Today, I’m sitting in my home office, working on my psychology course work, and taking intermittent breaks to do some social media networking for LifePlan. I came upon an e-book written by a fellow entrepreneur, Kathi Calahan, entitled How to Start Any Business from Home: Finding Your Niche. I began reading it. There’s a lot of great information in it for those who are wanting to start their own businesses.

In reading it, I began thinking about the other work in my life, both past and present. Aside from the work I do with LifePlan, I manage my church’s bookstore, on a volunteer basis. I began to reflect on this job, as it is a job I have loved since I started it. There’s a saying you know you love the work if you can do it without getting paid and still want to do it. And that’s the sentiment with this job.

What I Love About My Work in the Bookstore

What do I love about it? I asked myself in this time of reflection. Most often, I work alone, in terms of staff (there are other volunteers, and we alternate the work on Sundays). Being an introvert (which people find hard to believe, but it is true!), I like having moments in the work day when I can be by myself. The hours are flexible, in that I come in when my schedule permits, except for Sunday, when the bookstore does most of its business. There’s something about getting in, getting the work done, and heading out. I have a great deal of autonomy, in that I don’t have to report my every activity to a boss; I check in with my minister and the administrative assistant when needed, as well as staff meetings. I love books, so helping people find books, recommending books, and talking about books comes very easily and naturally. But, there’s something about just being around the books that’s comforting on a deep, internal level.

In my past, I have had jobs working with food. Well, I have also worked in customer service capacities while working with food. I realize that I have incorporated former customer service practices into this bookstore position. I greet every one who comes into the bookstore upon entering. I ask if I can help them find a particular title. If the customer is purchasing a book I have some knowledge of, or have read myself, I offer my opinion. If we don’t have a book in stock, I offer to order it, and take their information. When the book comes in, I call the customer and put the book aside with his or her name on it. If I can’t get it through the distributor we do business with, I tell the customer another location the book can be found in the local area. I have even been known to order and buy a book online for a customer. This is just another way of being shown how the skills learned in former jobs are used in the present.

Administratively, I get to order books, inventory them, and display them. I also turn the register over at the top of each month. In addition to that, I prepare the quarterly sales tax return throughout the year, which fits my interest of having some paperwork to do. I also get to take deposits to the bank (road trip–I get to be in the car and listen to some music as part of my job!).

My Light Bulb Thought About My Work in the Bookstore

It was this final thought of this wonderful job that the light bulb moment took place: I was thinking in terms of the customers, in that they are spiritual seekers of knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment, and I get to be a part of that process. I help people find the knowledge they are searching for in their spiritual process of evolution. I love still being able to discover the inter-connectedness of all the work that I do, and how the theme presents itself. I notice the word help. Being of help to someone means that person is an active participant in the search for the knowledge. I can only help the customers when they take the first step and walk into the bookstore; just as it is with my work as an intuitive psychologist and coach: I assist (help) the client in finding the answers (information) needed to evolve and grow from their current circumstances. What a divine gift this work is that I get to do and enjoy.

In closing, I want to thank my fellow entrepreneur Kathi, for creating the e-book that began this stream of thinking in my consciousness, as well as Spirit, who prompted me to do so, and has blessed me with work that I love.

What’s the Theme of Your Work? There is One!

I also want to invite and encourage you to look at what it is you have done, and what you currently do, to help you see the “theme” of the work you do. It really is grander than you might be giving it credit.

Your partner in discovering the “theme” of the work you do,

James