The the three most asked questions I get about my coaching approach:
- Am I doing something wrong? I’m getting what I asked for but something very unpleasant came with it.
- Why “give it to the vortex?” Why not give it over to god, spirit, the divine, the universe instead?
- I can’t move forward unless I heal everything that’s wrong with me first, right?
Now, I’m going to tell you a story.
One dreary morning about 15 years ago I woke up at 4am to catch an early flight to see my family. I was not looking forward to this trip. Every time I came back from visiting them I felt horrible, like I was a terrible person who abandoned them and was incredibly selfish. Although not intentional, it made me feel guilty for moving far away in pursuit of my dreams.
On top of everything, I was struggling financially and couldn’t really afford to go. Paying for the trip was going to put a strain on my already tight budget, and I desperately needed the money I was missing out on by not working for the next few days.
Under slept and already full of dread, I hauled my suitcase through the New York City subways to the NJ transit station only to realize I was never going to make it on time! With no money to cover it, I tried hailing a cab and as one finally pulled over I found myself sounding like a frantic character from a bad action movie, “Step on it!”
Cabs to Newark are expensive. This one was $125 (15 years ago, no less)! I was watching my resources dwindle further as I realized I might not even make it out of town for the weekend!
The cab dropped me at my terminal. Still dark out and with no one else around I stepped up to the kiosk only to find that there was no record of my flight.
I went to the wrong terminal!
Absolutely defeated I threw my hands up in the air, “I give up!” My forehead dropping into my elbow, over the kiosk, near to tears.
When I looked up I swear to you in an empty terminal where I had just been checking in at a perfectly clean kiosk was a book, right in front of my eyes, “Attitude Is Everything: 10 Life-Changing Steps to Turning Attitude into Action by Keith Harrell.”
It felt like a direct message from the cosmos. First of all, my attitude, which was completely in the trash, was creating every action. I did not want to go on this trip and that attitude was apparent in every moment of that day so far. Second, I was allowing other’s attitude about me, about my life choices, impact my ability to experience joy and excitement for what I was doing. That was spilling over into my finances, my energy levels, and my belief in my capacity to create success.
It was in that moment that every cell in my body completely changed. I jumped up and got myself to the right terminal, on time, and on my flight. I devoured every word of that book, practically finishing it by the time my flight landed back home.
I ended up having a great time because I made a conscious choice then and there not to allow anyone to shake my belief in what was possible.
My takeaway from the book was that if you know who you are and what you want, you can create a life map to get you there, no matter how long it might take.
That trip really turned my life around. I immediately began a regular gratitude practice which I now teach to others (read my blog about the science of gratitude here) and started focusing on taking action in the direction of what I want, never looking back.
The amazing client case studies in that book taught me two things:
- Some dreams can take a lifetime to come true.
- Most people aren’t willing to do what it takes either because they’re not willing to put the work in, or they are dreaming about something they don’t actually want.
So, I gave myself permission to let manifesting my dreams be a lifelong journey and to do the deep work on getting clear about what I do and don’t want.
What I discovered is that these seem to go hand in hand — that dreams come in cycles of manifestation, demise, and rebirth. Allowing myself to flow with the cycles of change has supported so much vitality and resilience. I am often amazed at how much I accomplish even while all sorts of very unpleasant things happen!
At some point, people recognized the positive change and began asking me how they could do it, too.
That was the beginning of biz alchemy and manifestation. That was three years after my life-changing trip and focusing on an “attitude of gratitude”. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s not cheesy if you mean it, right?
I created a process that engages curiosity and wonder to keep you present with your desires for as long as it takes to get where you want to be, or something better than you imagined.
Some days you just don’t feel like anything is working, and are not sure why.
- Why is a pattern repeating no matter what you do?
- Why are you seeing so much forward momentum but not in the direction you really want?
- Why is it when you get so close to something happening, it seems to slip away?
- Why is it that no matter how much you say you want something to happen, the opposite occurs?
It’s in those moments you might need a little extra support to get inside of the stuckness and refocus your attention to the deeper dynamics asking to be seen.
That’s why I created Strategic Alchemy.
It’s a great place to start with biz alchemy, and an even greater place to refocus your process and go deeper.
Just last week a client finally got the change she and I have been working on for many years. Over the course of our time together, there were lots of powerful shifts and movement forward but one specific pattern kept repeating that was driving both of us crazy.
I suggested she take Strategic Alchemy to focus on where she wants to be once the pattern resolves, and learn to use the vortex as a disruptor to the existing energetic patterns that seem stuck on repeat.
She took the program and began doing the strategic alchemy meditation daily, which helped increase the strength she needed to face the changes ahead, and to face some things she was hoping to avoid.
When the “worst-case scenario” happened, it was able to come at a time and in a manner that she was able to face it. Bad things happen with good things sometimes. That’s okay, and sometimes necessary!
It’s an absolute joy for me to see breakthroughs and what a difference it can make in someone’s life.
Sometimes it’s instantaneous. Sometimes it’s after many years.
It never gets old for me, and is the reason why I get up in the morning.
If the time is right for you to join Strategic Alchemy, it begins February 6th. Sign up here.
Download a heart-based gratitude meditation here, on my latest article about gratitude.