Release The Plan And Expand Into Your Vision

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/usc-radio-productions-3/2013/12/17/hugs–trusting-your-inner-desires–even-if-you-havent-before

My early 40’s were spent chasing my dream of running the “perfect half marathon”. I have multiple training journals outlining my stretching and strengthening routines as well as the countless miles I spent on the roads, all with the sole purpose of producing a speedy and respectable race time that I could be proud of. My training plan was my “end all be all”. Nothing kept me from a training run; not inclement weather nor an unhealthy body. I devised a plan, put on blinders and went about my training with absolutely no deviations. As soon as one exhausting race was over, I started doggedly training for the next. This rigidity ended up being my undoing. Eventually, training while injured brought an abrupt end to the running phase of my life. The only way I was willing to release myself from the unrelenting bond I had with my plan was through the pain of a fairly serious injury. I can’t say that I was entirely unhappy to hear the news, either. While I’ve missed my running buddies in the ensuing years, I felt a huge sigh of relief when told it was time to curtail my plan.

In my humble opinion, plans are for the fearful. Plans are what we construct when we don’t have faith that our dreams will come to fruition without rigid confines.  Plans are the ABC’s of making something happen. As I’ve gotten older I have less interest in making things happen, and more interest in visioning my dreams and allowing them to happen. Visions hold layers of dreams, loosely held, that allow for course corrections through their unfolding. Had I held the vision of running a great half marathon, I might still be running today. Visions absolutely include a desired result but don’t put a premium on it occurring in one specific way, as does a plan.

Recently, I had the opportunity to experience my dream of being a great motivator; a dream I’ve envisioned for nearly 2 years. Because I’ve let go of plans and now allow visions to guide my process, this dream presented itself quite unexpectedly. Unlike my running dream where I was completely dogged in my approach with a plan, I allowed myself to be completely open to this experience while feeling into new dreams at the same time. The result was the complete opposite of what happened at the end of each of my races. Rather than feeling emotionally and physically drained, I enjoyed this dream feeling completely exhilarated and ready for more. Because I’m allowing my dream of being a motivator to unfold within a vision, I haven’t felt the need to keep a choke hold on a plan of the exact way it should come into my life. With that said, I had the beautiful opportunity to speak on HUGS Talk radio show with Antiqua Lisha Libbey, and motivate through the air waves. I will leave you with a recording of the show and encourage each of you to think about releasing your plans for the expansion that can be found within a vision.

Feeling My Way Through 2013

Many of us devote time between Christmas and the New Year to reminiscing about the success we experienced during the previous 12 months. This year I’ve chosen to remember the feelings I allowed myself to express because I believe that our lives are truly shaped by the emotions we allow ourselves to feel. It’s quite clear to me that the day I started consciously “feeling” my way through life was the day that I started noticing the rich nuances that permeate my existence.  While this concept may seem foreign, I’ve found that each experience I have produces a specific feeling or emotion and that’s truly what makes the experience unforgettable and meaningful to me.

Feelings of joy, happiness, love and gratitude top our list of desired emotions but I also find great value in anger, sadness, disappointment, grief, resentment, jealousy and fear.  Bound within each of our emotions is a golden nugget of brilliance that brings us closer to our Truth while guiding us to our most desired life.  With this knowledge I try to fan the flame of my emotions rather than snuff them out, yet I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always succeed at it. Joy, pride and accomplishment were the main feelings I wanted to experience in 2013, and yet, I can clearly look back on the year and see that I wasn’t quite ready for the experiences I chose to bring about the feelings I desired.

Last January I looked forward to a year filled with great promise as I decided to substantially grow the readership of my two blogs, join a mastermind group and start my own business. What I didn’t anticipate was the amount of fear I would experience ultimately spurring me to deeply root my heels in resistance.

At the beginning of the year I joined a mastermind led by Tara Marino that’s focus was to voice our dreams and take action to bring them to fruition. While all was good for a week or two, it wasn’t long before I started feeling dread and fear. I realized that the group’s sole purpose was to hold everyone accountable to their dreams and that scared me silly. If I wouldn’t hold myself accountable (which I wasn’t), I sure as heck didn’t want anyone else breathing down my neck to do so. A late September group challenge finally brought me out of my shell and allowed me to begin allowing substantial change into my life. Little by little, I’ve let go of the fear and replaced it with the elation of sticking to something I find great value in along with the deep sense of satisfaction associated with watching my dreams begin to come true.

In regards to my two blogs, the success I’d hoped for never materialized. I found myself pouring more energy into my day job than my passion for writing and the longer I didn’t write, the harder it was to go back to. I’ve since found a rhythm to my writing and know that I feel more grounded and passionate when I allow the creativity of my writing to fuel me. While I still find it challenging to balance a full-time job with two blogs, I realize that every effort I make brings me closer to my desire for a well read blog.

Late this summer I learned of an amazing program called My Whole Life Transformation. Three coaches, Michelle Hastie – Body Image Expert, Geoff Laughton – Relationship Expert, and Frantonia M. Pollins – Empowerment Expert, would choose two people to guide through a 6 month transformation process which would be captured on video and made into a web-based reality show. The thought of being able to experience this made my heart sing! As fate would have it, I was chosen and have been on a high ever since. My self-imposed boundaries have been pushed many times now and yet I relish every moment I have with these incredible people. I’ve learned that I can open up to feeling even more of my emotions and that the payoff for doing so is a freedom and expansion I never knew existed.

As the result of both my Mastermind and My Whole Life Transformation, I’ve experienced the joy and confidence to give voice to one of my deepest desires. In October, I finally spoke the words, “I am a motivator and my dream is to be a motivational speaker.” While it’s quite easy to write the words, vocalizing them has been a very different experience. I could hear curiosity in the voices of both my coaches and Mastermind participants, but I could also feel their support because I believe in my dream. I own my dream. I am my dream. In the upcoming year, I will open up to more of this desire but because I opened up to the idea at all, I was gifted with a beautiful chance to spread my wings. In December, Antiqua Lisha Libbey of HUGS Talk Radio asked me to be a guest on her show and speak about trusting your inner desires, even if you’d never done so before. This opportunity thrilled me to my core and helped me lean into just how strong my desire to motivate others truly is. In fact, it was the moment I’m most proud of from 2013 because Antiqua saw the light shining within me and lovingly helped me share it with the world.

The one experience that really didn’t materialize was the starting of my own business. While I privately consulted with several people this year on both interior color and self empowerment, I didn’t trust myself enough to fully dive in to the life of a business owner. I imagine that the biggest reason for this is the uncertainty of it all yet something tells me that 2014 will arrive with more courage and moxie than did the year we’re closing out.

While 2013 didn’t exactly turn out the way I’d envisioned it a year ago, the emotions and experiences I welcomed into my life more than made up for any discrepancies. In fact, I know that everything I allowed myself to receive has more than prepared me to ROCK 2014.