Testing your Mettle

The Universe has a way of testing your mettle at the VERY moment you are on the verge of something you have been waiting for, wishing/hoping/dreaming about, or are just about to manifest for yourself.

As soon as you have definitely committed to a goal, or, even worse, right when you are "on the brink" of something good, or something great, or something perfect, or EXACTLY what you want/need for where you want to go in life... It happens - the Universe will toss an obstacle, or a distraction, or a temptation your way, and typically make it VERY EASY for you to back out of the opportunity or settle for something else that's "not quite right".

"The Universe will ALWAYS give you EXACTLY what you are WILLING to settle for..."

Unfortunately, I have seen this time and time again, both in my own life as well as in the lives of my friends... Just this week I have first-hand knowledge of 3 or 4 occurrences in the lives of people I know well!

• My mom, having recently made an absolute commitment to getting healthy and trimming down, and having carefully built up a good habit of exercising every day for a month or so (to the point where results are just visible) slipped and broke her shoulder...
• A friend, hemming and hawing over whether he is going to move from NY to LA or not, finally decides "YES! I am going to move to LA!" and is visiting to interview and make plans today - the ONLY day it has rained in months...
• A client whose primary intention is to be in a good, loving relationship, who is focused on that ONE aim in our sessions together, has an opportunity to attend a class with a very high probability of being the EXACT thing she needs to further her goal, decides she is too tired to attend after having car trouble earlier in the day...
  
• Another friend is building up his business in the healing arts, is making really good progress, and then gets a tempting job offer that pays really well in his OLD industry...
  

Now all of these examples may seem like coincidences, they may even seem like "messages" or "signs" from on high that the original goal/intention/aim is not the right one for us, that perhaps we 'really should be' going a different direction...

I don't think so!

In my experience with consciously using the Law of Attraction and the power of intention, I say that it is EXACTLY the opposite! I say that when the Universe throws us these curve balls it is actually an indicator for us to RUN EVEN FASTER toward the original goal - be EVEN MORE DEDICATED to the results you are consciously creating and attracting! In a way, the Universe is testing us to see just how committed we really are to our own visions!!!!

Do NOT be deterred!

These "tests" are not malicious - it is more like forging steel to make it stronger. The loving and abundant Universe is actually TRYING to give you exactly what you want. You may say that you want more money, a relationship, to lose weight, more business, to have more fun, etc., but, somewhere in your subconscious/unconscious mind, maybe that isn't quite accurate. So, when you start to take action toward that goal (or any goal) that action (or progress) upsets the equilibrium of how 'it has always been', the stasis, our comfort zones... Now the part of us who is afraid that there may be 'no turning back' wants to put on the brakes and slow it down a bit (if only subconsciously) and starts to attract occurrences which give us the opportunity to bail out. Literally, giving us a "legitimate" reason to stop short of the goal and declare it "good enough". It takes energy, effort and focused attention to align our intentions with our subconscious motivations. Unfortunately, it is VERY DIFFICULT for us to see or know WHAT our subconscious/unconscious motivations ARE...

THAT is what the "tests" are! These obstacles, temptations, and challenges that the Universe gives us to test our mettle are the physical manifestations of our subconscious motivations coming to light (coming to LIFE) - manifested to focus our attention to how WE are unconsciously blocking OURSELVES from what we consciously think we want!

The real question is what are you going to do about it? So what if the Universe gave you a flat tire? Can you ask a friend to drive you to that important event? So what if you have a sprained ankle? Are you going to do sit-ups and work out with dumb-bells anyway? So what if I have a big expense right when I was trying to manifest more money? Can I find a way to clear the part of me that is attracting it? So what if a friend is doing something you wish you were doing instead? Are you going to go out and do something even better yourself?

Yes. There IS something in your way... But you have the power to go around/over/under/through or clear that obstacle and use it as a cue to focus your intention even more clearly - strengthen that vision, clear your unconscious, take an even more courageous action to honor your heart's desire. Strengthen your determination!

Don't negotiate with yourself by allowing the "curve balls" to re-negotiate your desires for you!

The more we exhibit determination and commitment to our goals and intentions, the more we use the feedback we are being given by the Universe to strengthen our focus and vision on what we truly want to be experiencing, the faster is HAS to come! The Universe is giving us exactly what we need to be able to forge our dreams into physical world reality - the Universe is pointing out where the weak spots are and where we may not be in complete alignment so we can do something about it!

...Literally SO we CAN have the vibrant life we TRULY dream of!

How to both "let go" AND "be receptive"??

It has been so long now since I posted anything on the blog that I was starting to get really cold feet, building up all kinds of pressure, feeling like I had to post something incredibly profound to be worthy of having waited so long to do it!

It was getting serious... All kinds of old perfectionist patterns started to rear themselves and pop up again... Thoughts of: "I can't write that" or "nobody will care about that" or "that is not a fully formed idea!" I was trying to motivate myself by forcing some big and monumental idea out of my brain. Even little glimpses of brilliance in an e-mail to a client, or a quote from a friend which would ordinarily stir up quite a nice little riff were leaving me cold.

What's a girl to do? Where is my life coach when I need her? How am I supposed to manifest a brilliant blog entry when I feel so confused in my own life right now??? What would I say to me if I were my coach?

I'd say: "let go and do something, anything, toward your goal!"

Huh?

How am I supposed to do THAT, when my goal (to write something on the blog) is the VERY thing I can't seem to do right now!!??!!

"Make an attempt. Try. Just try."

The word "try" gets a lot of bad press in some circles these days... If I had $100 for every time someone quoted Yoda to me with all the "there is no try, only do, or not do" stuff, well, then, I'd have more than a few hundred dollars. But, seriously, we often hear that there is no such thing as "trying", and I wholeheartedly disagree!

I believe that it is in the very act of "trying" to make progress toward our goal - taking some little action or putting something out there BEFORE it is perfect or fully formed - that actually communicates to the Universe that we are serious about attaining the goal! [Warning: Bad analogy approaching!] In other words, I could meditate on a pizza all night long, set intentions, and visualize myself having it, and still probably go hungry. But, if I do something to TRY to take action to get it, even if that attempt is not perfect, I'll have a MUCH better chance of getting it! (Like at least calling the pizza delivery place (even if I don't yet know exactly what kind I want yet!) [See, I told you it was a bad analogy. Oh well.]

But I left it in to illustrate my point. Making a lame attempt at what we want to try to experience is our way of meeting the Universe half-way... A cosmic way to sort of "prime the pump" and make a gesture that symbolizes that we are ready for more action, more assistance, more inspiration, more synchronicity, more gifts... Any one of which may be the very thing we have been waiting for!

How do you let go? Focus on a successful outcome while you try to do any little thing you can to make it real yourself, and then watch God rush in and finish the job. Try.