Those Who Don't Believe In Magic Will Never Find It - Roald Dahl
Do you believe in magic?
I think back to the time when I was longing for direction and traction in my career. I had my experience in sales. Marketing computers and then advertising. I realized that was not for me. More accurately, I was shown the door, but I acknowledged that phase in my path was done, and served it’s purpose. It was time to move on and keep searching.
I finally decided to try to get back on with Canada Post. Thinking that made the most sense,
was most expedient, and maybe the best option to secure continuous employment and income. I worked at the two jobs, and at the same time worked within my Aura of Impact to achieve something better. Something that in fact would get me moving in what I felt would be the right direction. A door finally would open, and I got an entry level clerical position at Canada Post. A position, quite frankly, that I was over-qualified for given the requirements of the position, my education, my experience, and the qualifications of some of other people that I was working with. I never looked at it that way though. I looked at the positive. I looked at it like this was my foot in the door. An opportunity that I could use as a steppingstone to something else. I would learn what I could. Get to know people, and then hopefully move on. It was a stable job. Consistent pay. No commission. No sales quotas.
The position was in Finance, and I would remain there for about a year. I had already decided when I was working towards my Commerce degree that I didn’t want to be an accountant. But if I had to start in Finance, so be it. During that time, I would be moved to different work areas within the department. I would get to know the function, and the staff.
My first position was working with payroll. Submitting pay sheets, monitoring records, and cheque distribution. I was a popular person on pay day, as people from throughout the building would come to pick up the pay cheques for their area. I would greet them and have them sign for their cheques. It was a great way to get to know people quickly. People that I would also see in the hallway and the elevator, who would recognize me as the guy with the cheques. I wasn’t great at small talk, which probably limited my success in sales, but I always believed in acknowledging people, smiling, saying hello, and using their name. The name thing was a bit of a challenge, as I was terrible with names. I would meet someone and then five seconds later their name would pop in one ear and out the other. I know many people are like that. Part of being anxious, I suppose. I would eventually overcome that.
I would move on to work with Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Financial Reporting and Analysis. I acquired some well-rounded experience in the entire department, but as expected, it really wasn’t work that resonated with me. It didn’t light me up. Having my university degree in Commerce would give me some leverage when it came to any advancement opportunities within the department if that was what I wanted, but working constantly with numbers was not for me.
I'm Taking What They're Giving 'Cuz I'm Working For A Living - Working For A Living - Huey Lewis and The News
It helped that they would move me from one work area to another. That added some variety, and I got to know everyone fairly well. For the most part, I got along with everyone. Some more than others. There were a few people that looked at me with suspicion. Maybe because I was quieter. I was new. Many employees that had been lifelong civil servants were suspicious of new personnel coming from the outside. I also dressed well. I would wear business attire every day. I was probably overdressed for the work I was doing, and that may have raised ideas that I was trying to fast track it to a promotion. I didn’t let that bother me. I would remain friends with some of the people I worked with during that time for the better part of my career.
I would get married right around my one-year anniversary in Finance. At the same time, I would move on to a different job in a totally different area. It would be a promotion. Nicely timed with the wedding. There was a higher salary. The position had more to do with mail operations. If I was planning on a career with the post office, that kind of experience would be beneficial. It was a position in an area called Mail Operations Support. I would be involved in tasks related to supporting the mail operations. A large responsibility of the job involved administering programs like equipment upgrades and monitoring the provision of services to ensure the public’s needs were met. It was mostly administrative in nature.
Forms, paperwork... There were some visits to facilities to evaluate needs, talk to managers, and to investigate requests. It was nice to occasionally get out of the office. The job would become a grind after a while. Is this what I wanted to do long term? I kept reminding myself that it was a stable job with a steady income. And I was married now. It was time to be responsible. Be a breadwinner. I needed that stability. I made the best of it. I made more contacts, and met new friends. But the job was reaching the point of monotony after being in it for just six months. And as I was reaching that point, things would change.
The job evolved into something that was more high profile. Canada Post was changing the way it provided postal services, and I would get involved in some initiatives that helped me develop and gave me some recognition. I would become the project manager for the realignment of postal services in rural areas within our division. The program involved looking at inconsistencies in the services provided, and recommending and implementing changes that were more aligned, cost-effective, profitable, and that would still maintain service level standards. The emphasis would be on cost-effective, as what they really wanted was savings while maintaining some level of service.
This project was more engaging to me compared to what I had been doing for so long, and it was an excellent learning experience for me in so many ways. Maybe the biggest benefit was how it expanded my own limits in terms of my confidence, as I would deal with Senior Management locally and at our Head Office. I was dealing with a variety of Canada Post employees in operations, and in the areas where changes were being made. I dealt with customers that were affected by changes. I would also deal with local politicians and the media. It really was a project that raised my profile locally and with some key individuals nationally. I had come a long way from the days of being the quiet one back in university, to the person struggling to be successful in sales, then fumbling my way through finance, and finally to the person dealing with so many people regarding changes to their Postal Services.
The changes were often not accepted as positive by customers. Post Offices were closing.
Some people were losing their jobs. Customers would receive their postal services differently. Their services would change. And we know how people can react to change. Often not well. I would visit customers at their farms, on their properties, in their townsites, and at townhall meetings. I would deal with local media, and local and federal politicians. Those above me that gave me the responsibility for this project saw something in me that made them think I could do the job. And given that opportunity, I progressed and helped achieve the objectives in the initial stages of the program. During this time, I also became much more confident in my abilities and in dealing with all manner of people. This city boy also got an education on country living.
My intention is not to get into all the details of these positions that I held during that time. I focus on this period along my path to illustrate my own evolution, growth and progression as I followed my path. A path that I had never imagined even a few years earlier. How did I get here? How was all of this happening?
In The Middle Of The Night, I Go Walking In My Sleep. From The Mountains Of Faith, To The River So Deep.
I Must Be Looking For Something. Something Sacred I Lost. But The River Is Wide, And It's Too Hard To Cross
--------------------------------- from The River of Dreams - by Billy Joel -----------------------------------
We all have a purpose. Even if we don’t realize it. Even if we don’t acknowledge it. It is there. We are not here by accident. I had a purpose. I still have a purpose. You have a purpose. I never thought of that back then. At least, I never thought of it in that way. I thought more in terms of goals. Making a living. Buying a house. Paying the bills. Saving for that car or vacation. What are we doing this weekend? If someone would have asked me at the time what my purpose was my response would likely include a lot of those things. Things like cars, houses, bills, acquiring, purchasing, socializing, and getting ahead. But these things don’t inspire. These are more like things to aspire to. These things may be necessities for living, or "nice-to-haves", but they alone won’t bring you to life. Things can be taken away. Things offer temporary satisfaction. As soon as we get them, typically we want something else. We want more things. Your purpose is more than that.
Thinking of your purpose is “touchy-feely”. And many people don’t like touchy-feely. If you really want to consider your purpose, you have to look inward. Use your self-awareness, turn to your feelings, your past experiences, and many people don’t want to go there. Maybe because it is painful. Many don’t see it as a good use of their time. We are focused on doing, and not feeling. We are focused on what is in front of us. Our next step. Short term and not long-term.
Guilty here. I, like many, would bury my feelings. Bury my past. Why go there? I was trying
to get away from it. Not dwell on it. Onward and upward. Yes, I had a purpose, but I just didn’t acknowledge it, think about it, let alone even be able to begin to describe it. But it was there. Tapping me on the shoulder at times. Clearing its throat. “Ahem!”. Trying to get my attention. Those signs and signals that I was not noticing or paying attention to. Eventually my purpose would sigh and say to itself, “Oh well, he is not ready. I will try again later, and hopefully get his attention.", and I would go on stumbling along my path.
What I did have at the time was a feeling. And maybe that was my purpose tapping me on the shoulder trying to reveal itself to me subtly. Our feelings can be one of those signs we encounter along the way, trying to tell us something. There was something in me that was drawing me forward. Not driving me forward. Drawing. Like I was being led. And with each step, as long as it felt right, I would keep moving. It was sometimes like feeling my way along in the dark because at times I wasn’t sure where I was going and what was next. Taking a step on thin ice. Proceeding with caution. But as I stepped forward, I found I would eventually and gradually break new ground.
My purpose was certainly not to take away someone’s postal service. But the nature of the work I was doing stirred something up inside of me. A feeling. It resonated with me. I was motivated to come to work for more than just a paycheck.
Why was that? I believe it was because of a combination of things. First of all, I had people showing faith in me. They chose me to work on this project. They felt I could do it. Secondly, they relied on me. They relied on me to follow through according to the guidelines, and timelines that I was given. They trusted me. They trusted that I would represent the company well with whoever I dealt with. They also trusted my opinion. I felt seen, heard, and understood. As well, as valued and respected. And wasn’t that what I had been wanting, missing, needing for such a long time?
More than anything, it gave me a sense of accomplishment. It was a project I could call my
own, and suddenly there were people looking to me for advice and information and my opinion. The Divisional General Manager knew my name! It would get me out from behind a desk. I found I did enjoy working with and being with people. As much as an introvert can anyway. I found that I could sell. That really was what I was doing when I was dealing with customers, local officials, and all other parties involved. I was selling them on the changes that were being made. The success of the project really depended on customers accepting the changes without an outcry from the customers affected. The Canadian Government was Canada Post’s shareholder, so politicians would closely monitor how their constituents felt about what was going on in their areas. If everyone was happy, the politicians would be happy. Anyone upset? Then politics might shut the project down.
It felt right. It felt aligned at the time. I can relate the feeling back to what I now regard as the first time I felt a calling on my life. There were so many times in my youth when I felt an incongruence. I felt lost. I was numb. Not feeling seen, heard, or understood. I have written about how I felt a calling back as a teenager. I called out, alone and in my bedroom while in a state of despair, why are things this way? Why can’t people be kinder? How hard can that be? I was really longing for a place to fit in. I view that event as being the moment I was set forth on my path to find answers. I was sent forward with no sense of direction and no ideas, but just the sense that I would be different. I would be better, and I deserved better. I didn’t know what that situation would be, but I would know it when it would materialize. Because it would feel good. It would feel right. It would be something I would resonate with. I would feel like I belonged. But I would discover along my path, feeling like you belonged should not be the main goal. In fact, that can keep you from your purpose. What you do does matter.
The feeling of this calling would ebb and flow as I moved forward through the years. I would have those wake up calls along the way that would remind me of that feeling, and that would energize and perhaps focus me for a while after a period of spinning my wheels, and then I would drift again. I am not just talking about my career. I had these same moments in other areas of my life. I would define any movement as progress. At least I was moving and going somewhere. But where? Every step you take in the wrong direction takes you to the wrong place faster. What I needed was a compass.
But my calling was NOT to take away someone’s Postal Service. Not at all. As I was visiting rural areas, and talking to all manner of people on their farms and in their homes, I was learning a lot. I was learning about their lives and the issues that farmers and others living in rural areas faced. They were hardworking people, and many of them were struggling. I also met many kind and welcoming people. I was also witness to the deterioration of many rural communities as demographics changed. Children were moving away and not taking over the family farm. Smaller farms could not make it, some were getting bought up, and others were shutting down. Services were leaving many smaller towns, as people moved away to the big city. Banks, general stores, and schools were closing. Services centralize elsewhere. Often one of the last services to remain was the town Post Office. Many would associate losing the post office, as losing the town's name and identity. Townsites were resembling ghost towns. In some cases, it was quite sad, and I have to admit along the way I was feeling a little guilt. But it was my job, right?
Calling It Your Job... Sure Don't Make It Right. But If You Want Me To I'll Say A Prayer For Your Soul Tonight - from Rain On The Scarecrow - John Mellencamp
I regard every step along my path as part of a bigger plan. I have said there are guideposts and signs along our paths. Many that we don’t notice because we are unaware. We don’t recognize them as signs. We don’t realize or understand their meaning. There are synchronicities and coincidences. People, things, and events that resonate with us, and those that do not. And there is that still, small voice inside of us, calling us forward. A voice that so often we disregard, we don’t trust, and often simply bury. What we don’t realize is that we are being led. Led forward towards our purpose, if we allow it in.
Consider this through what I call the Triangle of Purpose. Similar to the Triangle of Change,
but this is the process through which we are drawn towards our purpose. First there is a Calling. Just as I experienced. You don’t have to define it. It is a feeling. An awakening. Call it incongruence or dissatisfaction with the way things are. It is an activation. You know there is something out there for you, but you can’t touch it or see it. You can’t describe it. But there is something you were meant to do or be, and it is calling you.
Your calling may fade from your mind, but it is still there. And as you follow your path, you encounter Signs. Coincidences and synchronicities. Doors opening that offer opportunities that you may never have imagined. Significant people showing up on your path, that point your way. Or feelings of deja vu. Events, people, and feelings that resonate with you. Good breaks. Strokes of luck. Many of them coming from what appears to be out of the blue. You can't explain many of them
Then there is Action. Action really is acting on any of the signs that you have noticed. Really it is taking steps of faith. Acting on any of these signs that resonate with you. This could be stepping through doors that open for you. Acting on any advice that stranger gave you. Making that phone call. Following that lead. Investigating and researching and seeing where any of that leads. Listening to that still small voice. And if all of this in alignment, it all leads back to your calling. You get more clarity and certainty about what you are doing and what you are called to do. And the process continues. You continue to get signs, reinforcement, and affirmation that you are on the right path, and you continue to act on them, and you are eventually become more confident in what you are here to do and be. Your purpose.
The prerequisite for all of this though is to feel that calling. If you don’t feel a calling, you will not recognize any signs, or not make sense of them, or you may read them the wrong way. Or you may simply interpret any signs as coincidences with no meaning, disregard them, and they fall flat.
As I look back on my path, I realize how that as I sensed that calling, the right people would appear in my life, and the wrong ones would eventually leave, or become inconsequential. Doors would open for me, but I would have to be aware of them and be prepared to walk through. You don’t have to know all of the answers to move forward on your path. You can have no answers at all. You don’t need to know the path ahead. But you need to keep stepping along your path. You will find that some doors will open effortlessly. Others won’t. You may keep knocking, and they still don’t open. That is when you have to trust your discernment and realize that what is behind that door is not for you. Or at least not for you right now. Everyone and everything is in your path for a reason. There is a lesson to learn or a mountain to climb.
Even Though The River Is Wide I Go Down Every Evening And I Stand At The Shore.
I Try To Cross To The Opposite Side So I Can Finally Find Out What I Have Been Looking For
--------------------------------- from The River of Dreams - by Billy Joel -----------------------------------
There were many times in my life when I was not the first choice. As a child, I would usually be the last, or one of the last picks when teams were being picked, either in gym class at school, or playing scrub games of baseball or football with kids from the neighbourhood. I was too slow... Too quiet... Not skilled enough... Whatever the reason... And it just confirmed the feeling I was getting elsewhere that I was not worthy of being chosen. And I got used to that. When I did try out for a team at the community club or in school, I would end up cut or sent down to the second team. To play in the house leagues, and not get to compete with kids from other community clubs and schools across the city.
And there were many other times, especially along my career path, when I was not the first
choice. The job with Burrough’s as Account Representative that I obtained right out of university was first offered to someone else. That person turned it down, and it was then offered to me. Additionally, the two managers who interviewed me disagreed on whether I should be hired. A sales manager who interviewed me did not want to hire me. He was more of a good old boy, old school, hard sell salesman. The branch manager saw it differently though. He was more of a soft sell person with more of a laid-back attitude. He may have seen something in me that reminded me of him. He was the one who hired me and gave me a chance. And my experience there benefited me greatly.
I was not chosen to be interviewed for so many jobs that I applied for, including the one as Supervisor in Mail Operations. I was not the first choice for the position in Mail Operations Support. The first choice turned it down. Which opened the door for me. I sometimes wonder where my path would have taken me if I had not been the second choice. If the doors did not open when they did. There would be similar situations along my path. But I have come to learn it is not about how the door opens. It is about what you do after you step through. There will be many situations in your life where you are not the first choice. It may feel like you are being overlooked. People may not choose you. But you still have been chosen. You have a great purpose.
Learn to trust yourself, access that still small voice within, and trust the process. With that awareness and willingness, you will figure things out along the way. Your path reveals itself, and so will your purpose. So often we don’t find our purpose. Our purpose finds us. But you have to recognize it. So often it is right in front of us, but we don’t see it. But as long as you are committed to becoming better, your life will improve. As you start to walk on the way, the way appears. I have found that you need to be moving towards something in life. A goal, a direction, or a destination. Don’t dwell on the details. Just get started. How you will get there is something that will unravel as you begin the journey.
I Don't Know Why I Go Walking At Night, But Now I'm Tired And I Don't Want To Walk Anymore
I Hope It Doesn't Take The Rest Of My Life Until I Find What It Is That I've Been Looking For
--------------------------------- from The River of Dreams - by Billy Joel -----------------------------------
It is important to have something meaningful that you are working on in your life. Something that you are working towards. Even if you can’t define it yet. You are demonstrating to yourself and others who you are by the things that you are doing, how you are behaving, and where you are going. You are showing to yourself and others that you can take advantage of any opportunities presented to you and make the best of them. There is something valuable about that, especially if you have been stuck. It is the fact that you are moving towards something. You haven’t figured it out yet, but you are trying. You are achieving. You are doing this thing.
Our paths take us through many storms and wilderness areas. Less than great
places where we end up often because of our own choices and mistakes. As well, as places that we did not choose, and we don’t understand, at least in the present moment. But these places are not meant to stop us. Our mistakes and poor choices are what we did. They are not who we are. And there are those places where our paths lead that we don’t understand. Those places may seem and be unfair. We thought we were doing everything right, but we still got off track. We didn't get to where we wanted to go. But I believe these wilderness areas are also there for a purpose and are all part of our path.
And this is how I felt as I was finding my way. I was moving. Moving towards something. I was not sure what, and I was not sure where, but I was growing and learning. Some doors would not open, but then unexpected ones would. Unexpected people would give me an opportunity, and help me along my path. Some of it felt like luck. Some of it felt like being at the right place at the right time. But it was all part of my path. And there is no better example of this than a significant opportunity that came my way as the Summer of 1986 was drawing to a close. An opportunity that changed my career, my path, and my life.
I had been in in the Operations Support position for about two years. I had been working as Project Manager for most of that. Although I was still doing well with the job, it was starting to wear on me a bit for different reasons. The best way that I can describe how I felt at the time was that it was fulfilling for a while, but in the long run, what was I accomplishing? What was the meaning behind what I was doing? Where is this taking me? I didn’t have the answers to those questions. And it was right at this time that I was offered a position as a Training and Development Officer in the Human Resources department.
The offer came from out of the blue. I did not apply for the position, nor did I seek it. In fact, the most unlikely individual offered it to me. I never really considered Training as a possibility for me. It is something that never entered my mind. I do know that Human Resources at the time did not have the greatest reputation with some people in the company. I believe there was a misunderstanding of HR’s role. Some would see them as getting in the way with all of their policies and procedures. Some would call it bureaucracy. I also never considered that area as a possible career move, because I felt I didn’t have the right qualifications or background. But after being offered the position and thinking about it, I thought, why not? If nothing else, it would broaden my base of experience, and I could always go back to operations, if the opportunity presented itself. In fact, I expected to go back at some point. And yes, again the job was offered to someone else first who turned it down. Again, I was the second choice.
Tell Me And I Forget. Teach Me And I May Remember. Involve Me And I Learn - Benjamin Franklin
But it didn't matter. I accepted the position, and it was a life-changer. Through this opportunity, I would get to deal with such a wide range of people from different areas. People with different perspectives. There was a different vibe in the department. People that I felt such alignment with. And one person in particular who would take me under her wing and be one of the most important and influential people in my career and my life. I can’t begin to describe the difference this opportunity would make on my path. And the opportunity really came out of what appeared to be nowhere.
I have learned that while we are traveling our paths, not only are we being called, led,
and drawn. We are being Prepared. I may have seen this opportunity as coming out of nowhere, at the time. Maybe as a stroke of luck. But that is really looking at the situation in a myopic way. Not looking at the big picture. In hindsight, I can see a series of people and events that led up to me being offered this life-changing opportunity. Events that I can see started way back when I was a teenager. And looking back I can see how I was being prepared, how the right doors were being opened, and key players were coming and going from my life. With each door that opened, I was growing. Learning new skills. Becoming more confident. Becoming more aware. Learning new perspectives. Learning what I liked, and did not like. Being drawn to those people and things that I resonated with, and repelled from those things that I did not care for. I can see that now. I can see how my path was increasing my confidence, my communication skills, and ultimately leading me towards my purpose. And I can see how every event and every person... Every success and every failure... Was leading me to my purpose. I can connect the dots now. Life is lived forwards and understood backwards.
Training and Development benefited me in so many ways. It benefited me in ways that were practical. The skills that I would learn and apply were applicable to all aspects of life. Not just at work and in my career, but at home, in my personal life, and with my personal growth and relationships. The skills were transferrable across industries, vocations, organizations, and sectors, and not just applicable to Canada Post.
It was such a relevant and significant area given all of the changes that were happening in the company, the industry, the economy, the country, and the world. Training has such a significant role to play in helping people adjust and move forward. To cope, deal, excel, and empower. As a trainer, and as a teacher, you are a helper. You are helping others along their paths in so many ways. It opened my eyes to new paths, new ideas, and perspectives. It provided me with awareness and clarity regarding issues I was facing outside of work. It helped me become more self-aware, more of a critical thinker, more compassionate, and understanding. I became more intuitive. It would propel me along the path to finding my voice, and truly understand that we are all here ultimately to serve. All these things and more. These things were in me all the time. But they were dormant. And opportunities like this one would bring them to the surface. They were activated. My purpose was indeed finding me. Ultimately, over time it would lead me to my True North.
Again, that was in hindsight. I didn’t define it that way at the time. I still didn’t know what my purpose was at the time. I hadn’t even thought about it. But this had to be how it felt. This felt like where I was supposed to be. At least for now. For now, it just felt like a great opportunity.
I have come to realize that everything that you go through that seemingly does not work out
is really a blessing in disguise. Every rejection is really a redirection. Closed doors were really opportunities for new ones to open up. Often the things that don’t work out are really just preparing us for something better. Look at being in a transition or transformation period of your life as leading you towards where you are meant to be. What is meant for you will find you. But you need the right mindset. The mindset that things are working out in your favor. Whether you are able to see it now or not. It takes steps of faith. Stepping outside of your comfort zone and becoming uncomfortable. Facing your fears.
That is what this opportunity in Training and Development was for me. Something totally new. I was apprehensive, yet excited. And there were many times that I would feel uncomfortable and even unworthy. There would be times that I felt that I was failing. But these were all growth opportunities, and challenges to face and overcome, as there were new levels of growth and understanding on the other side. Believe that everything will be okay and that everything is working out for you.
Your path is preparing you. The right doors will open when they are supposed to. The right people will come across your path at exactly the right time. Don’t worry about the timing. You are right where you are supposed to be. Regardless of how you feel, what you see, and what you want, your life is preparing you for what is coming and for what is meant to be.
I Know I'm Searching For Something. Something So Undefined. That Can Only Be Seen By The Eyes Of The Blind - The River Of Dreams - Billy Joel
Sometimes when you feel that everything is going wrong, it is going wrong for the right reasons. At some point you will find yourself bumping into someone who gives you that opportunity as if it was a miracle. It may be a chance encounter or seem like a rare stroke of luck. It is really just you following the path that has been laid out for you. The right people will find you at the right time. The right opportunities will present themselves.
But you have to do your part. Have the right attitude and mindset. Work within your Triangle of Change and within your Aura of Impact. The right doors will open for you. But you have to recognize them and be prepared to walk through. So often we are unaware of the doors that are opening for us and the opportunities that are presenting themselves. Or we don’t walk through the doors. We let our fears get the best of us. We believe we are not worthy or not good enough. Move forward with an attitude of faith, hope, and belief in yourself, and trusting that everything is working out the way that it should, even when it appears that it is not.
I also believe that if the path that you are on is your true calling, not only will the right doors open for you, and you will encounter the right people, but everything else you require will be made available to you in due course. Resources, ideas, events, and experiences. But not all when we might like it, and not according to our timing. Look at it this way. God doesn’t call the equipped, but He equips the called. You can call it what you want... The Universe... The Divine... The stars aligning... Regardless of your spirituality or viewpoint, the right opportunities, people, and resources... And everything you need to follow your path... Will present itself, but you have to take that step. You have to be ready. If you are not prepared to take that step, nothing will happen. Opportunities will be missed. They will pass you by. If it is in your heart, you can do it. Just take that step.
You will know what to do as you take that step. All of your experiences and lessons are
shaping you and preparing you to level up. But you have to let go of the how, the when, and the why. Let go of the paralysis by analysis. Trust yourself and your intuition. You are being transformed and this is your journey. So enjoy it. You will know what to do as you move forward. The answers will be revealed.
Look at periods of waiting, of difficulty, and of detours on your path as being times of preparation. Make good use of those times through reflection, learning, planning, observing, and clarifying.
Your path is about Allowing. It is important to allow your path to reveal itself to you. Forcing things will not lead to anything meaningful and can get you off track in the same way that doing nothing will. Forcing results is climbing the wrong ladders. You become who you really are when you start choosing the things that you find meaningful and worthwhile. You become who you really are when what you are doing reflects your authenticity. You become who you are when you allow yourself to shine and be yourself unapologetically.
You need to allow your desire for your calling to be greater than your fear. Greater than your ego. Make the possibilities larger than the doubts. You may feel apprehensive, but you act anyway. Allow yourself to take that step. Release the need to control the outcome, and trust the flow of your path. Embrace uncertainty as an opportunity for growth and learning. Let go of attachments to things that hold you back. Those things that no longer serve you, and perhaps never did. Focus on cultivating a positive path forward, letting go of any worries of the future. Free yourself and focus on the present. On what is in front of you. Release any attachments to outcomes and believe that their is a plan for you, and this is part of it. Everything unfolds in divine timing.
It may feel like a risk, but risks are okay, as long as they are calculated risks. Don't make decisions blindly. Consider the pros and cons. The cons outweighing the pros may still be a risk worth taking as long as you are following the voice within. Find that balance between your heart and head.
Dream On. Dream Until Your Dream Comes True - Aerosmith
Remove any blockages. Dare to dream. If there is something that you want, imagine yourself having it. Visualize. Imagine. Don’t allow yourself to believe that you are not worthy of it, or that it is not going to be yours. Don’t connect to those limitations that cause us to validate and rationalize why we shouldn’t have something in our lives. Why we justify something that is not for us. If you want something, dare to dream, and chances are it will become yours. If your path has been dormant or unfulfilling, allow yourself to see the possibilities. You deserve that.
Learn to give yourself the credit for what you deserve. Recognize how strong you are for pulling yourself through each and every difficult time in your life. Allow this realization to walk with you alongside any obstacles or roadblocks that you might have encountered along your path. Know how capable you are, and that no matter how challenging a situation may seem, you have the courage to keep moving, keep growing, and... Yes... to keep healing.
You Say I Am Loved When I Can't Feel A Thing. You Say I am Strong When I Think I Am Weak.... And I Believe - from I Believe by Lauren Daigle
Tell yourself that it is all happening. Believe that it is all happening. When you get into that energy and vibration, you are not in a mindset of lack. You are in a possibility mindset. A belief mindset. And if you can hang on to that energy... The energy that it is happening... And start seeing it everywhere, you will create and allow in all the things that you are desiring in your life. We create our reality through our beliefs. Allow being deserving of your desires as the first step.
The less that you try to control, the more you will manifest those things in life that you want.
Our growth along our path is a matter of becoming our highest self. And bringing our higher selves forward is a matter of allowance. We are surrounded by energies that will bring the right people into our lives and open the right doors. There is an authentic flow to our path. We get out of that flow when we force things. We get into that flow when we relax into knowing that everything is always working out for us, regardless of how external circumstances look. It is a matter of being the eye in the storm. The calm in the chaos of whatever is going on around us. That is how we change and morph into the best versions of ourselves as we follow our paths. But it is not comfortable.
Feeling stuck is a signal that you have stopped growing. When most people feel stuck, they don’t understand that it is tied to a fundamental need for growth. And we can end up doing the wrong things that cause us to remain stuck, or we believe that we are experiencing an existential crisis and we can blow up our lives.
For most people, what will actually get you feeling like you are not stuck is having something in the future that you are looking forward to. Something drawing you forward. A purpose. A calling. As well as something that resonates that causes you to step towards it. Taking a class. Changing a routine. Learning anything gets you back in touch with that fundamental need. It makes you start to think that things are moving. And from that place of feeling a little bit more empowered, you will be able to make better decisions about what big things need to change in your life.
Taking one step of faith can break the limitations in your mind. Each time you take that step, you’ll gain a little more experience, a little more confidence, and your YES will become stronger. When you begin stirring up your gifts and pushing past fear, pushing past doubt, believing that everything you need is on the inside, it will lead you to many opportunities down the road.
The training job was a great opportunity and a great place to be. But as I was apt to do as I followed my path, I would make decisions that followed my ego, and not my instincts. I would make decisions based on the chaos around me, and not listen to the still small voice inside of me. As much as I tried to be the calm, I would get sucked into the storm. I would do what was expedient, and not what was well thought out. I would force things. As a result, I would get into situations that I did not want and that did not resonate, and got me off track. And this is what happens when you don’t make your decisions based on what matters most to you. That is what can happen when you don’t know your purpose.
Do you realize how powerful you are? It might not seem like it right now. It might not feel like it right now. But you have the power to alter your reality. You have the power to invite your desires into your life. You have the power to make it all happen. No matter what you might believe right now. And no matter what others may have told you up to this point. You have the power within you. You always had and you always will. You just need to wake up to it and embrace it. And take it upon yourself to be your biggest supporter and allow yourself to invite all of this abundance and magic into your life.
"Come Take My Hand. You Should Know Me. I've Always Been in Your Mind. You Know I Will Be Kind. I'll Be Guiding You. Building Your Dream Has To Start Now. There's No Other Road To Take. You Won't Make A Mistake. I'll Be Guiding You.
You Have To Believe We Are Magic. Nothin' Can Stand In Our Way. You Have To Believe We Are Magic. Don't Let Your Aim Ever Stray. And If All Your Hopes Survive. Destiny Will Arrive. I'll Bring All Your Dreams Alive For You"
Magic - Olivia Newton John - from the movie "Xanadu"
This may have sounded like a lot of Hocus-Pocus to you. I hope not. I understand that it will for some. Regardless. I tell you this... Those who don’t believe in magic, will never find it.
Believe in the Magic of The Crooked Path
Learning Opportunity Along the Crooked Path -
Try this exercise -
AfterNotes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq4B_zHqPM
River of Dreams - Billy Joel
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