Remember that lovely poem by Emily Dickinson about hope?
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the Soul
And sings the tune-- without the words
And never stops at all..."
The poem continues, as we do in our 3-dimensional world
filled with gut-wrenching challenges as well as good times.
And one of our biggest challenges is discerning
how to unite what brings us joy, with our strengths,
to birth our gifts & share them with the world.
Then once again to step out on the Faith Walk;
keep moving forward on the Path of Possibility;
keep taking Action toward a chosen vision.
Just a year ago I was lying on the chaise lounge
on my screened porch, bald as a stone, low energy
from chemo, and happy as could be, because I had
ONE FOCUS, one objective-- HEALING.
Everything I did and every thought I focused on contributed
to my healing journey. I eliminated virtually all stressors
from my life. I indulged myself completely with
reading, writing and thinking, and my so-called
Netflix junkie adventure--great films every night.
This year as I'm in the process of complete
Personal Reinvention and Transformation, slowly
emerging from The Void, I've gotta tell you, it's
been a lot more difficult.
"More difficult than 5 months of chemo, the surgery
and the radiation, then physical rehabilitation--
more than a year of treatments?" (And still not finished).
You might be thinking I'm nuts, but I believe that
the Place of Not-Knowing (where we all live, really)
is more challenging than having a single focus--to HEAL.
I find myself alternating between hope and despair,
wondering how to satisfy my soul, support my life,
keep things simple and make a difference.
I want to thank those many of you who have reached
out to me via this Ezine, Facebook & LinkedIn,
sharing how MUCH my book BACK TO THE GARDEN:
Getting from Shadow to Joy, along with various writings, classes and
workshops have helped you push yourself back into the
mainstream when you've been stuck in the eddy, out of the flow.
Your faith in me has given me the impetus to begin
writing in earnest on my next book. THANK YOU!
And that's a compelling force.
Thoughts on TransitionLife really feels as though I've been in heavy duty transition
for at least the past 10 years--during which I've written 3 books
and published one; become a Life Coach & Registered Yoga
Teacher, Radical Manifestation Coach and now Wellness Coach,
taught thousands of people the principles that help them through
major life changes -- and believe me, I'm drawing on everything
I know to pull myself up through THIS one.
How about You?
It's important to remember the stages of moving forward
and creative change in life so we don't beat ourselves up:
1. Detect that the current situation no longer fits or works--
(sometimes it takes a major health breakdown to get the point--
or possibly being downsized or fired).
2. Enter a state of confusion, dissatisfaction, frustration and
transition. The Void can last a long time--and we Americans
tend to want to snap our fingers and "change the channel"
immediately. But at times it's important to accept & acknowledge
the winter of the Soul--with the awareness that spring will come
again--it always does. And then, lush & lovely summer!
3. Move into a more satisfying way of being. What I've been
doing is exploring various paths which might be the right fit--
including a full throttle focus on professional speaking. And
then I think, "Do I really want to spend my life in airplanes
and away from The Enchanted Forest?" I don't think so!
My Point? Exploratory forays into areas that intrigue you are
helpful! Take a class; get a coach; talk to others in that field;
learn about their peaks & pitfalls; volunteer!
One woman volunteered for a high end Atlanta gallery for several
months and was ultimately hired as their marketing director.
Because she took action, the Universe responded with a solution.
Most important: BEGIN.
http://www.therenewalexperience.com/reinvention.htm
