Finding My Joy And Passion Again

Written by: Pia King, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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Whatever you are looking for is looking for you... I love this saying now, as it took me a while to understand what it really meant. Whatever you are looking for is looking for you, and it resonates differently for everyone, but it holds true for each of us. Just think back to when you were a child and your teacher, parent or another source figure asked you want you wanted to be when you grew up. What was that? How did it make you feel to want to be that? Did you want to be a doctor, dentist, banker, lawyer, firewoman, fireman, teacher, astronaut, or the President of the United States? Did you become what you said you’d be as a child?

I can clearly remember wanting to be a veterinary and a hairstylist. I loved animals, especially cats and dogs. Styling my doll babies, and my mom and sister’s hair put me in my own world. I don’t know if I knew it then but, being around my pets and doing my hair was very soothing to me.

As I grew older and stepped out of my safe space into the grown-up world, other people’s realities took over. I will admit that my formative years of school were interesting. I was exposed to other children and families from different cultures and countries. This was exciting. The kids I went to school with had what I thought at the time were far out and interesting. They wanted their children to call them by their first names and be best friends.

This was my first exposure to school field trips in the mountains of West Virginia at Coppers Cove. I was spending time with other kids that didn’t look like me, consumed different foods, wore different clothes, spoke other languages, and even danced differently. My family trips took us to the Caribbean, New York City, and to my mother’s childhood home in the south. This was a huge change from my family vacations which were our bonding time going see family along the east coast or the islands.

In college, I found yet another interest in communications, radio, television, and film. Yes, I was going to be the next Oprah Winfrey behind the mic. A very competitive field at the time and finding a job was, well it was challenging and very stressful. What was I going to do now? Bills don’t get paid by wishful thinking. Eventually, I ended up in a government position and returned to school to attain a master’s degree in social work. Not so bad, after all, I did enjoy working with children. After seventeen years under my belt in public service in child welfare, my soul began to cry out “this is not what I want to do, it’s hard, sad, painful, and draining”.

Now don’t get me wrong, social work is not for the faint of heart, a rewarding career, but it no longer felt good. I wanted to help people move from bad to good, help put their lives back together or create new lives for themselves and their families. Dealing with the families that were caught in government and legal systems took a toll on my overall health and well-being. I had to get out and find my joy and passion again. But how to do that was the major question.

I sat down with my husband and said “honey we have to talk” yes, the dreaded honey we must talk discussion. However, I think he knew it was coming. He knew that my health was in jeopardy, I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing, and I was not present in our home life because I was always tired and didn’t feel good. He asked me two things: What do you want to do and how can I help? My heart did a triple flip and I felt so free. My husband was an entrepreneur who clearly understood where I was coming from. He retired from law enforcement years ago because of the stress and devastation that he witnessed day in and day out. He stepped into his passion for real estate investing, and financial services and owns a luxury transportation service. He told me “Honey you have to get your passion and joy back and this time don’t let anything get in your way”.

Together we created a vision board of what we both wanted together, developed a plan of action, and implemented a budget plan since I was going to leave my job. It didn’t happen overnight and there were some bumps along the way. However, my energy changed, my vibration was stronger, and I felt the sides of my mouth start going in an upward motion. Was the smile returning to my face? I started to feel better because I was creating a vision for myself that I held when I was that kid, full of choices and “I can do that”.

Today I can say that I found my way back to radio and television as the executive producer and Podcast-talk show host of “Living Life In Mid Life”; a published author and speaker; owner of a holistic psychotherapy practice and the Oracle Boutique.

A global health and wellness retreat business where we travel the world helping women and men discover their true gifts and passions. Life just gets better and better when you take the time to sit and be still. Step out of all the noise that is around you and de-clutter your physical and mental space.

Once I turned off the noise and de-cluttered, my joy and passion found me. The union was bliss and each day a new bud blossomed filled with more adventures, possibilities, opportunities, light, and love.

So, I leave you with this, each of us has gifts and talents that may have been left behind or forgotten. Life may have steered you down another path or you received negative feedback or input from someone who didn’t make their dreams come true. So, I invite you to turn off the noise, declutter your physical and mental space, have an empowerment chat with your spouse or confidant and create your vision plan, develop your plan of action, and go seek out your joy and passion. This is your life, Live It Vibrantly.

Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit Your Whole Life Financial Services or MSW Life for more info!

Read more from Pia! 

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Pia King, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

When human beings experience trauma or significant life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to begin to unravel. Her greatest passion is bringing healing to people who have been through traumatic/stressful experiences. She believes that the “Almighty can not reach us in a spirit of fear”. She works with her clients, who include youth, adults, and families, to find healthy coping skills and strengthen their self-esteem.

As a Lupus Warrior, she knows that no single approach is the right one for every individual, and so she has been trained in a range of modalities including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Stress Management Therapy (SMT), Complementary Alternative Healing, such as, Energy Healing, Aromatherapy and Reiki.

Her educational background includes a BA in Mass Communication and a Master of Social Work from Howard University. She is currently working on her Doctoral degree in Theocentric Psychology/Metaphysical Science at the University of Sedona.

She is a licensed social worker with a concentration in health care services. As a case manager serving the Special Needs community, she realized that many of her clients were not only dealing with complex disabilities and behavioral health concerns, but many were struggling with social determinants, including inadequate housing/homeless, unemployment, food insecurities, anxiety and trauma. With this in the forefront of her mind, she is obsessed with helping people have more access to better mental, behavioral and spiritual health supports.

As a result of her commitment to working with communities of color, Pia launched her private practice six years ago and currently sees clients diagnosed with Lupus and chronic pain.

She is the Executive Producer and Host of Getting Better and Stronger Everyday Podcast and Living Life In Mid Life Radio, speaker, trainer, a published author of several books, including, Healing Grace: Through Light and Love- A Journey with Lupus and The Self-Esteem Journal, In Everything Pray- 30 Day Prayer Journal and Getting Started with Estate Planning. Her books can be found on Amazon, The Book Patch, and Payhip. You can find Pia here or helping individuals step into their passion.