Life can often feel like we’re stuck on a hamster wheel, running endlessly but getting nowhere. Many women, especially those balancing professional careers and family responsibilities, find themselves trapped in this repetitive cycle of tasks without a sense of true fulfillment. Virginia Dale Manning, a mental health therapist, mother, and grandmother, shares her journey of recognizing this pattern and breaking free.
Recognizing the Hamster Wheel
Virginia describes her late 20s as a blur of relentless routine: “work, school, kids, repeat.” As a teenage mother now in college at 29, her days were dictated by a rigid sequence of responsibilities. “I was just like a robot, waking up, getting the kids ready, going to school, working, and helping with homework. There was no golden sun,” she reflects. This realization was her first step toward change. Many women resonate with this experience of autopilot living, feeling trapped in societal expectations.
Finding a Purpose
The turning point for Virginia was reading “Purpose Driven Life.” This book helped her realize that her daily tasks needed to be more than just items on a to-do list—they needed a “why.” She recalls, “Just looking at that word—’purpose’—every day eventually made me pick up the book.” This shift in mindset brought about a profound change. She no longer saw her routine as a series of burdens but as steps toward a greater goal. Understanding her purpose allowed Virginia to imbue her days with meaning, transforming her sense of drudgery into one of intention.
The Power of Self-Care and Reflection
Virginia’s journey didn’t stop at recognizing her purpose—it involved practical, everyday changes. She emphasizes taking breaks, practicing self-care, and reflecting on one’s day. “I started slowing down, taking breaks, reflecting, and having conversations with my kids and myself. Daily affirmations became key,” she explains. Instead of being swept away by the tide of responsibilities, Virginia learned to anchor herself through conscious, mindful actions. This approach, encapsulated in what she calls her “burnout toolkit,” includes self-care guides and daily resets, bringing balance to her life.
Breaking Barriers and Seeking Support
One of Virginia’s most formidable challenges was navigating life without traditional role models. She broke through societal statistics that are often imposed on teenage mothers. Through faith and self-education, she forged her path. “Books really helped me. Family wasn’t there as a role model. It was me, myself, and I,” she admits. Yet, she acknowledges the importance of external support and community, something she focused on providing in her advocacy work for professional mothers experiencing burnout.
Embrace The Journey
Virginia Dale Manning’s story is a powerful reminder that escaping the hamster wheel starts with awareness and a commitment to purposeful living. As she wisely states, “Know thyself.” Whether through spiritual grounding, daily affirmations, or seeking community support, the tools to break free are available to us all. Life does not have to be an endless cycle of unfulfilling tasks; it’s within our power to infuse it with purpose and joy.
This article was inspired by an interview by Amy Stone with Virginia Dale Manning on The Art of Imperfect Adulting. To be the first to get inspiring content like this, join our email newsletter and we’ll let you know when new episodes and articles are out.
Purposeful Living: Interview Transcript Virginia Dale Manning with Amy Stone | The Art of Imperfect Adulting | March 2025
Amy Stone [00:00:03]:
Virginia, Dale Manning. Welcome to Imperfect Adulting.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:00:07]:
Thank you. I’m so excited to be here, and thank you for inviting me.
Amy Stone [00:00:12]:
You are very welcome. So are you ready for a chat?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:00:14]:
I am. Let’s go. Let’s go.
Amy Stone [00:00:17]:
Let’s do it. Let’s do it. So I start almost all of my interviews by asking my guests where they call home, what part of the world you’re talking to me from today.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:00:27]:
I am currently in Houston, Texas. I’ve been here for about 10 to 11 years, but I am originally from Beaumont, Texas.
Amy Stone [00:00:35]:
Beaumont, Texas. But you’re Texas born and raised.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:00:37]:
Texas born and raised.
Amy Stone [00:00:39]:
All right, there’s a saying that comes out. I live in Florida. I live in Miami, Florida. And there’s a saying that I borrow from Texas, which is that I’m not from here, but I got here as soon as I could. All right, so before we get into the topic of the day, I want to give you a chance to tell the audience and the people listening and me as well, because we’re just meeting, meeting today, as little or as much as you want about your family, the people you live with, all the stuff like that.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:01:05]:
I’m a mental health therapist. I’ve been licensed since 2011. I have four adult kids, nine grandkids. I know I don’t look like it, but, yes, I’m seasoned. Lightly seasoned.
Amy Stone [00:01:21]:
Lightly seasoned, lightly seasoned.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:01:23]:
Yeah. And I mean, hey, I just enjoy life. Like, I love traveling. I love to read, I love to bake. I love to cook. I love spending time with my family. I just love life. And I love Jesus as well.
Amy Stone [00:01:37]:
Very good. All right, so kids and grandkids living in Texas. Very good. Today, what we’re going to do is we’re going to talk about your experience on what you call the hamster wheel and how you got off the hamster wheel. That’s what you positioned as your topic. Does that sound good?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:01:53]:
That sounds perfect.
Amy Stone [00:01:55]:
Okay, so let’s back up and make sure that we’re all on the same page. Let’s talk about what you mean when you say hamster wheel. Tell us what that’s what that means.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:02:05]:
Okay, so I’ll give you a little backstory about how I experienced the hamster wheel myself. And I’m pretty sure many women do. So in my late 20s, you know, I was a mother, a teenage mother, and so about 29, I was in college. I was working. I was dealing with kids, helping them with school. So that was the hamster wheel. And I call it work, school, kids, Work, school, kids. And then we could just add in bills. Bills, yeah, bills. And so just on that hamster wheel of trying to manage that. And then I started to realize, you know, because it was just day to day routines like wake up, get the kids ready, go to school. I go to school, go to work, pick the kids up, do homework, go to sleep, take a bath, eat, you know, just that just routine, just, you just are on automatic autopilot. And then one day I’m like, wait a minute, what am I doing this for? Like, I’m just like a robot just on like a hamster, right? Just chasing the, the kernel of food round and round, round with no reason, like, why am I doing this? The hamster said, yeah. And so that’s how I started feeling. I started like feeling like I’m doing all the right things, going to school, work and taking care of kids. But I didn’t feel like I was doing the right things. Like I didn’t feel the satisfaction. Like I didn’t wake up in the morning and there’s this golden sun. And so I’m like, wait a minute, let me stop. Let me think of what is, what am I doing this for, right? Like I’m doing the right things, but I don’t feel that satisfaction on the inside because it’s just like automatic after a while. And so I stopped and I thought about it and I, I already had this book, Purpose Driven Life. I probably shouldn’t tell you what the book. And I read that book and that book just changed how I felt about and how I viewed all of these things I was doing every day. I’m like, you know, it was for a reason. It was purposeful. And as I evolved, I’m like, okay, like reveal the purpose to me. I know the purpose is I know I need to get a good job, be able to take care of my kids, pay bills, but it has to be something deep for me to really want to continue getting up every morning on this hamster wheel. And you know, the burnout, I was experiencing that burnout. And so that’s why I developed and I’m pretty sure you’ll tell it, you know, the burnout tool kit with, you know, had a self care guide how to reset and that those are all of the things that I developed that helped me get to my next level of. Instead of feeling burnout, feeling purposeful, meaningful, just being driven and just enjoying those.
Amy Stone [00:04:40]:
Heavy tasks, There’s a lot in there that’s. I love that. I love that. One of the things I want to rewind and talk about Because I love to talk about these stories with people who are far enough past positions in their life where they can have a really good outlook on it. Outlook on it. Right. But you sort of went through those sequences of when you were younger, like, so college at 29, you very. You mentioned that you were a teen parent, which is something that I don’t. I mean, I think we’re probably right around the same age, maybe a little different because you look so young. But when I was growing up, there was a lot of pressure to not do that. And then it really surprised me when I got to be an adult that it’s not actually as big of a stumbling block as people will tell you sometimes when, when you’re younger. Like when I met people in college that were already moms and I met people who were working and professional and they had kids and they were teenagers, and I was like, wait a min. This story they told me when I was a teenager to, you know, like, may not have been as factual as they let it out to believe. And so the value of that, I think, from people who are our age talking to people who are younger, is that you can really feel like you’ve taken a misstep and it might not be a misstep.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:06:03]:
Absolutely. Yeah. That’s what I like, as a teenage mother, that was the first time I defined myself as defeating statistics because, like, you were just saying, oh, teenage mothers, they’re not going to finish school, they’re going to be destined for poverty, they’re not going to go to college. And I’m like, just because I’m a teenage mother doesn’t mean I can’t do all of those things. And I. And that’s kind of like my life story. That’s what I do now. Every time I come against something that the society says or statistics say that you cannot do, I make sure I break it.
Amy Stone [00:06:35]:
Yeah, I love that. No, I love that. And I think that there’s a lot of value and a lot of purpose because it is different. Right. When you’re going through something where people say the odds are this is not going to work out for you, right. When that person is somebody who is a professional and you are a professional, like you’re a social worker, like, it’s different. But if a doctor or a nurse or a professor tells you, hey, these are the statistics, you’re probably not going to make it, that feels pretty crappy. On the other hand, when you talk to somebody that’s like, you know, hey, listen, here I am standing 20 years older than you. And I can tell you that there’s a chance that you get to write your story the way you want to.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:07:15]:
Absolutely.
Amy Stone [00:07:16]:
That’s really inspiring and motivational and so I appreciate you letting me double click on that to close the loop there. So you realized you were on the hamster wheel when it just felt like everything was pre decided for you. You were going through the days and there was not a lot of content or purpose.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:07:41]:
Absolutely.
Amy Stone [00:07:42]:
Yeah. And did you know that word purpose or it just came from the book?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:07:45]:
It kind of came from the book. After I read it, you know, like I said, I had it for a while and just, you know, looking at it for a while and I’m like, when am I gonna read this book? And I’m like, I think this is the perfect time to read it because why am I doing all of this? And so just looking at that book every day and then finally saying, okay, you know, it’s time to read that book because you keep looking at that word purpose and then you’re not getting anywhere. And then it had some little spiritual undertone and underton, you know, I’m like, this is the best time to dive into that.
Amy Stone [00:08:14]:
Do you remember where the book came from? Like how you got it?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:08:18]:
But like, that’s a good question because I know now I’m like Amazon crazy with books. So maybe it was an Amazon thing. I can’t even think of. Amazon was really hot back then.
Amy Stone [00:08:29]:
Right, right. It’s like, did we do it then? Yes. So that’s. Yeah, that’s interesting to think about where, where. Because it had such a big purpose or such a big influence on your life and where it might have come from. All so you realize that then. And then here’s a question which may not be actually a good question, but I’m going to throw it out at you and we’ll see what you think.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:08:51]:
There’s no such thing as not a good question.
Amy Stone [00:08:54]:
Well, we’ll see. I’m going to test that. Do you think that there are people out there who don’t mind being on the hamster wheel? Do you think there are people who don’t want off?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:09:05]:
I think that people don’t think there’s an option is what I think. I think people don’t want to do that, like be stuck in, you know, task after task, not taking a break, not having self care, not being able to breathe, just feeling like they’re stuck in this routine. I feel like they don’t know that education part, that there are options that.
Amy Stone [00:09:28]:
Is Very well said. That is very well said.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:09:31]:
Yeah.
Amy Stone [00:09:31]:
You have to know that there’s something else out there. You have to realize that there’s another option. I like that a lot. All right, so what changes did you make to get off the hamster wheel?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:09:46]:
Say it again.
Amy Stone [00:09:47]:
What changes did you make to get off the hamster wheel?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:09:51]:
Well, I tried to make sure I did my self care. I was like, reflected on what I needed to do, how I needed to do it, and just like, take a break and think. And the one thing I tell my clients today is that know thyself. Because if you’re just doing things and just like doing what society says to do, going through the routines, it’s not because of you. It’s because you’re doing what societies are saying you’re supposed to do. And so, you know, you never really think, is this what I want? Is this what is for me? And so just to be able to reflect on yourself and know what your path is, your destiny, your purpose is, what’s. What’s the best way to go? That, that kind of helped me. Like, when I stopped and thought about that, I’m like, okay, what is the best thing for me to do in my life? What does God have for me to do? What. What is the meaning behind all of this? And then that kind of helped me set the structure of, okay, I need to start resetting, I need to take care of myself. I need to, you know, know that I don’t have to be on a hamster wheel. You know, you have to do all of those things. You have to go to work, you have to go to school, you have to take care of your kids. But it doesn’t have to be so stressful and so, you know, tense and everything. And to know that is important.
Amy Stone [00:11:02]:
It is. And I think that we talked about this a second ago, but I will loop back around. It’s not always obvious that this is a choice we don’t see when we grow up with a sequence. If some like, so I didn’t. I was. I never thought about not going to school until I was like a teenager. Right. Like in the beginning, you’re just like, oh, this is what we do because people tell us to do it. And it can be unnerving as an adult to realize how much of that is happening in our lives. And I remember listening to somebody’s interview in my 30s, and she was talking about. She’s like, well, I looked at this and I realized that this was not for me. Like, I didn’t have to follow these rules. And I was like, wait, what? What are you talking about? That’s an option. Like these. I didn’t even see that. I didn’t know that that was there.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:11:45]:
So, you know, another barrier too, is that if you didn’t grow up with those role models.
Amy Stone [00:11:50]:
That’s right.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:11:50]:
Because I’m the first generation everything. The first generation to go to college, the first generation. I was a teacher, the first generation to be a business owner. So as they say, you know, I had to get everything from the mu. I didn’t have a. My mom committed suicide when I was 22, 23. So I didn’t have her, you know, to continuously guide me as a young mother and. And everything like that. So I did. And then a lot of her family were still in Florida because we have family. She. They came from Jacksonville, Florida.
Amy Stone [00:12:21]:
And there’s a connection, Florida and Texas.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:12:23]:
Uhhuh. Always that border. So we didn’t. I didn’t have that. So I kind of had to learn as I go. And books is. Is really what still to this day, I’m a book lover. If you come in my office, you’re gonna see books everywhere. And I’m Amazon. Hey, they probably love me so much for buying all of these books, but just to educate myself, because I didn’t have that role model. Still don’t today. I’m still, you know, trying to connect with people and, you know, trainers and thankfully these days it’s more workshops and trainings and conferences and stuff, you know, that we can go to for that education. Because when I was coming up, I didn’t know. Like I said, I was just going, yeah.
Amy Stone [00:13:03]:
And you know what? There is a choice there. Right. Like, so I love to talk to people about the choices and the decisions they made. And so I want to make sure that I give you props and kudos and credit for making the choice to go out and find the information you were looking for. Because there is another choice you can make which is just not. And just, you know, just go.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:13:20]:
Absolutely.
Amy Stone [00:13:21]:
And slide along. And there’s nothing wrong with that choice, but, you know, it’s like to call it.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:13:25]:
Live with it. Yeah.
Amy Stone [00:13:27]:
Do you have to live with it? Absolutely. Okay, so then when you chose to get off the hamster wheel, you said you read the book and you said, I’m gonna do. Thinking about what is my purpose? What is my. Why? That’s sometimes the other word we use for. For this kind of thing. What changed in your day to day life as a result of that?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:13:49]:
Well, I started slowing down, taking breaks, especially because I used to just go from one task to the other. I would wake up in the morning, get the kids read, would shoot out to school, try to make sure they get there for Christmas. I would shoot to school because it was right around the same area. Then after school, I’ll go straight to work. Then from work, go pick the kids up from daycare. You know, just this routine. But I had. I’m like, just take. Start taking some breaks. Even in the summer, no breaks, just. Just going. So just taking breaks, reflecting, thinking, like, okay, it’s okay to stop and breathe. Like, you don’t have to do homework as soon as you get home or jump to the kids with their homework soon as you get home, take a break, have some conversations with the kids. Have conversations with yourself. Like, think about how your day went. Reflect those reflections. Reset, you know, as part of the. The burnout toolkit. Reset. Daily affirmations that. That became a key. Like, let me just stop and reflect. Like, what. What am I feeling today? What do I need to boost my mood today? Because, of course it’s not going to be all perfect just because I read the book. Now everything is kumbaya. I got to put some stuff in place. So daily affirmations I had. It was always either a Bible verse or, you know, I could do this. You know, I’m beautiful. Because that was another thing. Like, because, you know, you on that hamster wheel, you’re not looking beautiful every day.
Amy Stone [00:15:14]:
No, there’s a whole season. There’s a whole season of life where you’re just like. You’re just like, I just gotta get stuff done. Like, nobody’s paying attention. Yeah.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:15:21]:
Like, I just got to go and just get up. Don’t even remember if I brushed my teeth or not. But, you know, just resetting, just intentionally sitting, resetting, reflecting on what I did well, what didn’t go well, and you doing more of what I did, what I didn’t do well, revamp it, reset it. You know, get some knowledge about how to make it better and then just continue growing over and over and over again. So the. What they call the snowball, you know, things. So what do you want to snowball? Do you want negative things to snowball, or do you want positive things that snowball? So what you focus on is what grows.
Amy Stone [00:15:59]:
So, yeah, and I. I can tell that you’re very. I’m gonna make up you and I just met today, so this is new. But I can tell that you’re pretty good probably at walking people through, guiding People through this process because you went. You’re listing it as sort of one thing, but you actually have all the small components in there. Because like we do things when they’re little tiny pieces. Like, it’s like that first rung of the ladder needs to be very close to where we are. It has to be one little piece that we can do and then another little piece. And when you put them together, that’s when. That’s when it begins to that. So we talk, we. We just about talked about this. But the next thing I was going to ask you is do you think that the hamster wheel is. Is sometimes a season of life to teach you that?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:16:45]:
I think a hamster wheel is necessary because that helps you to build resilience. It helps you to be stronger. It helps you to know what you need to do better. What you don’t need to bet if you do it right anyways, come to terms with, hey, I need to get off this hamster wheel. But if you just content with it, I mean, you know, that’s a whole different season. Right? Season of st. Yeah. So yeah, the recognizing it and doing things to adjust is a season of growth. So you continue to grow and, and each season you might be get back on a hamster wheel. Right. Because when you grow, then that’s probably a whole nother hamster wheel that you have to learn how to navigate. Because once, see, so like for example, like I went from being a mother, going to school, you know, graduate school, kids get a little older, they’re more self sufficient. Bam, another hamster wheel. Now I’m trying to find a job that’s going to accept me and still handle teenage kids and all their activities and work. So it’s still, you know, either way it goes.
Amy Stone [00:17:44]:
Yep, yep.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:17:45]:
You know, so you have to learn how that’s that reset. You know, what I need to do to get to my next level to stay, you know, productive and so I don’t get stuck. The kids not to get stuck.
Amy Stone [00:17:55]:
Yeah, no, absolutely. The reason I asked that is because a lot of people that I talk to who have gone through this process of being in a really sort of a burnout, overwhelm type thing, they often get that feedback from people. Right. That it’s like, it’s like this is normal. This is just the way it is. You just kind of have to deal with it and it’s not very helpful that feedback when you’re looking to make a change. Right.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:18:19]:
It kind of depends on people’s perspective and how they define it too. Because whatever that other person is doing, they may seem like there’s still stuff because I’m on the next hamster wheel. But actually, that’s that reset point. You got to reflect on the progress you’ve made.
Amy Stone [00:18:34]:
Yeah, right.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:18:35]:
Because it’s not. You’re not on the same hamster wheel. That’s the progress. Now, if you’re on the same hamster wheel, you know, that might be the problem. But if you’re on the next hamster wheel and the next Hampton hamster wheel. But I’m progressing in life. That’s, you know, that’s the key.
Amy Stone [00:18:48]:
Very good. Very good. All right, so this question has two parts, and I’m looking forward to hearing your answer, because now that I’ve learned a little bit about your origin story and things, the question is, what kind of support did you have when you were going through this first awareness of the hamster wheel and getting off? Like, who was there and what was there to help you do that? And then the other thing is, looking back with some time in the difference, what support do you wish?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:19:16]:
Well, back then, it was me, myself and I. And my Beyonce. Yeah, it was just me and Jesus. God. Church.
Amy Stone [00:19:25]:
Okay.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:19:25]:
I went to church. I wasn’t, like, continuously going to church, but I would go to church. I would pray for strength, I would pray for guidance. I would pray for, what do I do next, you know, so that was my foundation. Family. No, because, you know, looking at my family, I’m way farther than what I should be if I base myself off of family. So that wasn’t the key. It was just having spiritual faith and guidance and continuously growing within myself. Right. Internally making sure I. I know the things that I need at school. Right. I think going to school really helped me after I broke over that mold of, you know, people saying that, you know, a teenage mother. Because that. I don’t know. I guess I could have been stubborn. Not really. Kind of a little bit, because I’m like, you’re not about to define me because I’m a teenage mother and say, I can’t go to college, and I’m not gonna succeed in college. So that, too. That part of me. And I, like, I say it’s the strength coming from my spiritual side, because other than that, the things that I do, people like, how did you do all of that? And. And even, like, family, normal family and friends, they kind of astonished that, you know, I’m this person as well.
Amy Stone [00:20:31]:
All right, very good. And so what feedback? What. So you had some community support? You had the. The Structure of school and the community of school and the community of the congregation of church, which is really actually very important. And. And the structure of that, of having, like, that positive support and then you had some personal drive. What kind of support? Looking back, what do you wish you might have had at that time when you were trying to make that change? What would have been helpful? Helpful?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:20:59]:
Well, you know, a lot of times people think that it should be family and friends that are there for you, but nine times out of ten, now that I see things as they are now that it’s probably not going to be family and friends. So just more collaborations. Being more extrovert because I’m an introvert, which, you know, both are good. But more balancing that. More like getting out more, because I did everything in the shell. You know, I didn’t. I didn’t communicate with people. I didn’t collaborate. I didn’t join any organizations. I wasn’t active in, you know, community, sisterhood type of things like what I do. That’s why I do it so much now, because I didn’t do it then. And I think if I had done it back then, that I would have been probably. I wouldn’t say farther ahead, but I would have had more knowledge and when I wouldn’t have had to do it all by myself.
Amy Stone [00:21:49]:
All right, Okay. I think that’s a great. I really think that’s a great answer. And I. You’re not the first person that I’ve interviewed this week who has mentioned that often our support doesn’t come from family and friends. We’ve got. We. It’s. It’s a re. It’s a reframe to just be aware that you’re gonna have to maybe go out and find this support in other.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:22:09]:
Places, because it’s there.
Amy Stone [00:22:11]:
Yeah. Professional social organizations, networking groups, people who are doing the things that you want to do, who maybe one, two steps ahead of you. They’re ready to help. All right, so in just a second, we’re going to do the final questions and wrap things up. But I do want to give people a chance. I want to give you a chance to tell the audience specifically what you do and how they can find you online. And then I’m going to tell them about a great offer that you have for them.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:22:36]:
Well, I’m a mental health therapist at heart, is my nine to five. I’m also an advocate for women. Right. Who are experiencing burnout. Mothers, professional mothers, because, you know, we get the most. The most pullback when we’re trying to balance in the career and family at the same time. Once again, they think it’s not possible. Another statistic, right? We got the black breaking ladies or gentlemen. They got men out there that’s being single dads too, right? That people think you can’t be a single dad anymore and. And take care of the kid. Well, not anymore, but period. And take care of the kids. So let’s break those statistics. You know, go for it. Be you do what you need to do and, you know, don’t let people define you. You define you.
Amy Stone [00:23:18]:
Very good. Do you have a website or social media?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:23:21]:
Social media all at Virginiadale Manning or the business is at Jenman Consulting. I’m on all social media platforms. YouTube. I have a few books out there. And you probably can find it all on social media website jimman consulting.com.
Amy Stone [00:23:38]:
Very good. So I’m gonna put all those links in the show notes and in the email that goes to the subscribers. You very generously have a special offer for the audience, which is your burnout assessment, which is normally $97, but people can get it for 27. And there’s a link in the show notes where people can get that great deal. But the easiest way to get it is to subscribe to my email Community imperfect adulting. And then you can just click on the link. All right, down. I am going to ask you three questions. These are supposed to be rapid fire, which just means fast. But usually everybody’s too chatty to do that. So they’re just for fun. They’re not high pressure. Okay. Do you have a set morning routine? And if so, do you want to share with us what it is?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:24:23]:
My set morning routine? I’ve gotten to the habit of getting up early, doing some reading. Mostly something, you know, I try to have. For the past two years, my reading list has been every month a spiritual book. And my goal is to be a multi millionaire. So it’s a book that has to have the word millionaire in. In the title.
Amy Stone [00:24:44]:
Okay.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:24:45]:
Every morning I get up, it got to be reading something spiritual, whatever it may be. And I always throw extra books in. Like I said, I’m a book fanatic.
Amy Stone [00:24:54]:
Yeah.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:24:54]:
And then, you know, just reflecting. Sometimes I try to lay in bed and just try to be still and listen to what’s going on around outside. Like, I try to listen, okay, listen to the cars, listen to the trees, listen to if some water is dripping. Like, tune in to just quietness and just listen, like what’s going on around me. And I find that that brings me more peace. And I Have an easier day when I do that.
Amy Stone [00:25:19]:
Very nice. I love that little grounding exercise. Do you read real books? Kindle books or audiobooks? This is a bonus question. You’re a real book person. That was not on my list. That was like my file.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:25:31]:
I’ve downloaded several ebooks. I’ve tried it over and over again. Can I do an ebook? I need to highlight. I need to fold the pages, I need to bookmark it. I need to do all of that. So, yeah, I need to.
Amy Stone [00:25:42]:
Active reading, we call that interacting with the textbook. That’s right. All right. There you go. Oh, actually, that was my next question. Do you read or listen to books? And if so, can you share the last. All right, so you answered the number two item. It’s such a. So anyway. All right, there you go. That was the second one. All right, now when you. Third and final question. When you take vacations, do you prefer to travel somewhere that’s far away to, like, an exotic location, or are you a person who vacations and enjoys relaxing closer to home?
Virginia Dale Manning [00:26:10]:
Oh, I got to get away. Preferably somewhere sunny with some beach and, you know, a nice view. I love nice views. Have to have a nice view. I do not want a hotel or resort room or whatever. If it does not have a nice view, I will ask to be moved.
Amy Stone [00:26:28]:
If they give you the view, that’s like the partial garden, and it’s actually like the parking garage with a little sliver. You’re back down at the desk like. Excuse me.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:26:35]:
Excuse me. We need to have a view. I cannot be on that side of the building.
Amy Stone [00:26:42]:
I love it. I love it. That’s it. Virginia, Dale Manning, thank you so much for being my guest today.
Virginia Dale Manning [00:26:47]:
I appreciate it. Thank you for having me.