Letting Go of Thinking Your Dreams are Not Important

Well, I missed yesterday, for the most amazing and totally justified reason: I spend the day with my hubby and my granddaughter! Talk about following your dreams! Avery is the most wonderful child and you get the sense that she follows her dreams ALWAYS!

The full suggestion is: "Let go of thinking your dreams are not important; always follow your heart."

How many of us just give in at a certain point, feeling that our dreams don't matter and just towing the mark? Just fitting in, doing whatever it takes to get along, be successful, etc. Well, I did that for about 45 years and in 2000, when I was fired from a corporate job for the fifth time, I said, "ENOUGH!"

I dropped out, worked in retail and began to meditate, journal and read about my spiritual journey. In 2005, I read a wonderful book called "Journey of Souls," by Dr. Michael Newton and it changed my life. Truly!

My husband is a psychic medium and he began to study, to learn how to manage his psychic skills and I went along for support. Well, initially that was the case. Then, I began to "get" messages, also and so I began studying, too, and learned that I have a bit of talent in this field, as well.

We began our studies in 2002 and in 2005, when I read the Newton book, I knew immediately that I wanted to learn more about past life regression, past lives and reincarnation and facilitate sessions for people who wanted to heal karmic wounds. As soon as I made the decision, doors began to open and I soon met a woman who trained in the work and then I was on my way to take training myself! A few months later, I opened my practice.

I wouldn't be a practicing past life regressionist today if I hadn't followed my heart!

Let Go of Thinking You are Damaged

Well, here we are on Day 7 of our count down of 20 Things to Let Go Of. This is based on a blog I read by Shannon Kaiser a few weeks ago. Today's suggestion is:

"Let go of thinking you are damaged; you matter and the world needs you just as you are."

For years, I struggled with feeling I was different. After a few years in therapy, I decided that I was just damaged goods and that's why I was attracting all the chaos and drama. Then, in 2002, I began my spiritual journey, seeking healing and information about my path and my life's mission.

Along the way, I've healed a lot of my childhood traumas, dropped a lot of my emotional baggage and learned that I am beautiful and and wonderful, just as I am.

There's a Japanese custom where they filled the cracks in broken pots with a gold-infused resin. This makes the pots even more beautiful! Something that was "damaged" is transformed into a thing of beauty.

Spiritual teachers also talk about how "God loves cracked pots," because that's how the light shines through! I believe that our perceived imperfections allow our light to shine in beautiful and perhaps unusual ways.

My experiences and my healing path have enabled me to help others heal and grow. In this way, what was once my weakness has become my strength. So, I've become a healing guide for the world and that's exactly what the world needs at this point in man's evolution!

Let Go of Blaming Anyone for Anything

Today’s guidance for our “letting go journey” is:

“Let go of blaming anyone for anything; be accountable for your own life. If you don’t like something, you have two choices: accept it or change it.”

Wow, don’t you love how Shannon Kaiser cuts right through it, with no bullsh*#?

In my own life, I see how I can really benefit from this surrender technique. I am 59 years old. I have been on my own since I graduated college at age 21. That’s 38 years of being on my own, living my own life and making my own choices.

Yet, there was a time when I blamed my parents, my siblings, my ex-husband and lots of other folks for the pain in my life. It’s really easy to blame our addictive behavior or reactions to life’s challenges on our parents. Isn’t that what psychotherapy tells us?

Yet, enough is enough! With our tools, such as EFT and Reiki and Access Consciousness Tools, we can release those old hurts, childhood trauma and pain and live with new choices and vitality.

There is also a great deal of freedom in letting go of these old blaming habits. When I take responsibility for my life, I soar! I open to new ways of being and living. I open to new ways of being a more authentic version of ME!

Let Go of Worry

Our surrender suggestion for today is: "Let go of worrying; worry is like praying for what you don't want.

Think about it: if what your thoughts create your reality, then worry all of the time will only bring what you are worried about. So, how do you get out of that trap?

By focusing, moment by moment on what is wonderful in your world. For example, where I am sitting, I am warm and cozy, with a hot beverage nearby, soft, soothing music in the background and my puppy sleeping soundly in the next room. I am content and simply enjoying this present moment, with a big smile on my face!

On the other hand, it is cold and nasty outside, with a temperature near 40 degrees and a light rain. If I strain, I can hear my neighbor's dog barking and, oh, yeah, what about that meeting with my accountant on Friday? That can't be good, right?

Do you see how I went from content and cozy to complaining and anxious in about 10 seconds?

Yet, am I in the cold? No Rain? No When I focus on my lovely laptop and the soothing music, can I hear the dog? No Is my appointment with the accountant right now? No

So, in this moment, I can truly let go of worrying, by focusing on what is here, now, right in front of me! I can also use some of my energy clearing tools, such as Access Questions or EFT to clear my anxiety around the meeting on Friday. Then, I begin to focus on how I can contribute to a positive meeting and receive a positive outcome!

Hey, today is Wednesday. By continuing to ask questions like:

What do I know that I've been pretending not to know about my financial records and financial plans?

What else is possible?

How does it get any better than this?

I open up to receiving more of what the Universe wants to gift me, in terms of help with my financial planning, taxes, etc.

So, rather than panicking and losing sleep over an appointment, I simply ask, "What else is possible?" and focus on what ideas float in over the next few days. As I ask questions, and allow the Universe to answer, my whole world brightens with possibilities!

Let Go of Regrets

Today's idea for surrender is "let go of regrets; at one point in your life, that 'whatever' was exactly what you wanted." On the surface, this one was a mystery for me. Yes, I have regrets, but I wasn't connecting with the idea that the thing I regretted doing or being or having was something that I had wanted.

I get it now. Let's say I have a regret about saying something to someone. At that point in time, saying those words was important to me. Perhaps I expressed something with less compassion or perhaps I told a white lie and got caught! At the time, it seemed like the thing I wanted to say. Now, in hindsight, I wish I hadn't said it.

Simple forgiveness of self puts me back on my path of authenticity! So, I have one less thing to regret!

Let's say it's a bigger issue, like a marriage! How many of us regret going into a relationship, and maybe even marrying a person that our hearts warned us about? Yes, I've done that. However, I now see that those relationships were a part of a master plan for my life. I can see it from a higher perspective and express gratitude for the lesson, release the hurt and self-criticism and move on!

So, now I understand what Shannon is saying: Be more accepting of decisions you made in the past and let go of regrets. Maybe I just had to turn it around to truly understand the power of this suggestion!

Let Go of the Fear of the Unknown . . .

In today's item to let go, Shannon Kaiser urges us to "let go of the fear of the unknown; take one small step and watch the path reveal itself."

Let's take this one in two parts, OK? First, to let go of the fear of the unknown is one of the greatest accomplishments some of us will ever make. Face it, the "unknown" sits "out there" as a big, hairy monster, in some cases. Sometimes, I've stayed with an abusive partner because of my fear of the unknown. Someone wrote about the "devil you know" and how we stay in jobs, relationships and even places, rather than venturing out to parts unknown.

So what is it about the "unknown" that is so daunting? Isn't it a little about our childhood fear of the dark? Fearing what we can't see or feel or know in the world is something that our ego creates in its attempt to keep us safe.

Yet, as we heal and grow and learn to trust the Universe (or God or Divine Source-whatever you call the Creator) we begin to know that there is no "out there." We learn that fears are an inside issue. Once I heal my childhood hurts and trauma, I open to trusting in the Universe to bring in my heart's desires.

Have you ever had a day where you had no plans and just decided to "go with the flow" and it blossomed into the most beautiful day of fun activities, great encounters and fantastic blessings? Well, I'm here to tell you that EVERY DAY can be like this when we let go of our fear of the unknown!

Now, to the second part of today's surrender phrase: "take one small step and watch the path reveal itself." This is also something that is hard for some of us to understand. We want to SEE the path, telling ourselves that we NEED to see it, to know that we are on our path. But, here's what Master Teacher Joseph Campbell says:

“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.”

Isn't that beautiful? I remember when I made the decision to divorce in 1996, I took a step and it was blessed. I took another step and that one was blessed. In April of 1997, I put my house on the market. It sold in 4 days! I consider that a blessing, also.

On my path, I also encounter closed doors and times of waiting. However, it is all part of "my path." That's why I love the phrasing in Shannon's item for today.

So, just like a baby who is learning to walk, I take one step here and one step there. I let go of my fear of the unknown, and trust that I am held in the arms of the Universe. I celebrate with gratitude as my path is revealed to me. How does it get any better than that?

Letting Go of Feeling Guilty for Doing What You Truly Want to Do

Today, I want to talk a little about feeling guilty. And I'm not talking about feeling guilty for things I've done. That's what most people want you to focus on.

But, in her article, Shannon Kaiser specifically talks about "letting go of feeling guilty for doing what you truly want to do."

You know, those situations where you went ahead and did something that another person didn't want you to do. Maybe a parent or maybe a spouse or sibling. For example, I really wanted to work on the yearbook in high school. My mother wanted me to take all of the secretarial and business courses I could take, so I could get a job right out of high school. I would take one journalism course and then take the business or typing courses she wanted me to take as my other electives.

My senior year, I was named co-editor of the yearbook and that meant that I had to take 2 classes in journalism, one for creating the yearbook and one for managing the team of students that worked with us. I had a long talk with my mother. In the end, I talked her into it. But, for a long, long time, I felt guilty. Even after the yearbook came out and we won several awards and I was extremely proud of it, a part of me felt guilty for doing "what I truly wanted to do."

I can think of many examples of this in my life. Yet, isn't it a waste of precious energy?

So, today, I am going to focus on letting go of feeling guilty for doing what I want to do and being who I want to be.

And, that is an idea for another blog! More to come!