Ten years ago a wise friend said to me that the moment you get
clear on what you want, the universe can dump a pile of s*!t in your way. The bigger the dream, the bigger the
pile! The key to manifestation is in
overcoming these challenges and obstacles so you can capture the energy, inner
and outer resources and space needed for your vision, dream, and goals to
manifest.
In my childhood bedroom, I had a poster with a ballet dancer
and a quote about how you can do it if you can dream it. While a seemingly positive affirmation, this
quote actually contributed to a negative unconscious belief that something must
be wrong with me if I didn’t achieve my goal or that maybe I’m not worthy of
success. What I’ve come to learn
throughout my adult life is that dreams and goals aren’t about the
outcome. The true sense of achievement
is held within who we become in the process.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I realized I hadn’t been
spending nearly enough time in this realm of higher dreams and found myself
throwing out all my old vision boards and personal mapping and planning guides
I’d created. I wasn’t giving up on my
dreams. I just needed to give them some
space to explore what’s next and give myself a break to enjoy what I’d already
set in motion. Ironically, the more I
slowed down, the more the doorways of new opportunities flew open.
Whenever I ask someone if resources and opportunities were
limitless for them, what would they do or create? It never ceases to surprise me that most
people either don’t have an answer of any sort or they immediately come up with
a list of reasons why they prefer to go with the flow of life and setting goals
is pointless.
Here’s the thing.
Going into the realm of all possibility isn’t about not being in the
flow. If anything, dreaming up the
possibilities is about coming into alignment with the flow of life and your
true self. This practice becomes a
source of inspiration and a way to find answers when life gets messy, and it’s
the key to calling in the right opportunities.
Where we can get lost in the process of putting a dream or
goal into action is when we attach our worth and self-esteem to the outcome, or
we try to control the process. Life does
indeed happen when we’re making other plans and embracing that part of the manifestation
equation is a lesson in relinquishing total control. This isn’t solo creation! It’s co-creation! That’s why it can feel so magical and it’s
important to embrace the process with a sense of curiosity, adventure, and
play.
As the world has watched the unraveling of the Afghan
government and the thousands of people fleeing the country to escape the tyranny
they could otherwise face, I’ve been reflecting on how there is a generation of
young Afghan women who never knew the oppression their mothers, grandmothers
and great-grandmothers experienced. Over
the past twenty years, the doors of opportunity flew open for these women, and
they were fearless in following their dreams of becoming artists, scientists, governing
officials and much more. They revolutionized
the culture of Afghanistan because in their hearts they always kept the doors
of possibility wide open. They knew all
too well what was at stake if they shrunk from their hopes and dreams.
Now those actual doors of opportunity are closing again for
the women of Afghanistan, and many are fleeing for their safety and freedom. As I send healing energy for the entire
nation and the safety of everyone involved, I also envision those doors of
opportunity remaining open for the women who worked so hard to contribute to
the growth of their country and its culture.
Just as we hold the door open for someone, especially when they have
their hands full, we can do the same in our hearts for those who are oppressed.
For those of us who live in an open society, the inner and
outer challenges we face are often rooted in conditioning from family and
society and the stories we tell ourselves about our dreams. The thing is, they are just that – stories! Stories are just partial truths of the big
picture and when we begin to unravel them, we begin to see they have no power
over us.
Taking a dream from the realm of possibility and breaking
through the barriers of our inner and outer challenges takes work, but the kind
of work that leaves you feeling full of satisfaction at the end of the day, because
all of it was fueled by a sense of possibility that comes only when we keep our
inner doors open to opportunities both seen and unseen.
