Recently I had a conversation with my Mom. We were discussing various perspectives about how I live my life... basically that I do not conform to typical societal standards, and in fact I have a tendency to rebel against them.
This discussion led me down the path of explaining to my Mother, the fact that although.yes, I could work 5 days a week and make between $8000-10,000 a month, I would be killing my soul in the process. My children would be raised by a stranger, and I would be too exhausted to be present on the weekends.
I reached the conclusion long ago that my soul is not for sale.
Currently as it stands, I work hygiene 5 hours one day a week, and I am busy running two other businesses, The Awakened Hygienist being one of them. I love my life and what I do in it. So why would I work 5 days a week in this type of work??
ENTER ---->>>> DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES ~~
How many of you have conversations like this with people close to you? Do you feel exhausted trying to explain why you can not work this career like the typical societal 40 hour work week?
If you understand, then this article is for you... If you are pleasantly happy slingin' plaque, then go right ahead! YOU KEEP DOING YOU! I sincerely mean this.
I graduated dental hygiene school in 2002, and by 2007 I was already back in school searching for my soul's purpose. It only took 5 short years in this profession for me to burn out. Honestly, I didn't really understand why I was burned out. I was unmarried and childless at that time in my life, so its not like I was too busy in my home life. I worked for an amazing Dentist! Our team loved each other and we were always laughing! Going to work was fun! AND BONUS! I worked with my best friend!
So what was the deal? Why was I so exhausted and felt so energetically drained after work day in and day out?
I just kept thinking, if I have a side job, something I enjoy, then I won't have to work dental hygiene 32 hours a week anymore.
But previously I DID enjoy hygiene!! So what was happening to me? Why was I so desperate to get out??
Very long story short, I pushed on, searching for the path that was going to light my heart up. I was committed to myself AND to my future self.
Later I realized that was the first and most important step!
Committing to my future self, and my heart's true happiness.
Think back to when you decided to pursue Dental Hygiene as a life long career and answer the following questions.
- WHY did you choose Dental Hygiene?
- What outside influences helped you make the decision to favor this profession over another?
- Was income a factor?
- Was your heart's passion a factor?
- How important is stability in your life?
- How important is passion in your life?
- If you could do ANYTHING that makes your soul happy, and create an income from that, what would you be doing?
These are the questions that started me on my soul's journey to find what I am here in this world to do. All paths are different, and I certainly do not think anyone should follow mine. In fact, my path may be too "out there" for some. But a snippet of what I have learned over the years is what I'm sharing with you today.
Mental & Emotional Hygiene Practices
Have you heard the statement - Cleanliness is Godliness... ?
Think about what this means for a moment.... and now feel what it means in your heart.
Hygiene (meaning the cleanliness of something) holds a vibration ~ everything is vibration!
How do you FEEL when you experience something that is not clean, and then you clean it?
As a RDH, I'm going to take a guess and say you feel pretty amazing! Like you want to show off the work you just did!
YOU RAISED THE VIBRATION! You raised the vibration of the environment you were working in (the mouth) and you raised the vibration of the overall person - the patient!
Now, think about the thoughts you think at work...
are they "clean or dirty" or rather "high vibrational or low vibrational"?
Our thoughts create our emotions. Our mental state creates our emotional state. You can not think negative low vibrational thoughts and maintain positive emotions... they go hand-in-hand.
The Practice - BE INTENTIONAL with your thoughts.
- Your thoughts hold a certain vibration, and to become conscious of the 300,000+ thoughts you think every day takes effort. The practice is to witness your thoughts, without judgment. See your thoughts as almost separate from you, knowing that you can choose different thoughts to think. If your inner dialogue is something like.. "Ugh I'm going to die if I have to do this one more day"... you can choose to change that thought into something of higher vibration... "Although I am feeling discouraged right now, I know this feeling will pass and I can choose to focus my energy on what I love". Feel the difference?
Have you heard the statement - Luck is believing you are lucky... ?
Have you considered just how lucky and amazing YOU are? I mean really... YES YOU! I'm here to tell you that what you think actually manifests into your reality. Do you tell yourself you are burned out all the time? Guess what.. The Universe will show that to you. You will consistently be "gifted" burn out experiences because that is what your energy is focused towards thinnking. Everything within your own world and in front of your eyes will show you all the reasons to support your beliefs of being burned out.
Don't believe me?
Think about the car you want to purchase. Ever notice that you make a decision on the next car you want to buy, and all of a sudden you begin seeing that car everywhere! That's the Universe working with you.
Here is the secret~ the Universe is ALWAYS working to support your beliefs... make them good ones!
The Practice - EXPERIENCE GRATITUDE DAILY
- Start a daily gratitude journal. You don't have to be specific in writing an entire story if you just eye rolled me about journaling. Simply write the date at the top and use bullet points for what you have gratitude in your life. As you do this more and more, you can begin to write about the things you know are coming to you, and feel the feelings and the emotions of having it already. Over time, you can BELIEVE something is already yours and have gratitude for it! This is how manifestation works.
Have you heard the statement - Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, its always your choice... ?
Its so easy to feel like we are stuck. It takes effort and accountability to make a change. But with accountability comes ownership! When you can own all your choices, then you own what is happening around you. If you do not like it, make the choice to change something about it. THIS is the pain point for most human beings, and why so many people stay trapped in a bad job or relationship...
The Practice - REALIZE YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE CHOICE
When you tell yourself you are making this choice, for example going to a bad work environment, it helps you see from a different perspective. When you see that its YOU making the CHOICE to wake up everyday and go to that place, you are accountable... not your Office Manager even though she is riding your back... not your boss even though she is focusing on your production losses...
And listen, its ok to continue choosing a toxic work environment. Maybe its close to home, maybe they provide benefits... whatever the reason you stay, just own it! When you can see it as a CHOICE that you are taking accountability for, you realize there is something you are receiving from it. When you are able to see you ARE receiving something, that helps with the choice. FYI- if there is NOTHING you are receiving than run like time is running out towards your future self! Because honestly, every day it is.
Stand up and see how you do, ultimately have a choice in every matter of your life.
No one is ever stuck... EVER.
If you would like to experience something different, something that has the potential to make a change in your life, then join The AwakenedHygienist and other for a FREE Virtual event Saturday September 14th!
One hour of your morning with us equals a positive shift
on your soul's journey toward your future self!