"Since I do need to have my eye on making a living as a businessperson, I do see a need for networking with other like-minded individuals for support or needed services (i.e. if someone loves doing work that I don't enjoy or that I don't have a talent for, then I win by delegating that work and my collaborator wins because I'm supporting his or her business). I had an idea that sprang into existence while another one of the call participants tonight indicated an interest in interacting with other people through PebbleStorm. You have the rudiments of it now already on the website - the serendipity board entry posted on September 8, 2008. I'd be happy to pay a reasonable fee to post a brief descriptive bio and contact info that goes onto a central contact and networking board a la craigslist. Perhaps others are willing to do the same, particularly if the listings are protected or written in a way to discourage data miners. What do you think?"

Hi Aaron,

Thank you for arranging the open conference call. I am so glad and thankful that you have articulated what you have thus far through PebbleStorm. I've observed that there are many successful people - Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Myss, Dr. Norm Shealy, Gary Null, Christopher Howard, Jesse Koren and Sharla Jacobs of Rejuvenate Training, et alia (many more than come to mind right this moment) - who appear to be living examples of what the PebbleStorm process is about. These individuals are in alignment with their purpose, passionate about what they are doing, sharing their unique geniuses with the world, and thriving financially. I know it's possible. I just haven't been able to tap into that kind of success yet. I'm yearning to experience it. My niche is still evolving and society doesn't quite know yet what to make of what I do.

I breathed a sigh of relief to hear you say that you thought I was on track. Maintaining patience is very trying due to my circumstances, and the prospect of working for someone else again brings familiar challenges that don't bring me joy. If I do end up working for someone else, I know it won't help my situation to end up in a job that sucks out more energy than it puts back.

There's always been a part of me that has known that I was ill-suited to working for someone else. I tried to squeeze myself into that mold repeatedly by conforming to it and when my job came to an end as it always did, I often felt distorted, lost, used up, and taken for granted. There's a belief propagated in my family of origin that you have to start at the bottom, so I found myself starting at the bottom again and again and again, never getting promoted or achieving desirable financial goals. Even after earning my master's degree this past June, it was almost laughable to hear my mother tell me that I'd have to just accept what anyone might deign to give me. To quote one of the women interviewed for the book Secrets of Six Figure Women, "You are never going to get what you deserve. You are going to get what you demand." Like many women (and this is a problem that is more prevalent among women than men), I was chronically underpaid and I sold myself down the river so many times by undercharging for my services and lowballing myself in salary negotiations. I didn't ask for more because I did not believe I was worth it. It's been a gory internal struggle to pull my self-esteem free from that bear trap of a bad belief system. I'd like to think I'm armed now to ask - nay, demand - what I'm worth but the real test would come only if I'm offered a job I've interviewed for.

Right now, I'm doing some rather unglamorous volunteer work for schools that need someone with my expertise in addition to a smattering of paid client work. The schools are getting their needs met, the children have opportunities to interact with tiny fragments of natural systems, and there's the possibility that paid client work might come from referrals from involved parents. Nothing is guaranteed as far as work is concerned, but I am quietly gratified by the prospect of giving children opportunities to appreciate nature in a way that adults have forgotten to, so I'm glad to have inroads into the schools. Even then, I need to be vigilant about how much time I give away. Barbara Stanny commented: "Unfortunately, women in general are notorious for volunteering their time and society, readily, eagerly, exploits those who are willing. This practice is not good for your pocketbook. It's even worse for your self-esteem."

Since I do need to have my eye on making a living as a businessperson, I do see a need for networking with other like-minded individuals for support or needed services (i.e. if someone loves doing work that I don't enjoy or that I don't have a talent for, then I win by delegating that work and my collaborator wins because I'm supporting his or her business). I had an idea that sprang into existence while another one of the call participants tonight indicated an interest in interacting with other people through PebbleStorm. You have the rudiments of it now already on the website - the serendipity board entry posted on September 8, 2008. I'd be happy to pay a reasonable fee to post a brief descriptive bio and contact info that goes onto a central contact and networking board a la craigslist. Perhaps others are willing to do the same, particularly if the listings are protected or written in a way to discourage data miners. What do you think?

Sincerely,

Wendy Talaro