SOMETIMES THE ANSWER IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU

I caught the tail end of Dr. 90210 last night and Dr. Rey was telling his family about the missions trip from which he'd just returned. He was trying to communicate how much he'd gotten out of the trip and he said (I'm paraphrasing), When you give freely of yourself, YOU'RE the one who ends up receiving. When I heard that, it was like an epiphany. It's just amazing how you receive the answers to your questions when you least expect it.

On Monday, one of my former clients left me a voicemail saying that she was interested in retaining my services again. I called her back to discuss her needs and told her that I'd send her an e-mail with all the information she needed. On Tuesday, she returned my e-mail and stated that she'd just received notice of her job being terminated. I felt badly for her so when I responded to her e-mail, I offered to provide her with additional assistance and services, free of charge. After I clicked "send", I wondered if I was being too generous. I had already stated that I would give her an additional discount on the services she originally requested. Now, I was offering up more services for free. I really wanted to help her, especially since she'd just lost her job. However, the business side of me was telling me not to let my feelings interfere with my revenue.

When you give freely of yourself, YOU'RE the one who ends up receiving. There was my answer. This particular client has been such a blessing to me and she doesn't even realize it. In addition to referring another client to me, she has been my biggest cheerleader. The gratitude and excitement she expressed after I completed her project were worth more than the money she paid me. There's no greater feeling than to be TRULY appreciated and knowing that you've made a difference in someone's life. That alone is more than enough compensation for me.