On Day Jobs

On Day Jobs & Synchronicity

A funny thing happened on the way to second semester at my day job this year. They offered me a teaching position I didn’t want. I asked around and found out they wouldn’t need part time instructors in the fall due to a curriculum change. I pushed some numbers around and realized that I might squeak by without the day job, seeing as how I’d just paid off the credit card and I had some savings. Risky though. I’d have to do it without health insurance and numbers would have to pick up or I’d be back to finding a day job to supplement. What to do?

So the last day I was at the hospital in my nursing teaching job, I sat down to lunch. There was a pile of nursing journals nearby. I tossed the first one in the pile and opened the second to an article entitled, “How to Leave Your Job Gracefully.” Hmmm. It was a good article, too.

The health insurance thing was bugging me. I’ve been in nursing all my life. I know what can go wrong, especially at my age. I thought about this for a few days and got some information. Health insurance is prohibitively expensive, even high deductible.

Later that week at my clinic an article on an anti-aging blood stasis/tonic formula was on top of a pile of articles I haven’t looked at in a while. Hmmmm. I had been going to sell my powdered herb pharmacy, as I’m not using them much. I sat back and looked at those herbs and decided the herbs and my needles are my health insurance. I really do believe this medicine can treat most things and is preventative. I’m going to bet my health on it.

It took me a month after I gave my notice to really feel gone from the community college after working there 9 ½ years. The day I no longer had an e mail account there was the defining moment. I Whoo Hooed a good minute and haven’t looked back.

I’ve been more productive in the last 8 weeks in my clinic than I have been since I converted to CA. I’ve cleaned, sorted, made new forms, re-thought procedures, rearranged things, etc. I go in 5 days a week for 3-4 hr clinic sessions. I smile more and frown much less. I have the mental energy to research conditions more. I’m so busy and happy that I forget to worry about the money.

And it’s working out! My clinic numbers are back up to what they were at the end of the summer just before my day job for fall started. I’m fortunate in being a nurse that I can find a job if I need one, but I have a feeling I won’t need one.

And I still am getting used to not working for “the man.” It’s incredibly freeing to have ALL MY TIME under my control. ALL OF IT. Amazing feeling.

Friends have been great! “Do what you love and the money will come.” “You’ve got to do what feels true to your heart.” “I think you could be REALLY busy and REALLY successful in your practice (without your day job).” “You go, Girl.” “You seized the moment and let the Universe be your guide. How many people do that?”

I was in a conventional private practice for 4 1/2 years and had no hope of making my living as an acupuncturist. I wasn’t helping very many people, either, since so few could afford it. Now I see 40-45 week (had 23 new patients this month!), see them be amazed that acupuncture works, get all this experience and I’m making my living doing it.

Great life!

PS The formula is Ji Xue Formula (Huang Qi Ji Xue Wan) formulated by John Heuertz, DOM.

Ji Xue Teng 20%, Huang Qi, 14%, Yi Yi Ren, 11%, He Shou Wu 8%, Dang Gue 8%, Dong Chong Xia Cao 8%, Chi Shao 8%, Shen Qu 8%, Shu Di Huang 5%, Wu Wei Zi 4%, Zhi Ke 3%, Zhi Zi 3%. He mentions he uses this as a base formula for nearly everyone over 60 and for some in their 30’s.