Recently I learned that I would be losing about 90% of my income due to changes in the management of the insurance company that provides that income. This has been distressing, to say the least. Once I stopped hyperventilating, which took about 2 days; I got strangely calm. I remembered the book Who Moved My Cheese and realized that I just needed to find new cheese. In my work as a Massage Therapist things have changed radically since I started my practice in 1999. Back then Chiropractors did not have massage therapists in their offices. I would get lots of referrals of clients. Now most of them do. I rarely get a referral from a chiropractor. Working for a chiropractor is not a bad thing, it is just that you make 50% or less money than you do if you have your own practice. Knowing myself as I do, it would not make me happy to have to work FOR someone else when I have been independent for 16 years. Anyway, back to finding new cheese.
It occurred to me that my situation is just the same as it was when I got divorced. The worst part of it or any situation where things have been drastically changed is the unknowing. I have gotten used to knowing how much money to expect each month. I have my regular insurance clients and my regular cash clients and the money for the most part arrived on the same day and I could count on it. I got too comfortable and lazy. Also bored. The Universe in its infinite wisdom decided it would help me in my quest to make my work more interesting.
I now am having to think about how I will pull in new business for massage as well as hypnotherapy and Tarot Reading. It has become apparent that when looking for cheese you must get up and go search for it, you cannot just sit idly in your same spot and expect cheese to be delivered to you. So I will be "hitting the bricks" as they say and marketing myself and "tooting my own horn". Just so you know my comfort zone does not include these things. If we are Facebook friends or you have "liked" one of my business pages, prepare to see much more activity.
If you will excuse me now, I am off in search of new and interesting cheese.