whacky people similar to me – i.e. not adverse to laughter and stuff like that.
They won’t be adverse, in fact they’ll be falling over keen to sponsor me through a university of my choice.
How it can come to me:
Through an agency
Through a friend
through the internets in one of my many searches
Any other way – I’m cool with weird. I’m open to bizarre.
My commitment:
I will keep looking.
I will make sure my CV is super hot and sells me properly.
I will believe in this job and not give up hope.
I will rock at this job and be well worth hiring.
2. What I want:
To be able to stop panicking about getting work and assignments done in the timescales provided.
To be able to do the work and produce quality as expected.
To enjoy doing the work instead of it being a big pile of *gah*.
My commitment:
I will take time off work to complete the assignments
I will use that time to complete the assignments
I will remember that this is a valuable investment in my future by me.
I will read my books, push my wheel and commit to putting time into this.
I will also allow myself time for rest, friends and what I need in addition to completing this work.
.-= Wormy´s last post … Little me. =-.
Yay, personal ads!
@Wormy – this is awesome! Yay.
Though I was kind of set on having to visit you in Wales. I guess now we’ll just have to take a trip together …
@Hiro – I want to retreat with you too. Sounds marvelous. Wishing you all the support you need with your Very Personal Ads for this week, and may the writing flow happily.
@Andi – see? Something I hadn’t even thought of! Being invited to other people’s retreats. That just expanded my mind-sense-of-what’s-possible too. Right on. Thank you!
And wishing for you the exact right person (or right people) to appreciate your tools. Neat!
Personal Ad – To Face Up to and Deal With My Health Issues
What I want:
– A doctor (or doctors) that will: work together with me on my issues, welcome my parallel pursuit of answers via non-western medicine, and not deny what I am telling them just because my issues don’t fit into the textbook descriptions.
– Ways to get rid of my medications and handle my issues more naturally and healthfully.
My commitment:
– Call the current doctor contact I have and make an appointment. Interview her and see if she suits my needs and can help me attain what I want. Move on gracefully and quickly if she cannot.
– Try very hard not to use past bad experiences as an excuse to avoid doing what I need to do for myself. (Nobody should have their doctor roll their eyes at them when discussing their issues…)
– Be open to results even if I don’t fully understand the process (this is more for the non-western medicine pursuits)
– Make financial space to allow these things to happen. Bills are important, and my health is important too.
Okay, here’s what I want:
The arrangements to all fall into place so I can attend some of Havi’s Shiva Nata in Berlin next month.
What I need:
Cheap-ish flights that do not take place at ass o’clock in the morning.
A hotel/B&B in Berlin where they speak English (important! My German sucks!) and are prepared to accommodate me for one or maybe two weekends, probably two Friday/Saturday nights.
A nice, easy German phrase book to take with me.
Courage!
.-= Lucy Viret (aka randomling)´s last post … What if… =-.
First – my favorite retreat place is Bend of Ivy Lodge near Asheville, NC. Beautiful, healing, peaceful, run by awesome people plus terrific chef is available who cooks yummy, healthy meals (including great vegetarian/vegan options). http://www.bendofivylodge.com/ …this place seriously rocks (and Asheville is a fabulous, hippie vibe kinda place too!)
I’ve never done this before but feel compelled this time.
My personal ad…Extra peace & love this week.
How this can come:
-Extra hugs from the awesome people in my life
-Unexpected phone calls/emails of support
-Opportunities to be out in nature or on the water
-Extra opportunities to laugh and cry
-A hundred other ways I can’t imagine yet
My Commitment:
-Stay present and aware of whatever comes up
-Allowing space for the memories
-Honoring the man I loved by finally planting his memorial tree 7 years after I promised I would
-Giving myself lots of extra self-care and nurturing.
Thanks.
.-= Emily´s last post … Waking Up =-.
Hi! Two weeks back I asked for “for clarity on the issue of What I Want to Do With my Work Life.” And I got it! I received internal and external confirmation and I can’t ask for more than that. So, Thanks Universe!
I am asking for:
I want to destuckify my “Can’ts.” I want to abandon “I can’t” and “I don’t know how” as my default positions. I want to swap them for “I can”, “I am” and “I am learning how.”
Here’s how I want to get this:
I could just do it
Mind-blowing work with my awesome therapist
I could wake up one morning feeling different and that “different” is a lack of stuck
Some other way I have yet to imagine.
My commitment:
I will take my empowerment and love it. I will use it for the good of myself and others. I will look back on the age of the can’ts and feel grateful it is past.
What I am asking for:
I want an awesome assistant for the lab class that I’m teaching this fall.
This person needs to be detailed orientated, have decent handwriting, isn’t afraid to do research on technical subjects and is able to meet deadlines. Oh, a great sense of curiosity and love of learning would really help.
Here’s how I want to get this:
One of my soon-to-be graduate students would be open to doing this to earn some pocket money as well as get practical experience with exercise science lab topics. Or perhaps an intelligent health science major would like to expand their knowledge as they prepare for their future studies in the allied health professions. My department chair or the coordinator for the pre-professional program may be able to suggest the perfect applicant.
My commitment:
To be an awesome mentor. To challenge you to grow in your knowledge of how the human body responds to exercise. To share my life experiences with the hope of fanning the fire of passion for life-long learning within you. To give you clear direction. To accept responsibility if I overlook something due to my overwhelming workload. I will be forever grateful and would be willing to write you a great recommendation letter.
Here I am commenting on my very first visit here (via Art of Noncomformity). I’ve been “putting things out there” but I really like the idea of a personal ad.
What I Want:
To get paid for my creative work. This could take many forms – a voiceover job, selling an article, a book deal, a singing gig.
Here’s how I want to get this:
Any way the universe wants to provide it. Possibilities are an email through my website, a friend connection, an overheard conversation, a dropped business card, you name it.
My Commitment:
To keep creating daily and improving the quality of my work.
To self-promote when given the opportunity.
To be courageous in taking chances and not let my fears and self-doubt limit me.
I second Hiro on Breitenbush. Fond memories of sitting around the hot springs teaching each other hippie songs. Oregon, I miss you.
I forgot to say this last week, but I am SO. EXCITED. about the prospect of Havi’s next book. AND the Shivanaut manual. AND Hiro’s ebook! Wows, good things are coming.
@Lucy, I too want to go to Berlin despite cash constraints. Maybe we can share a room to help the cheapness?
This week I’m gonna try asking for something more concrete. The headaches I used to have constantly had gone for a long time but in the last week or two they’re back and fairly bad. I would like some relief.
My commitments:
*To my neck: Hello, dear neck. Like we talked about before, I know you are holding onto a lot of stuff and some of it is very very important to keep holding. I promise you are allowed hold onto whatever you need to. You are welcome to let go of anything that’s ready to go. Thank you!
*To the little voice that is longing for me to go back to meditating: I hear you. I’ll try five minutes right after this comment and five minutes first thing tomorrow, and check back tomorrow evening.
*I will make this my Shiva Nata intention this week. (phew, no need to think up intentions every day!)
*I will keep my Word docs at 200% view instead of 150% and when I notice I am leaning forward at my desk I will sit up straight again.
*I will continue the practice of checking in on what it’s like to be me right now, as often as it occurs to me. And of responding to basic needs I notice, like water and sleep.
What I am asking for:
A solution to a particularly nasty non-reproducible bug my customer’s users are experiencing.
How I’ll get it:
The solution could reveal itself by suddenly becoming reproducible (in other words…I figure out the secret sauce for breaking this app.) Or the solution could be a way of handling the problem even if I personally can’t reproduce it, like some code that would properly deal with the problem data that this bug is causing.
My commitment:
To check out all the reasonable avenues for a solution that are possible. To not give up until I find *something* that deals with the problem better than we are dealing with it now. And to not beat myself up if I don’t find a bulletproof solution that I can guarantee works in all situations, since I’m only human and if I can’t figure out the specific cause, my chances of a bulletproof solution go down.
.-= Avonelle Lovhaug´s last post … The secret to buying custom software for less =-.
Update on last week:
Thing #1 there was simply no time for, with meetings and goings out and coming home and collapsing. Today is my first day entirely at home without dragging my introvert butt out into the world in a week, so, I’ll give myself permission to art later rather than berating myself for being limited and human.
Thing #2 I’m doing pretty OK on — there was some frittering away, but I did well at stopping myself when I knew it was time to stop.
This week’s ask:
Other than reiterating last week’s, I’m only going to ask for one simple thing: energy.
What I’m asking for:
I need to replenish my mental (and physical) energy, to refill the well so that I can dip back in later this week confident that I’ll be able to give my clients quality work.
How I’ll get it:
Resting and hiding under my hedgehog rock. Maybe some Shiva Nata. The heat wave will abate and the coolness will be refreshing for body & soul. Natural rhythms will swing back up and replenish me.
My commitment:
I will let myself stay inside, do the things I know I need, and not feel guilty for needing them. I won’t force myself to start output up before the batteries are charged enough. I will rest, and nap, and be grateful that the winds are already starting up to carry the heat away. I will spoil the cats, who are just as in need of some loving care from last week as I am, in their own fuzzy way.
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … Meeting Myself Halfway =-.
@Lucy & Anna – ohmygod it would be so completely cool if you guys came to berlin to my workshops! Wheeeee!
So … there’s a hostel that people really like in my old neighborhood called The Pegasus. A double room is (or was, back in the day) €19. It’s on the Straße der Pariser Kommune and it’s supposed to be quite decent as hostels go.
Also a lot of the House Projects (co-op type places) will let visitors stay for quite cheap, though you never really know what you’re getting.
And we could meet in a cafe and it would be lovely! Oooh.
@Micki – what a nice ask! Very sweet and simple and clear. Love it.
@Lauren – mmm, me too. If you get good results on releasing the can’ts, I might need to make that a future ask of mine as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
hi havi
another pacific northwest retreat possibility is doe bay on orcas island [http://doebay.com/ or @doebayresort] was yummy when i last visited 8+ yrs ago … will be more than happy to do recognisance if needed
— joycella, an island princess of-sorts
I love these personal ads and didn’t have the courage to post any until today!
What I Want:
An online teaching position in psychology that pays extremely well!
Ways this can come to me:
There can be a flood of new jobs posted on career websites
I can receive a call back from jobs I’ve applied to
I am open to new and unexpected ways my new job can find me that I’m not thinking of, I’m open!
My Commitment:
I am committed to fully showing up and being myself
I will be the teacher that I’ve always loved: a little tough, available, encouraging, knowledgeable (most days), funny, and outside of the box
I will bring awesome energy and appreciation to the class
Thing 2: To finish my grant application, be approved and receive funding
Here’s what I want:
To get out of my own way and stop making excuses for why I should not apply for this grant. I want to easily put the vision I have in my head on paper and be funded to run the program of my dreams and visualizations.
Here’s how I want to get this:
I want a mentor who has written grants and been funded to appear in my life. This mentor will have a sincere interest in my research and will enjoy answering questions I have. He or she will give me gentle criticism that will make my application outstanding! I am open to any and all positive ways this may happen.
I want the application to immediately feel so easy and so doable that I can’t possibly not get it done.
My commitment:
I will run this program with love and kindness while having a blast in the process!
I will make stress management fun and exciting while turning the field of psychology on it’s head!
Ooh, come to Ann Arbor! It’s a town full of tree huggers and vegetarians (I’m vegan and it’s easy for me to find stuff to eat) and artsy types, and I have absolutely no travel budget to go to a retreat anywhere else.
.-= Riin´s last post … Amazing =-.
I love this ritual, thank you Havi for creating the space. It gives me the opportunity to focus on what I want and what I need instead of only taking care of those knee-highs around me (written with toddler clinging to my thigh…)
My ask # 1:
I want to sell our property in South Africa. We have a 3 hectare small holding with a house and a shed which is very well located just outside of the capital city, Pretoria. I want someone with enough money to contact me and to buy it from me and for the paperwork and legal issues to go very smoothly given that we now live in Australia.
My ask # 2:
For the energy of the above property to be cleared or healed or something so that it can be filled with love once more for the new buyer. My husband and I were shot inside our house just over a year ago and I think that may have something to do with why it has not been sold yet. So this is a very big ask from me that the energy of the place can be restored to the way it once was (and even better) full of love and innocence and playfulness and dreams. We birthed and conceived our babies there and it is a magic place.
How this can come about:
# 1: I can place an advert in/on the top property sites in South Africa. One of my previous buyers can contact me again and this time with enough money to buy it. I can drop my purchase price to make it more available for people to purchase. Some of my friends can hear of someone interested who is serious through their networks and contacts.
# 2: Either a local friend who does this sort of thing or someone I don’t know (yet) can do a distance energy clearing on the house or property. Said angel will contact me either thru this post or via my social network of friends to whom I will also send this request and totally put out there what I want.
My commitment:
To continue to work on my own forgiveness and love of the space and to release the fear that fills me when I think of it. To allow someone else to buy the property and live there knowing they will be safe – what happened was part of our journey and will not necessarily be theirs.
I’ve just seen something that I have not seen before. I have been scared of anyone else buying the property as I don’t want them to get hurt like we did. That is not going to happen and maybe this is what has blocked the sale of the land until now. I’m going to have a good old cry now as I let that go.
Thanks Havi, this was a hard one to write this week.
Much magic
x
.-= Marilyn´s last post … Another Smashing Post =-.
HI Havi,
If you ever wanted to do a Midwestern retreat (please, please, please?), you might want to check out The Sweethaven Resort in Union Pier, MI. It’s a collection of small and large cottages — and the largest one is definitely big enough and spacious enough to hold larger group gatherings… here is the website:
http://www.sweethavenresort.com/
Good luck!
Lynne
.-= Lynne´s last post … may God bless you… =-.
Havi, Havi, Havi,
This comes at exactly the right time for sure.
And so,
What do i want:
1. To finish my new redesign on my website to reflect all of my work including performance, coaching and visual art.
2. To find a few more creativity clients in September. i am also interested in creating a few new creativity retreats that i will co teach with bright, positive, laugh out loud lovelies. Luckily, in September i am working with Wild Women Expeditions and it’s pretty sweet!
3. To perform at more storytelling festivals in Europe and the states.
How this can come about.
1. Sit down with Dave and redesign and write all of the new web content. We are in the middle of this, so it’s very exciting.
2. Put it out there more. Put it on the website. Talk to more people. Create a flyer.
3. Each week i am going to send a little hello email to someone new letting them know who i am and what i am doing…
My Commitment
Is to be focused. Be clear about what I want and to dance every day. If i move every day, i find it easier for everything else to be clear!
As far as retreat centres in Canada, you really should check out Hollyhock and Wild Women Expeditions.
.-= Lisa Pijuan-Nomura´s last post … Lightning =-.
No one left a suggestion for your new book title.
How about…
Why Not?
And then some informative byline (not sure if byline is the right word for the descriptive line that comes under the title) to describe it.
Why Not? Says a lot I think, without having to.
Hi Havi,
I was at your SF workshop the other week and I loved it! So, of course, I’m suggesting a Bay Area retreat — and I know the perfect place: Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma County (www.westranch.com).
It’s not actually a ranch — but a wonderful space with great (and accomodating) food and really nice people. It has a pool & hot tub, people can book massages, and it’s overall fabulous. I hope you’ll check it out.
And… two personal adds:
#1: What I Want: to find my “right work” (and “right people” who will appreciate it). Preferably something creative, involving writing/editing or art.
#2: What I Want: to be more present in my body and allow my body to be at it’s fullest health.
Here’s how I want to get these things: Any way the universe wants to provide them. Through friends, inspiration, random meetings with strangers, twitter, whatever.
My Commitment:
To explore different creative things until I find “it.” To pay attention to my body, ground, and occasionally remember to be in the present moment.
I did a weeklong leadership retreat at the Marconi Conference center in Marshall, CA, and it was pretty great:
http://www.marconiconference.org/index.htm
I’m pretty sure they can handle special food requests, and the surroundings of the retreat are amazing (overlooking the Pacific ocean).
What I Want: To make some significant progress on my business plan and ideas (to get me the heck out of corporate america. The name of my escape from cubicle nation plan is Pidgeapalooza. So I want inspiration, support, and momentum for Pidgeapalooza. Specifically, I want to get clearer on the name for the business and what the most immediate next steps are for me to really make it real for myself.
How this could come to me: I’m really lousy at saying how this could come to me, so I’ll just say I want it to come organically, easily, and in an obvious enough way that when answers present themselves I instinctively know to say YES YES YES!
My commitment: To spend at least 30 minutes every day working on this, dreaming, thinking, making lists, brainstorming, just being in the space of “working on Pidgeapallooza.
One other Northern California retreat recommendation:
http://wildwoodretreat.com/zjoomla/
I haven’t personally done a retreat here, but several friends have and they recommend it highly.
I’m asking for things to fall in to place so I can go visit my friend who lives in Berlin and catch a workshop at the same time. I could bring my own duck, but she might not be willing to come because she is very shy (she only recently agreed to go live on top of my TV to remind me of Shiva Nata, instead of hiding in the bathroom with no windows). Also, we have communication issues because she speaks some kind of Russian dialect (I think). But I digress…
First, I want to wish everyone on here all the good vibes in the world to get their ads answered in the way they want them to be. 🙂
Here’s my ad, for my perfect job. It’s very, very long. 😉
Wanted: one full- or part-time job to provide me with enough income and benefits to live in comfort and save for the future. You will be close enough to my home and school to minimize the amount of life and energy wasted in traffic. You will offer flexible hours, with the understanding that I will always do what is required of me, to the best of my ability, before leaving.
You and I will trust each other: you will trust me to set my own schedule during the day, to prioritize my own work and maximize my own productivity. I will trust you to keep me informed of what is needed and expected of me. When I decide to work away from the office, this trust will be expanded.
You will have a mission that inspires energy and commitment, an environment that encourages ideas and innovation. You will be focused on results rather than busywork and face-time. You will provide challenges that bring out my best without asking the impossible, and you will also provide recognition when I meet those challenges head-on.
The people I will work with will be diverse, but will share a sense of joy and meaning in their work. There will be no cynicism, no power plays, no backstabbing, no petty games; we will all behave like rational adults who value each other as people and as contributing members of a team.
Your physical surroundings will be attractive and functional, and I will keep them that way or improve upon them. Your technology will be up-to-date, and I will make the most of that. Your interior will be spacious and provide privacy, and I will honor my personal space.
You will offer me a chance to help others by doing my best work, and a chance to develop my skills and experience in marketing, business development, communications, management and leadership. As I develop, my responsibilities and position will grow.
In return, I will offer you my skills, which are considerable, especially in the areas of writing, editing, design and production. I will offer you my learning abilities, which are also considerable, and the benefit of all my learning in my MBA program.
I will offer you my problem-solving abilities, my creativity, my analytical abilities. I will offer you my sense of humor and my joy at making people laugh. I will offer you my dedication to see a job that is worth doing well done well.
We will prosper each other greatly.
.-= Catherine Cantieri, Sorted´s last post … Greening your job search =-.
Hi Havi,
I was also at your SF retreat and I can recommend a wonderful, magical, spiritual spot nestled among the redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. You’ve GOT to see it to believe it! But if you can’t, then you can also TRUST that it is a place that you will fall in love with…
The place is “Pema Osel Ling” mountain retreat … about 20 minutes drive from Santa Cruz and <1.5 hours from SFO. (Close enough to be convenient for your Bay Area groupies, yet avoiding the Crazy of the City.)
It is run according to Buddhist principles. I will let their website fill in their details… http://www.polmountainretreat.com/
…but I can attest to the amazing energy this place has, and how accommodating they are. I helped organize a retreat there about 8 years ago, and it is still one of the defining moments of my life. The people were wonderful to work with, the food was delicious and healthy, and I think you’ll have a minimal effort in “detoxifying” the place before your retreat, since it seems to attract positive energy/people and is full of collective wisdom.
Namaste
Right now I’m really appreciating that one of the things you asked for was things we’d like to ask for.
I was all set to write up a great little personal ad for someone to help redesign my website and make it completely awesome. My budget is fairly small, so I’ve been hoping to find someone perhaps still building their portfolio and interested in partial barter or a payment plan.
But when I started thinking about what I could commit to, one of the first things that came to mind was to tell the world repeatedly how much the designer rocks once my newly-awesomified site is live. Then I cringed a bit, thinking about how that might be received by the two friends I have that both run small web design businesses. I’m had decided not to go to them for this job because of concerns I have about their schedules and how they’ll fit in with when I want to launch the new site – and in one case because her aesthetic isn’t really a good match for what I’m looking for.
So I still am looking for someone to work with for this, and I’ve decided that the first step to that is to talk to those friends and get clear with them around whether my assumptions are wrong and one of them is my right person in a way that keeps things clean and leaves me open to shout from the rooftops about my awesome new site and its rockin’ designer, whoever that may be, once it’s been completed.
.-= Shannon Henry´s last post … Spirosketch is ready! =-.
These ads are amazing. Seriously.
Thanks for all the gorgeous retreat location suggestions!
@Erica – yay! Nice personal ad. I love it!
@Cathy & Jen P & Pidge – it was so so beautiful getting to meet you in person in San Francisco. I would LOVE to do another Bay Area or Sonoma (mmmmm) thing. I’m blowing kisses at you right now!
@Inge – I would love to meet you in Berlin! And I think it’s hysterical that your duck is Russian (?). That is weird and wonderful.
Selma generally doesn’t do well with other ducks (diva issues) so we have to hide all of the other ducks that people give me. They’re in the bathroom behind a curtain. But maybe I could talk to her beforehand and tell her that she should be nice to Inge’s duck. 🙂
@Lynne & Riin – whoah, two votes for Michigan. That’s kind of cool. I love Ann Arbor but can’t do a retreat there because my parents actually live there. Which kind of kills the whole “relaxing” aspect of retreating.
But northern Michigan? Or central-ish? I would totally do that. It’s beautiful there!
@Marilyn – oh, my dear.
Wow. What big, huge realizations. And what hard. I am sending you and your house and your Very Personal Ad so much love right now.
And asking for whatever needs to be cleared to be cleared, so that the new people can feel safe coming into this space, and you can feel safe letting them come. And extra experiences of safety and protection and comfort for you and the people you love.
Hugs all around for your sweet, sweet ads and for all of your help and for hanging out with me here. This is turning into one of my favorite weekly rituals. Thank you.
What I Want:
To discover a psychotherapist (M.A./PhD/MFT) training program that integrates yoga and mindfulness meditation, and is at a well-established/respected institution so that my family doesn’t freak out, and I feel confident about being able to work and be respected in my field in the future.
How it Can Come to Me:
A suggestion by someone, a google search, a connection with a person… anything really – if the program is right, I’ll know
My Commitment:
To do google searches, talk to people about it, put out as many nets as possible to see what I can catch. Also, to keep practicing yoga and shiva nata so I that I don’t freak out and doubt that this is the path I’m supposed to be following.
Yes to more retreats! 🙂
I know of a place in my region that could be perfect. I have to get some info to make sure it’s a good match, and I’ll let you know if it turns out this place works as well as I think it would. That would be awesome to have you here!
I’ll do some Dance of Shiva with the intention of finding ideas for a title for your manual. I wouldn’t want its release to be delayed for lack of a title! I can’t wait to get that advanced kit! 🙂
.-= Josiane´s last post … Retreating to write – and being treated to so much more =-.