Sometimes that’s easier said than done, especially if you work full time,  own a business, work from home, have kids, take care of a parent… the list is long.  It’s often, all too easy to get wrapped up in the daily tasks that bog us down.  We are all guilty of it.  There are too many things to do, client work to be done, laundry to be folded, meals to be made, errands to run.  We allow ourselves to become wrapped up in doing the things which seem important, but in reality, do not contribute to our quality of life.  We need to spend more time doing what makes us happy, creating a life full of memories.

Yesterday, I made a decision to do just that.

As you know, it’s summer vacation and the kids are home from school.  It was early afternoon.  My daughter was at daycare, and my son asked me if we could go to the lake.  Like most people, my first inclination was to say no, I don’t have time.  However, this time, I said sure, why not?  After all, it was 90-degrees outside, and I felt like I could use a break.  We swam for about an hour.  We horsed around and had fun coming up with challenges that pushed each other to our limits in both skill and endurance.  By this, I mean who could hold onto the boogie board the longest without flipping over and without using your hands. 

I fully expected that when I returned, I’d have a million messages, tons of emails, and be totally overwhelmed.  What actually happened, was that when I returned, I felt completely refreshed and more motivated than I had been when I left.  There were no pressing emails that I had missed.  It was as though I had never left, except that now I wanted to be sitting in my office quietly plugging away.  As I was pondering this, I began thinking if my clients.  If the shoe were on the other foot, and I had a client tell me they had taken an hour out of their day to go swimming with a family member or a friend, I would be happy for them.  And Jealous!  I would be thinking of how fulfilling that must have been.  After all, isn’t that one of the reasons we go into business for ourselves – to have the freedoms to make our own decisions?  This experience has opened my eyes and let me know that it’s okay to take some time to smell the roses, or in my case, have a boogie board race.

This summer, be sure to spend some time doing something you enjoy.  Step away from your desk, tell your clients you need to step out and will be back in an hour.  Do something fun.  Read a book, eat your lunch outside, go for a walk.  Whatever it is, just do something.

Spending quality time with my now 14 year old son is something that I cherish, as I know that all too soon he will be heading off to high school, getting his license and spending any free time with his friends.  I am not looking forward to the day when he feels it’s no longer cool to hang out with Mom.  For now, I will take the little moments, like kicking his butt on the boogie board challenge, and lock them away in my memory vault for the days when I am stuck in the office or when the weather is too crummy to venture outside.

Here I am, starting a blog about a day in the life of a Virtual Assistant.  To tell you a little about me, I started my own business as a virtual assistant so I could enjoy spending time with my family and still have a fulfilling career.   I have worked as an Administrative Professional in the corporate world for over 16 years, so I when I began this journey, I thought I had everything I needed to jump into being an entrepreneur/freelancer.  I have always felt curious about computers, software and the internet; however, I had no idea how much there is to learn.  On the recommendation of a friend, I took an extensive virtual training program (VTP) through AssistU.  Here I learned not only how to become a successful VA and how to legally set up my business, but I also learned about client relationships, who my ideal client is, and how to set standards so that I am in integrity with myself.

Now that I have completed the training and am actively looking for clients, I see how important it is to have a clear definition of who my ideal client really is.  There are so many different platforms out there I could use to collaborate with clients, I cannot expect to learn them all ~ and then hope that my ideal client uses that program too.  Rather, I need to define who I want to work with (find my niche) and learn as I go.  (This is where my ideal client comes in)  Partnering with the person(s) who fit the standards I have set will ensure that our working relationship is long lasting.  For me, the best way for me to learn, is to do.  So, here I am creating a blog in WordPress so that I can learn how to use the program.

I am sure I will never learn all there is to know on the internet or otherwise, but I will continue to expand my knowledge in the areas that interest me and that will enable me to best serve my clients. After I master WordPress, I am onto 1 Shopping Cart.

Until next time……