Thursday night late, near midnight. Long day. Time for wine. Relax. First, I must fill my cauldron.
A reader queries, “Does Advisor Girl care that you call her a witch?” Earlier today I asked her.
“Do you know the true definition of witch?” She laughs. I think so. But I look it up to be sure. If I learn one thing from The Fixer, it is to do my homework.
To be caught unaware, uninformed or unprepared is unacceptable. I consult Webster.
“A woman who is thought to have magical powers.” Let’s go with that. It’s only in secondary definitions we run into the ugly: practicing black arts, and spells. They seem so ghastly after, “a woman with magical powers.” It does beg the question: Don’t all women have magical powers?
“Of course I have magical powers.” Her smile alights the room. “How could I not believe that? I live a magical life. I teach others to do the same. I live a magical journey every day.” Raise your hand if you want a piece of that.
She urges my witch forward. “Dig deep.” She instructs. “Find things you need and put them in your cauldron and then stir it up. You need your recipes. It’s the universal wisdom we share as women. We do things differently.” I am giddy imagining the YaYas dancing about a cauldron ala Steve Nicks celebrating success and joy, inspiring each other.
She says the cauldron mixture of each of us must be shared. “Allow your readers in. Keep the ingredients that are already in your blog cauldron. But let your readers be a part of you and what you are adding–the flavor, the content, the connection.”
“You have the ability. Reach out to your people. Tolkien writes like a painter. You write as a cook. I can taste it. It is palpable. I am inside the cauldron with you. Let others in so they can stir their own cauldrons and fill them to bursting as well.”
We talk of power; the power we possess in our work, in our compassion, in how we affect the world. True service deserves true reward. It is a circle. I help you. You help me. We all benefit. We grow. The world grows and we delight in aiding others. There is nothing else. All else is illusion. I am a small child at the foot of a master.
She’s not done. Of course not. She has not chastised me yet today.
She says each person’s work plays an integral part. “Undervaluing your work or underpaying for someone else’s service devalues everyone. There is no fast money. Dollars do not come to anyone overnight for anything.” I charged someone less than I should have. She is not pleased.
“Resentment is the result. If you, my witch friend, undervalue your work, you charge less than you are worth, you give your work away or you allow someone to take advantage of your talent, you feel resentful. You will not work well with this person. Your insides will not allow you to feel good about someone taking advantage of you.”
It goes both ways. “If you get something for less than it’s worth, you do not value it. This is why it is so important we acknowledge what others do for us, the value of their work and we pay them accordingly.”
The lesson is reinforced later in the day when I meet a friend who tells me she thought the price for my work was low. I ask, “Did it make you think I may not be a good writer?” She replies, “Unfortunately, yes.” Light bulb moment.
Remember that, my dolls, the next time you are tempted to lower the value of your services to get the job. Business tip of the day.
I’d like to take credit. Thank the witch.
The Duchess Diaries 