Easy Money

Going to the Olympics wasn't something I ever thought I'd do.

I was a deep thinking, big feeling, travel addicted bookworm who loved a good D&M (90's speak for a 'deep & meaningful' conversation). In highschool, I spent more time thinking about how to get out of PE class than actually doing PE.

A couple of months before my hometown of Sydney hosted the 2000 Olympics, I came across a job ad on the university noticeboard (ummm.....yes.....an actual physical noticeboard on the wall. Remember those?).

And that is how I ended up living on a cruise ship docked in Sydney harbour, taking American VIP guests to the opening and closing ceremonies and loads of events between. My duties involved eating, drinking, chatting and making sure guests got to their events each day. I got to play tour guide and show them around my beloved city. There were some evening events we "had" to attend - parties on the harbour foreshore with the likes of the Clintons - but otherwise a group of us staff would head out for a night on the town and soak up the international vibe. Lining up to get into nightclubs, we would chat to medal winning athletes and so many other interesting humans from all over the world. It was like I inhabited a dream world for a month.

When I got home, I saw that I had been paid several thousand dollars for this 'work'. My young brain was elated but confused. Getting paid to do something that was easy and (so much!) fun wasn't in my frame of reference. I thought work had to be....well....hard work.

The thing is, that job might have been hard work for some. It involved making conversation with strangers for much of the day. But I loved listening to people's stories and asking them about their lives. It involved a microphone being shoved into my hands without warning and being asked to be a tour guide for a bus load of senior execs. But as a keen traveller, I loved seeing my home city through fresh eyes and I'm one of those weirdos who kind of enjoys the spotlight. It involved fielding lots of questions from people who didn't know where they were going or what was happening. But I'm a natural uplifter who gets a buzz from helping others. It was fun & easy for ME.

Let's create a new paradigm for ourselves. Do you remember a time when you received money for doing something that was fun and easy for you?