Do you ever feel like you are walking in circles?
You see your Creative Dream in front of you, but no matter how hard you try, it feels like you will never GET THERE?
You were told to devote time to Instagram, so you spent all this time and energy, and it hasn’t converted to sales.
You were told to join this group of fellow Creatives and you feel like you have nothing in common with them.
You’ve read a TON of books and taken courses, and yet you are not seeing your income increasing.
And even though, you are spending time doing yoga, or meditation, you are still JUST as frustrated and devastated when you hear NO.
Any of this sound familiar?
All you want is for someone to just tell you HOW to make it happen.
You are so ready….why isn’t the universe answering your call?
Why aren’t you getting what you are asking for?
Is anyone listening?
I imagine it’s exhausting, seeing your vision in front of you, and feeling SO confused.
Can it just be a simple path laid out with a clear direction?
Two weeks ago, I was at the Lifebridge Sanctuary retreat center in upstate NY. I was there for a four day intensive on Non-Violent Communication.
I had A LOT swimming within me. I just got married, was missing my husband, and had all kinds of fears coming up around making this marriage better than my last.
On a break, I took a walk on the grounds and came across a sign,
Welcome to the Labyrinth.
I looked ahead of the sign, expecting to see entry to some high wooded walls, my mind already creating versions from Harry Potter or Stephen King novels. When I didn’t see this entrance, I turned to my left and instead saw a ring of stones on the grass.
This was the labyrinth. Simple.
The sign read:
“As you enter this ritual journey, may you deepen your understanding of what is means to be in the right relation with the magic that is in yourself, the environment, and the Universe….”
As I entered the labyrinth, what struck me was how CLEARLY I could see the middle, the end point. With no walls, it was visible the whole time. So, I started at the entrance, seeing where I wanted to go.
Immediately, it was disorienting. I thought I was going towards the center, but actually found I was moving towards the outside.
How could the steps moving forward be taking me further away from the middle as opposed to closer?
Have you ever felt this in your Career?
But, I kept walking, step after step, and found myself viewing the center from ALL angles. Even when I thought I was close, the path would lead me away, suddenly swerving to the other side.
But, I kept walking…….trusting each step, even though to my EYE it didn’t look like the path was leading to where I wanted to be.
And then, there I was, in the middle, actually a step away from the entrance.
I had arrived.
I looked down at my feet, and at the crazy swirling path that brought me here.
I thought of how in the face of my divorce, I pleaded with the universe for it not to happen.
I thought of losing my home, my car, and just wanting it all to stop.
I thought of hiring a life coach for the first time thinking I would do more film & TV, and instead launching a blog, and a business that actually allowed me to be the Artist I had always wanted to be.
I thought of all the heartbreaking dates I went on, desperately wanting the next guy to be my man.
The path was NOT linear, although I wanted it to be SO badly. I went ALL over the place to arrive in this moment, here, married to the love of my life and doing work I love.
It didn’t look like I thought it would, and many times, I felt like I was so far away from my dream and vision.
But I kept walking, in faith and trust, knowing CLEARLY what I wanted.
So, what do you want?
Is your vision clear?
We can really caught up in believing things are going wrong if the PROCESS isn’t what we expected. But the truth is, you don’t know what you don’t know. You are working towards something you’ve never had in your life before, so how could you know what is actually looks like to get there?
This is where you hire mentors and coaches who HAVE taken the path to guide you on the way.
I NEVER thought I would live in NJ, and here I am.
I ALWAYS thought the only way I would be fully fulfilled and feel like I “made it” was to be on Broadway, and yet the work I do now far exceeds any show I performed in.
I didn’t have this before, so I HAD NO IDEA what the path would look like. I had a lot of ideas about what I thought it SHOULD look like…and so really it was a journey of letting go of that, and just being open to the experience, all the while staying deeply connected to what is important to me.
All the while staying deeply connected to my life, every breathing moment. Every disappointment, every frustration, every heartbreak.
We will all experience pain along the way, but you have the power to determine whether or not you suffer in it.
Can you walk the twists of your creative life, and instead place your attention on something far greater?
Faith.
One of my teachers said,
You get in the boat, and set your course due east, but you have no control over the water. It may be stormy with crashing waves, it may be calm as glass…that is not under your control.
Release your iron grip on what the journey looks like, and instead place your focus and intention on your vision. The raging storms are not proof you should stop, but merely a PART of the journey.
What is possible for you now?
Welcome to the labyrinth.
Here are a few guidelines:
1) Set your intention for your walk
2) Have no expectations
3) Pause and take a few deep breaths
4) Walk at your own pace
5) You may pass others, others may pass you.
6) As you reach the center stay as long as you wish; pray or ponder.
7) When ready, return on the same path to your starting point.
8) Please maintain silence
“Those who have walked a labyrinth with an open heart know the power of the experience. Its path is a ritual journey from the threshold at the entrance to a more metaphoric threshold at the center – A path of discovery and self knowledge.”
– John Bloom