I started today with a meditation so intense I had to lie down and rest for 20 minutes after.
I have been reading The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks which is amazing.? It’s about the Upper Limit Problem, how we all have an upper limit to what we think is possible for us, and when we try to go beyond it, we sabotage ourselves.
I’m at the end of it, where he talks about how you have to transform your relationship with time in order to live a life of infinite possibilities.? This is not news to me.
Changing your relationship with time is a really basic aspect of Creative Dreaming.
If you don’t make time to do the things that light you up, if you don’t make time for your calling – well you’ll just continue to live a life that is not true to who you are.? And meanwhile you are making time for all this bullshit stuff that you say you don’t care about.? “I don’t have time” makes no sense at all.
“I don’t have time” is actually just code for “I’m not ready”.? When you’re ready you make time.? But what Gay Hendricks talks about in The Big Leap goes beyond that.
He says: You Are The Source Of Time.
When I meditate on not being the source of time it feels cold, isolating, dis-empowering and like there is no way out.
But at first, when I meditated on being the source of time it just didn’t make any sense.
But that cold isolating powerless feeling is the opposite of how I want to feel about my life and my place in the universe.? And I know that beliefs foster feelings which foster actions.? And I know that it doesn’t matter if the beliefs are “true” or not, I have the power to choose beliefs that support me in feeling how I want to feel and living how I want to live – you can be happy or right and I choose happy.
So I knew I wanted to adopt the belief that I am the source of time, I just couldn’t see how I could believe it.
So I meditated on space.? Time and space are related.? Could I be the source of space?? And suddenly I grew as large as the universe and contained the entire, expanding universe within me.? Yes, I can be the source of space.
But time still felt outside of me.
And I thought about love and creativity because I know, like KNOW, that the source of love and creativity are inside of me.
And whooooooosh the time piece fell into place.
Time appears different because we have all agreed on a way to measure it.? We don’t agree on a way to measure love or creativity, but other than that they are very similar to time.
And actually since we agree on how to measure time we tend to confuse our measuring system with the actual thing.
Time is not hours or seconds or years.? That is like saying your body is a measuring tape or a scale because that’s how you measure it.
No, time is very different from that.
And the source of time is inside me.
And the source of time is inside you.
This is something for me to keep exploring.
Obviously I had a beautiful epiphany in my meditation this morning and now it’s time to ground myself in this belief.
It’s fascinating to discover that my view of time as being outside of me was cold, isolating and dis-empowering because as I shift into this new belief of time being inside of me it’s like my whole life moves into a new world of brightness and possibility. Exciting.
In December my blog started talking to me.? It had some pretty incredible things to say about how important my mission is and how much it supports it.
This blew my mind because until then I saw my blog as mine.? Like, a thing I made.? But, as it started talking to me I learned that it’s actually its own thing, with its own energy and its own purpose and its own heart and its own soul.
In hindsight I don’t know why this surprised me the way it did.? The way I teach Creative Dreaming, everything has its own energy and purpose and heart and soul and you need to get to know your dream on those levels before you’re ready to bring it to life.
So as I got to know the heart and soul of my blog I discovered that it is a really, like really, passionate supporter of my mission of overflowing our whole world with wishes (come true!) and dreams (fulfilled!).
And it was more than a little pissed with me because I wasn’t letting it live up to its full potential because my bullshit issues with visibility and popularity were making some things a little murky.? It was pissed off because it is a valiant supporter of me and my work and just wanted me to get on track.
So I started to work on my bullshit issues with visibility and popularity.
This is where I absolutely love that I teach all of this stuff because teaching is the best way to learn.? So I set up a visibility tele-class for the members of the Creative Dream Circle and learn we did!
That tele-class shifted everything and I discovered new levels of feeling comfortable putting more of myself out there.
And then slowly a feeling of discomfort started to creep up until – bam!? I had to take a break from blogging, vlogging (Ouch! I cringe so bad at that word!) and my weekly emails.
Oh, the emails!
As I was learning about the heart and soul and purpose of my blog, my email list (which is actually a heart shaped envelope with blue wings) also wanted to introduce itself to me and show me how big its potential is and how much I’d been holding it back, again, with my own bullshit issues.
My blog and my email list were tired of being tied to each other – they each have their own unique purpose and were holding each other back the way I had them working together.
So, when that bam!? I have to take a break feeling happened, it created an opportunity for me to re-arrange things so that everything has what it needs to grow into its full potential.
Which means I have what I need to grow into more of my full potential.
Within about 2 hours of saying “I’m taking a break” everything had shifted for me.? I could see clearly where I needed to change what.? In fact, a tiny wizard appeared in my journal (Really! Creative Journaling is the best!) and showed me this simple 3 step plan for turning what I don’t want into what I do want (soooo handy!).
My plan was ready by lunchtime.? When you get down to heart, soul and purpose things are really simple.
My blog is going to become my journal.
JOURNAL!? Journal makes me smile!? I love to journal!? I live to journal!? I love and live this so much I cannot believe I didn’t think to name my blog my journal years ago.
When I blog I am conscious of being PUBLIC.? And a part of a business.? A business that gets a lot of questions and I try to use my blog to answer them and to be helpful and you know what?? That’s not sustainable.
Not that I don’t want to be helpful… see the email part for more on that.
What becomes unsustainable about trying to be helpful on my blog is that it’s never done.? There are always new people coming in and asking things.
When I journal I am in my process, doing what I can to live what I teach and be an example.? This is how I use the tools of Creative Dream Incubation to live my dreams, every day.
Sharing that is inherently sustainable.? And satisfying.
My weekly email is going to become a free e-course: The Creative Dream Starter Kit
Email subscribers are going to get my DreamSPARK kit (A series of meditations and journaling prompts, leading you through your inner world on a magical dream journey) plus regular emails filled with helpful things – videos, meditations and thought-provoking lessons on everything you need for successful creative dreaming.
So when a new person comes in, they can sign up for this and get all the helpful things delivered right to them via the magic of my email list instead of via me writing new blog posts for them.? Not all of this material is brand new.? I have been offering free lessons and resources on my blog for years and will be compiling the best of the best of that for this course, as well as adding new pieces in.
Both my blog journal(!) and email list are very happy about this.
They both have more space to fulfill more of their potential and be more of who they are out in the world, which is what we all want.
1. The DreamSPARK Creative Dream Starter kit: A gorgeous and enlightening series of meditations and creative journaling prompts, leading you through your inner world on a magical dream journey.
If you don’t know what your dream is: this kit will show you.
If you already know what your dream is: this kit will help you learn more about it, which is key to knowing how to make it real.
2. Delightful emails + invitations: A weekly dose of magic + love with invitations to join me for special events.? When I do a free class you’ll be the first to know.
I’ve spent the past few weeks opening it up and finding out what it’s like to live inside it.
And a lot has happened as a result.? More than I can really type out and explain, of course.
The short version is that I’m taking a break from my blog.? And a break from Creative Dream TV.
Starting today, I’m diving into the deep magics of Creative Dream Incubation with a truly amazing group of dreamers.
And I’m going to give them my all.
I feel like I want to free up my energy so that I can focus it all on supporting this delicious group of dreamers in making their dreams REAL.
There is a deep shift happening in our world right now.
This is a really important time in our collective evolution.? A time of opening doors and expanding possibility.
I want to make the most of this!
I want to shift right along with the whole universe into a state of expanded possibility, creativity, success, love and joy.
And as much as I love my blog and everything about it – right now, keeping up with my blogging schedule and creating new Creative Dream TVs feels like it’s in opposition to being with the shift.
So, besides wanting to make more time to support my darling Creative Dreamers in making their wildest dreams real I also want to create more time to support me in making my wildest dreams come true.
I’d love to support you in making the most of this shift, too.
“I want to tell you that Andrea’s work, if you commit to it, is magic.
Honestly Andrea’s understanding of the Alchemy of bringing magic into the world defies description but I go on at every opportunity about how awesome she is and I am big on telling the truth!”
Jane
We start on Monday!? Just a few days away!? If your soul is calling you to create something in your world – that there is a Creative Dream and this can help you bring it to life, with EASE and JOY.
If you sign up today, you can have the whole weekend to get settled in the group and be ready to dive into the deep magics of Creative Dream Incubation on Monday.
If you have any questions about the Creative Dream Incubator, hit reply to this email to send them to me.
“Hey, Andrea,I just wanted to write and let you know how amazing the Creative Dream Incubator is being for me.
Crazy-awesome changes keep happening, and obstacles that I thought were surely blocks are just melting away like butter.“
Jenny
“Dear Andrea,
I just wanted to write and say thank you thank you thank you for the Creative Dream Incubator.
It changed my life.
I was stuck in fear and resistance and getting buried under an ever expanding pile of self-loathing because of it. And when we got to Module 4…everything shifted. I realized that my fear didn’t mean that my dream was “the wrong one” or that I wasn’t “good enough” or “brave enough” to go for it. I realized that my fear was just…fear. And if I moved through it everything would get better. So I did. And it did! And taking that first step shifted EVERYTHING else.
I meant to keep in touch in the final weeks of the CDI (and to write this sooner)…but everything was MOVING and I was trying to keep up with it. So much was…and is…happening. And it’s amazing.
I feel so different now than I did at the start of the CDI.
I see more magic everywhere. I’m handling setbacks with more calm and determination. I have more faith in my dream. Even my parents have noticed a difference!
Thank you for bringing this beautiful dream of yours into the world. Thank you for your gentle, kind, and supportive presence. You are amazing, and you are doing such important work.
Much love,”
Meg
You can see what other Creative Dream Incubator graduates have to say about the course right here.
?
PS: this week’s Creative Dream TV was the best episode yet: all about how to make the path to your dream EASIER, and more fun. If you missed it, watch it now:
This week's episode of Creative Dream TV picks up where that left off, and goes into more detail about how people who struggle a lot approach dreams differently than people who struggle less.
The *really great news* is that the people who struggle less don't have more time, money or support.
(This is good news if you are currently struggling because it means you don't have to wait until you have more of these things before you stop struggling.)
The *even better news* is that the people who struggle less take a more creative approach.? Along with creativity comes: play, imagination, connection to spirit, connection to genius, connection to intuition and a whole host of other supportive dream-growing qualities.
This is good news because it shows that the more fun you're having, and the better you're feeling the more successful you're going to be, which is a giant permission slip to HAVE MORE FUN, RIGHT NOW. Yay!
Watch this week's Creative Dream TV for the details on this success principle:
In November of last year I set out on a new mission: to give away 100 Mini Creative Dream Coaching Sessions.? This is what that experience taught me:
We are all so much more alike than different.
When you get in touch with the purpose and meaning behind your dream – it’s so beautiful and important it makes you cry.
When you turn around and face that fear – it’s always less “big scary monster” and more “frightened inner child”.
The thought that you might never “go for it” is more scary than facing the fear that’s holding you back.
The answer you’ve been searching for forever is right there, inside you.? You just have to get quiet enough to hear it.
Creative Dreamers tend to stumble in the same places.
Taking risks is scary. And 100% necessary for successful creative dreaming.
Being vulnerable is scary.? And 100% necessary for successful creative anything.
Creative Dreaming Is Scary!
Creative Dreamers stumble until they learn how to talk to (and transform!) those fears and critical inner voices.
This is, of course, at the heart of what I teach.
I teach this because I have yet to meet anyone who figured out how to deal with this stuff entirely on their own.
This is hard.
Plus – blind spots!? You have them.
Support is needed.
I have never heard of anyone who ever made a big dream real on their own.? It’s a BIG JOB!
And there is no path that you can take that gets you there.
You have to create it for yourself.
But you don’t have to do it by yourself.? In fact, going it alone is just another way of setting yourself up to fail.?
Your fears and inner critics do not want you to sign up for the Creative Dream Incubator, that’s for sure.?
Are you sure you should be listening to then?
In giving away 100 free sessions I remembered, more clearly than ever, why I do this.
I teach this stuff because it LIGHTS ME UP to see you succeed.
Not just in making the thing real, the dream come true is really only the icing on the cupcake.
The real magic, the thing that really lights me up, is that moment when the (inner) magic happens:
When you see you inner critic for what it really is and know exactly what to do to help her feel safe and love and so she stops screaming those horrible things at you.
When you C O N N E C T full-on with your soul purpose and all of the magic inside of you and that knowing, that K N O W I N G that you can do it (Best. Feeling. Ever. If only I could bottle it!).
When you hear a message and you know, you just K N O W -? this is your intuitive wisdom speaking and it’s time to TRUST it.
When you see how easy it is to live your truth – right here, right now (No, you really don’t have to wait for anything to change first, you can be the change and you can be it right now).
That’s what I want for you, more than anything.
Your dream is so important! Yes.
And even more important is being connected to your own magic, right here right now.? That will take you far beyond your dream come true.
But it does start with the dream come true.
And we are starting the Creative Dream Incubator LIVE Session in one week.? It’s going to be magic and fun and learning and growing and all rolled up into a giant cupcake of delight – with multi-colurd creativity sprinkles on top.?
One of the things I am learning about living and working in a dream factory, is that the dream factory is really super grounded in all of the qualities, structures and routines I need that support me in doing my best work.
This includes a fair amount of magic things, sprinkled around my environment.? You know, for the times when I forget that the magic lives inside me.
My friend Amy made me a magic potion (!) so I wanted to tell you about it in case you want her to make you a magic potion too.? She asked me what kind of magic I wanted, and then made it just for me.? She even included photos of all the things that went into the potion!
Magic Potion Ingredients
The magic potion on my desk (it’s the big blue bottle)
Living your magic is a big job.? It’s ok to get help!
Besides all of the tools of Creative Dream Incubation that I teach, I also use essential oils, flower essences, special teas, crystals, drums, crystal bowls, etc, etc, etc.
Amy’s Magic Potions are right here.? Just imagine – magic in a bottle you can spray anytime you want!
You + Me + Your Dream = Magic. Let?s play together:
If 2013 is your year to make your dream real, I am here to help.
Yes! Let?s play! And giggle, and find secret passageways that lead you right to where you want to be.
The main floor looks like a typical factory floor. BIG, big big space.? Concrete floors.? Big wooden posts here and there.
But it’s not filled with machines like a typical factory floor.? And it’s not all dusty.
There’s a lot of open space.? And the air practically sparkles.? There are bursts of colour and art. Affirmations and reminders about the true power of dreams.
There are some machines, they are kind of whimsical and complicated.
And beanbag chairs, not cheesy old beanbag chairs, really cool zen ones like these:
In the Dream Factory there are markers everywhere, so the chairs have doodles and patterns and little encouraging messages on them
Except there are no people in the Dream Factory.
Robots work here.? Dream Robots.
Dream Robots who need comfy places to relax and nap but are also really super committed to their mission: getting dreams ready to grow.
The Dream Robots take everything I do:
like teaching and writing blog posts and sharing cute pictures and figuring out marketing and sales and holding the bigger vision and experimenting and trying new things and coaching and creating spaces for miracles + magic and, most importantly, doing everything I can to live what I teach
And turn it into fuel for the Creative Dream Incubator.
Then, they open up this magic door and these sparkling shimmering colour-changing bubbles float out.
Then they clap and dance and sing and celebrate because these bubbles are dreams that are ready to grow.
The bubbles float up to the ceiling.
Oh, the ceiling of the Dream Factory is all glass.? The Dream Robots love to be able to look at the sky!
And, thanks to the delightfully supportive + helpful air currents, the bubbles float over to my office.
My office in the Dream Factory
My office in the Dream Factory is upstairs.? It’s a smaller square (but still a beautifully spacious space, just not gigantic like the factory) in the far left corner of the Dream Factory.
In this smaller square, there are 2 stories.? On the main floor is the room filled with all the things that support me:
My gifts, talents and natural abilities
My many many gazillions of hours spent in courses, workshops, retreats and training in all things spirituality, manifestation, intuition, meditation, creativity and personal development
My connection to purpose + spirit
My resources
All the experiences that taught me and showed and cracked my heart open so I could feel the magic
I don’t go into this room often, it’s mostly just there supporting me: it’s the solid foundation.
The second floor is my own Creative Dream Headquarters.
The walls that look out to into the factory are all glass, so I can see everything that’s happening down there.
And of course we have communication devices so the Dream Robots and I can talk to each other.
My space up in this loft in the Dream Factory and… this is where real life and the “imaginary” dream factory collide – this space looks exactly like my actual Dream Loft.? It’s a big creative play space that’s got everything I need to do anything I want.
Looking down on my office, from up in the loft within the loft.
Over in the corner, beside wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows – the creative zen tent of dreams.
Toys, altars + bits of magic everywhere.
My Playstation in the Creative Dream Factory.
Most importantly: my office is really super grounded in all of the qualities, structures and routines I need that support me in doing my best work.
And it contains all the tools of Creative Dream Incubation.? In my office is where dreams grow.
And, just like in my actual Dream Loft, there is a loft within the loft.
There is this silver spiral staircase that leads up to my retreat space.? The retreat space is an all-glass dome that sits on top of the Dream Factory roof.
It’s very Art Deco and GORGEOUS.? And being on top of the whole Dream Factory, it is where the Dream Factory reaches out and connects to the cosmos.
When I’m in the retreat space I’m connected to the whole cosmos and able to refuel and recharge and get all filled up on whatever I need to be all filled up on.
Of course, I sleep in the retreat space every night so the cosmos can work its magic on me while I sleep.
But, let’s back down the silver spiral staircase, back to my creative play space…
When we left the Dream Robots and the shimmering bubbles, the bubbles had, thanks to the delightfully supportive + helpful air currents, floated over to my office.
One of the windows that looks out into the main floor of the Dream Factory has this gorgeous sparkling cut crystal handle, and opens up to let the bubbles in.
The bubbles, of course, are dreams that are ready to grow.
And I get to play, in my creative play space, with the dreams that are ready to grow and the dreamers that are ready to grow them.
And that’s my business.
This has been my livelihood?since January 1, 2011?and I could not be happier about that. ?(Though I’ve been working on it much longer than that, while working at day jobs)
While understanding the unfolding story of your business is so important, (this is something we do in the Creative Business Incubator which comes free with the Creative Dream Circle)you can’t just make up a story.?
The story has to be a true expression of the essence (the heart and soul) of your business, and contain the qualities and relationships that are important to your business and your purpose and your creativity.
Whether your dream is a business or something else, there is this richness to your dream that is real and true and completely intangible.
Your dream needs to be plugged into this richness: the magic and the purpose and the heart and the soul of your dream – the beauty and meaning of why you want to do the thing in the first place.
You don’t need more time, or more money or more support.? You need a deeper, stronger, truer internal relationship to your soul, your dream and your creative magic.
When you understand the story, you can play with it.? You can learn from it.
Your intuition is powerful.
Your wisdom is powerful.
Your creativity is powerful.
Your purpose is powerful.
Plug all of that in to your business (or to any other dream!) and you’ll see the magic.
If you want my help,? I’ve set up the whole Creative Dream Circle with everything you need to SUCCEED.
I’ve spent the last few days exploring 2013, to learn more about what is possible here and how I want to be this year.
I started with my Create a Map kit which showed me that what I really want in 2013 is to feel satisfied + gorgeous.
Satisfied + gorgeous.
I was not sure what that meant, I was looking more for business direction, so it felt a little confusing – at first.? The longer I sat with it and explored it, the more sense it made.
And a few days later I can see how perfect it is.? Now I have this clear picture of what is happening in my life when I feel satisfied + gorgeous:
It means I’m not comparing.
And I’m not striving or trying to get somewhere.
It means I love where I am and what I’m doing.
It means I’m having adventures.
And I’m relaxed and filled up and taking exquisite care of myself – body, mind, emotions, soul.
And I’m being me, like really being me.? And my life feels true to who I really am.? And my business supports all of that.
But I can’t make any of these things the goal.
Because as soon as I do that, everything starts to collapse.? I start to look at how-to and what-to-do.? I get lost in the details.? My inner critics come into play.
When I think about feeling satisfied + gorgeous, right here right now in this moment, everything comes back together.
The first time I consciously took this approach to the New Year was in 2010.
After lots of meditating and exploring it felt like the energy around me was “Make It Happen” energy though I didn’t define what “It” was.? I led a workshop (I was still doing all of my work in-person back then) called Make It Happen In 2010.
In 2010 I was really very comfortable working part time and doing my creative soul work part time.? I needed that “Make It Happen” vibe to crack out of that comfort zone.
And by the end of the year – I quit my job to do my creative soul work full time.
I “made it happen” because deep down no matter how comfortable I was I always knew I had a much bigger purpose.? And that my job, even though it was just part time at that point (I spent years growing my creative soul work while slowly working fewer and fewer hours at my job) was holding me back.
But had I set that resolution/intention/whatever on Jan 1, 2010 – I doubt I would have Made It Happen ?I would have gotten too bogged down in how-to and what-to-do, not to mention the inner critic attacks.
Knowing how it will feel to be there is much more important than knowing what being there even means.
It gets you there both faster and easier.
The trick is to be working with the right energies/qualities.
That take into account your personal energy and the energy around you.
Your creativity, passion, spirit and uniqueness.
The direction that moves you towards your personal evolution.
The qualities that your purpose wants to express out into the world at this time.
There is a theme that will hold the essence of all of that for you.?
That theme holds the most powerful qualities for you to align yourself with at this time.
Aligning with those qualities is the shortcut to get to where you want to be.
The best way to figure that out? Creativity, imagination + play, of course.
Your ultimate trio of Creative Dreamer Superpowers.
This is what we’re doing at the Hello 2013 PLAYDATE on Jan 3.
PLAYDATE = 4 magical hours of miracles, healing, transformation and expanded possibility.
It happens on the phone, in our Creative Dream Circle forum and in your home.? Everything is recorded so you can play along in your own time zone, at your own pace.
Plus you get magical workbooks!
This goes waaaaay beyond intention/goal setting and right to the heart of the magic of what is really possible for you for 2013.
I’d love to explore this with you.
The Hello 2013 Playdate is a part of the Creative Dream Circle.? If you’re going to join for the Creative Dream Incubator LIVE Session, sign up now to get this too.
You + Me + Your Dream = Magic. Let?s play together:
If 2013 is your year to make your dream real, I am here to help.
Yes! Let?s play! And giggle, and find secret passageways that lead you right to where you want to be.
You are cordially invited to usher in ALL the magic of 2013 with me at the Hello 2013 PLAYDATE on Jan 3.
PLAYDATE = 4 magical hours of miracles, healing, transformation and expanded possibility.
It happens on the phone, in our Creative Dream Circle forum and in your home.? Everything is recorded so you can play along in your own time zone, at your own pace.? Plus you get magical workbooks!
This goes waaaaay beyond intention/goal setting and right to the heart of the magic of what is really possible for you.
I started 2012 in the most unlikely place: my parent’s basement.
I had sold my house in 2011 and bought the super modern, super green, super sunny loft condo of my dreams.? It was the perfect space, except for the repeated (and repeated, and repeated!) construction delays.?
I love my parents and they are completely lovely.? But come on now.? This was not exactly an easy time.
Luckily, winter 2011-2012 was exceptionally warm and I spent lots of time adventuring outside.
I wish this picture was scratch + sniff, those trees smelled so amazing.
And I learned a lot, like really very much a lot, about my new favourite sport: Extreme Self-Care.? So much so that I could win Olympic Gold medals, for sure.
I deepened my daily creative journaling practice.
Monday mornings are the best!
I sought out enchanted spaces.
I put an amazing costume collection together
I knit myself a rainbow superhero blanket
I had so many adventures.
and journal picnics.
I took 2 trips to Portland, OR, home of the best coffee in the universe, and lots of other magical things.
And re-learned everything I knew, only I know it BETTER now.
The problem with the condo delays is that there were so damn many of them.? It was always “one more month” and “one more month” and “one more month” and so I couldn’t get any traction in any of my business plans because moving was always just on the horizon.? And, as much as my parents really did create space for me in their home – I didn’t have quite the right kind of space to operate my business from.? I was working out of coffee shops and recording videos for my Advanced Creative Badassery group in my car.
And let’s be honest: it’s very hard to NOT feel like a complete looser when you’re 38 and living with your parents.? And I couldn’t find a place to rent because my moving date was constantly changing, and with VERY little notice each time.? So I felt pretty stuck.
In 2012 I did a TON of making lemonade out of lemons and finding treasures in the hard.
But I did not move my business forward in 2012 in the way I had hoped to.?
I left my job right at the end of 2010 with a fairly ambitious business plan.? 2012 saw all of those plans just kind of disappear, bit by bit, with each new delay.
Now, I didn’t move my business forward the way I’d hoped to in 2012 but I also didn’t have the expenses of, well, having a home and place to work out of.? So it’s not like this has spelled financial disaster for me or anything.? My money from selling my house is still sitting in the bank, waiting for the new condo.
And I have this grace period, of not needing a lot of money, to re-group and make new plans.
What happened, as my old plans fell apart, is that they opened up space for new possibilities.? And they taught me SO MUCH about SO MANY THINGS that I wouldn’t have learned about, had everything gone the way I wanted it to.
This is something that happens with Creative Dreaming:? You get what you need to get what you want, but not in the ways you expected – because the Universe can always see a biggerbrighter picture for you, than you can see for yourself.
When you are committed to your dream, and taking steps toward it – everything that happens as a response is happening FOR you, and not TO you.? I had to spend quite a bit of time reminding myself of that in 2012.
Looking back at 2012, I would say that the universe sent a strong, steady stream of grace my way.
I learned so much!? So many unexpected things! And I became a MUCH better mentor and teacher of the inner art of making dreams real because I was forced to be present with my own process in a much more concrete way – one of the many gifts of plans being derailed.
But, more importantly, in 2012 I spent more time than ever exploring how to stay in that beautiful space of not-being-in-charge-of-the-how while staying firmly connected to the magic of my purpose.
This is still a really uncomfortable place for me to be.? I’d much rather create a solid, success-guaranteed real PLAN and then follow it to the letter.
Except that’s not Creative Dreaming.? That’s just MAKING things happen.? That’s pushing and doing and striving.
Creative Dreaming is opening to possibility and being in the flow of magic and trusting the immense power of your purpose.
It’s so much bigger than making shit happen.? And more complicated and frustrating and painful and beautiful.
Some days it’s amazing and perfect and some days it’s really scary.
One of the coolest things that happened in 2012:
In the summer, I was able to get access to the dream loft so I could start using it as a workspace.? (If you’re wondering why I couldn’t just move in – it’s a long + stupid story)
I was so happy to have BIG SPACE to DRAW BIG THINGS in.? And I drew this:
And the solar system was about to come into this amazing cosmic alignment.? Or, re-alignment.? It was a coming home to the source of all magic + possibility + love.
It took me days of exploring to understand it all, and once I did I was stunned to see this is the cosmic alignment that happened on Dec 21, 2012.
And, the closer we got to Dec 21 the more upheaval it felt like there was in my inner world.
This has been an intense time of clearing out and re-aligning.
When I am listening to my knowing and wisdom, I know that this is paving the way for a deeper connection to my purpose, spirit, creativity and magic.? When I am listening to my inner critics, I worry that this is the beginning of the end, and that I was a fool to believe in dreams and I am a fraud for leading others down this path of destruction.
I know that my inner critics get riled when I’m following my inner compass instead of “doing what people do” and so I am taking this period of upheaval as a very good sign.
2012 was not what I thought it would be but I am grateful for all of it.? I am especially grateful for the amazing Creative Dreamers who are sharing this adventure with me in the Creative Dream Circle.? That is one thing that TOTALLY ROCKED about 2012: the quality of the people who are joining me in the Circle.? Amazeballs.? And I can’t wait to explore all of the magic of 2013 with you.
You + Me + Your Dream = Magic. Let?s play together:
If 2013 is your year to make your dream real, I am here to help.
Yes! Let?s play! And giggle, and find secret passageways that lead you right to where you want to be.
PS: Make sure to sign up BEFORE Jan 3 so you can participate in the HELLO 2013 Playdate we’re having in the Creative Dream Circle. It’s going to rock your world in a very good way.
Every Sunday in December I am writing about Visionary Visioning.? I?m creating this space for myself to step out of what?s happening around me, so I can explore what my greater vision is and how I can align my world with it.
Post one is here, post two is here, post three is here.
I know, it’s not Sunday.? I did write (a lot!) about visioning on Sunday but it didn’t feel right to share it and today I just deleted it.
This is what I think happened:? I realised I’ve been to caught up in the day-to-day details of being with my dream, and I’d stopped looking at the bigger picture.? I lost the bigger picture which meant, even though I was happy with where I was, I lost my overall sense of direction about where I’m going next.? I noticed this, and I started exploring vision.? Tons of supercool stuff happened (see visioning posts 1-3).
At the same time: we had this Believing In Yourself Playdate in the Creative Dream Circle on Dec 3 that blew my mind – showing me all the places where I have been believing my own bullshit excuses.
So I’m making time to step back to look at the bigger picture and my whole world has been turned upside down with this extreme injection of clarity about where I don’t believe in myself and where I pretend that my own bullshit excuses are actually legitimate reasons to not do the things I actually do want to do.
Confusing, yes?
Yes!? And I needed a few more days to sort through it all and be able to see where I am now.
Last week I fell into a hole.? Then I dug myself out.? In the digging out I became stronger, surer and magically obtained a shovel.? Now I can use that shovel to start working on the deepening.
This week I?m going to explore the deepening.? I?m going to draw it out and journal about it and talk to it every day and see what it has to teach me.
And I?m going to read inspiring books about success ? different approaches to success and stories of people who succeeded.
So I explored the deepening.
I drew it and talked to it and it has a lot to teach me, mostly about how I have been moving in the exact wrong direction (well, there is no “wrong” but I have been doing in the direction opposite of the one I would like to be going in).? And I read some inspiring books about success – one filled with stories of people with big dreams who made them happen, and one about how to use our brains differently, to foster success.
And in the process of exploring all of this, I also found sparkling crystal clarity about what I want to do next.
I now have three specific (and so awesome they are scary!) things to work towards in 2013 that lead me to where I want to be in 2017.
Clarity is beautiful.? In a terrifying way.
Because now, well, I’d really have to believe in myself to go after these big dreams.
At one time, I was convinced I could never own my own home – it felt too expensive and too far away and like I’d never figure it out.
At one time, (at this point I did own my own home) I thought working at my day job part time and doing my dream part time was the best I could do – there was no way my dreams could earn what I want to earn.
I could go on and on – I live with TONS of things that used to be impossible for me (I bet you do, too).
My next steps:
My job right now is to draw on all of that.? Remember how many impossible dreams I have already made real and use that remembering as jet fuel to make these new impossible dreams real.
And to spend more time with the mind-blowing realisations I had during the Believing in Myself playdate.? Daily journaling and tea parties with the goddess of believing in myself.? And with all the sad, scared beings inside who want me to give up immediately.
I feel like I should admit that I am SICK AND TIRED of talking to these sad, scared beings inside.? I would really like to just lock them away in a room somewhere where I can never hear them, ever again.
I know that isn’t how it works.
Pushing them away only makes them come in closer.
Ignoring them only makes them louder.
Fighting them only makes them stronger.
Not dealing with them only makes all of your dreams 100% IMPOSSIBLE.
Love, gentleness and compassion are the only effective tools to use here.
And I am feeling really dangerously low on all of them.
Huh.? I suddenly feel better having admitted that, to myself.? And I love how truth always shines a light on what is possible.
And today, Christmas day, I am going to fill up on love, gentleness and compassion.? I am going to let go of all of this and mostly I am going to let go of how hard I have been resisting the fear and doubt these past few days.? I’m going to tell those sad, scared beings inside that today I am filling up on love, gentleness and compassion just for them.? (Oh how they love when I do things just for them)
I hope you are having a lovely holiday, or if this week isn’t a holiday week for you I hope you are having a lovely week.
You + Me + Your Dream = Magic. Let?s play together:
If 2013 is your year to make your dream real, I am here to help.
Yes! Let?s play! And giggle, and find secret passageways that lead you right to where you want to be.
This week I'm responding to a question I received some time ago from Helen, about what to do about the nay-sayers, the people who roll their eyes at you when you talk about your dream...
Since I'm going to take a few weeks off from Creative Dream TV over the holidays I thought this would be a good one to leave you with.? We're all likely to encounter some of these people during our holiday celebrations, yes?
On the 3rd of every month, we have a playdate in the Creative Dream Circle, I call them Creative Dream HOLYdays.? These are days of celebrating and honouring our dreams, and also days of exploration, miracles and healing.
This month our theme is Believing In Yourself.? I picked this theme thinking how if were shore up our Believing In Ourselves skills this month, it will make it easier for us to bring our wildest dreams to life in 2013.? Makes sense, right?
So I wasn’t expecting it to turn my whole world upside down.
But it did.? And I’m still to figure out which way is down, and which way is up.
And as I do, I keep bumping into things.
Things that I know I used to see as SOLID.? True.? Real.? Un-Changeable because that’s just how life is.
THINGS that I am now seeing, thanks to my new friendship with the Goddess of Believing In Myself, are actually just bullshit excuses.
OMG!? So unsettling.? And so freeing!
You + Me + Your Dream = Magic. Let?s play together:
![[IMAGE] She believed she could, so she did.](http://distilleryimage3.s3.amazonaws.com/1438ca3429d911e289dc22000a9f12b0_7.jpg)
