Why Did You Really Become A Professional Pet Sitter? (And the PSO Conference Scholarship is Open)

This post is insanely important for two specific reasons.

1 – It’s the first official announcement that our 2014 Scholarship Program is open for applicants (that’s you).

This simply means we will be awarding one qualified pet care professional a fully paid trip to attend our upcoming pet sitting live event in Las Vegas this October 19 – 22, 2014, including fully paid round trip air fare, 3-night hotel stay at the Tropicana, and a registration ticket to the 3 day event.

2 – The deeper purpose of this blog post is to get you thinking deeper about everything you do day in and day out as a professional pet sitter.

And why is that so important? Keep reading and you’ll quickly learn what I mean.

RESOURCE: Apply now for the 2014 PetSittingOlogy Live Event Scholarship »

Let’s start with that self evaluation, if you will.

I titled this post “Why did you really become a professional pet sitter” with emphasis on the word “really.” If we were talking, and I asked you simply “Why did you become a professional pet sitter” you could easily list a handful of reasons, covering everything from “I was tired of my old career” and “I wanted to work for myself” to “I absolutely love animals and this is the perfect way to spend time with them.”

And each of those replies would be more than relevant, sufficient and accurate.

However, see what happens when we insert the word ‘really’ into the middle of the question:

“Why did you REALLY become a professional pet sitter?”

It forces you into a state of true and personal reflection.

It asks you to dig deeper into your actions, motivations, and routines.

• I want to feel a sense of personal pride.
• I want to create a legacy and leave something behind.
• I want to call the shots.
• I want to be respected, admired and looked up to.
• I want to be challenged and challenge myself everyday.
• I want to set my own path and be an industry and community trailblazer.

Those are some personal examples you might use that go deeper into your body, mind and soul.

But Why Is This Question So Important For You To Answer?

So, why ask this deeper question? Why is it not enough to answer with “I was tired of my old job” or “I love animals of all kinds”?

Don’t get me wrong. Those are certainly valuable and legitimate. And we can all relate to that, for sure.

But help yourself by digging as deep as you can to understand what drives you, what propels you, what moves you, and what forces you to take action every day.

Be honest… do you find yourself constantly going, moving, working, doing, thinking, wondering, trying, asking, adjusting – without feeling much closer to what you believe you are working towards?

Too many of us find ourselves getting up in the morning, checking email, checking Facebook, and checking our schedules and going.

We then go about our day serving our clients and doing our work in almost a trance-like state, right? We play the same conversations over and over in our head until we exhaustedly hit the pillow and get ready to do it all again the next morning.

So, asking this deeper question, again, forces you to stop in your tracks and evaluate what is important to the big, overall picture.

Be Fair To Yourself Once and For All!

If you want to look at this in a similar, yet parallel, light, ask yourself this:

Where do you see your pet sitting business in 10 years from now?

In that question, the word ‘SEE’ should be the operative word. Take a second right now and actually SEE your business in 10 years from today…

By seeing, or envisioning, it you go way beyond “I want to be the biggest, most popular, most successful pet sitting business in the land!” Sure, that might be an ultimate goal of yours but what does that actually LOOK like. Can you see it?

What’s really the purpose of this question, anyway?

This question about why did you really become a pet sitter, or where do you see yourself in 10 years is not about setting goals and working a plan to make that happen. That’s a completely separate thing.

This reflection and evaluation is to get you right here and right now out of any RUT you may find yourself in. Let’s stop the mundane day-to-day merry go ’round. Let’s stop working ourselves mad with a similar result.

Let’s instead take a step back and evaluate why we are on this path to begin with.

I see too many pet sitters who are overworked, overwhelmed, and completely stressed.

There is an answer and a solution to every problem, issue, or struggle you find yourself in.

Nothing is “the end of the world.” Nothing is unsolvable. Nothing will “make or break” you.

As someone very famous once said: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

What is your will? What do you truly want? And why did you really become a professional pet sitter?

Wrap Up and Links

Take some time and evaluate the following options:

– Want to apply for the 2014 PetSittingOlogy Scholarship (sponsored in part by Pet Tech and Power Pet Sitter)? Click Here to Apply Today!

– See the Official 3rd Annual Event Page.

– If you enjoy what we do here, please help spread the word to others who may benefit from the tools and resources we give. Use the share buttons below to give us a “thumbs up vote!”

– Your comments and thoughts are appreciated below.

SPECIAL NOTICE: If you have already purchased your conference registration ticket, you may still apply for the scholarship. You would receive a reimbursement on your funds already paid.

photo credit: Tc Morgan via photopin cc