"Are We There Yet?"

Dear Soul Sisters,

I am making progress on my big dreams yet I struggle with "Are we there yet?" syndrome. Any advice for me as I keep persevering AND feel impatient?

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."-- Brian Tracy

Dear Are We There Yet?-

Thanks for sending us a good one. We have a feeling you’re not the only one dealing with this whopper out there! Waiting can be one of the hardest parts of the manifestation process, yet it can also be a beautiful and joyful phase if we cease to see it as “waiting” and embrace it! 

First things first, BREATHE. Stop right now and experience the moment you are in. Take a deep breath. Spread your arms wide and really take in the air around you. What does it feel like to fully inhale, to expand your lungs and fill yourself with the present moment? Do it again. And again. Do this often. As often as you need to to remind yourself that this moment is all we have. This is the moment of your big dream. The dream of life.

Life, unlike a childhood car ride, has no “there” to reach. While this can feel frustrating, we prefer to look at it this way: the ride IS the joy! The path IS the purpose! As much as you’d like to think it’s true, you’re not gonna write that book, sell that screenplay, get that gig, marry that Prince – or whatever it is – and live "happily ever after." But, far from bursting your bubble, we tell you this to take some of the pressure off that destination and encourage you to find the fun along the route!

There is a great scene in the movie “A Lot Like Love,” that really brings this home for us. The main character, Oliver, has built and lost a successful internet business during the dot com boom of the late 90's. He's lost his car, he's lost his apartment and, of course, he's lost his girlfriend. Sitting by the ocean with his older brother (who is a successful lawyer, married and with a kid), he laments his fate. He's in love with a woman he met on a plane seven years ago (and has had chance encounters with ever since), but doesn't feel like he can go after her because, “I'm 29 years old with no job and I live with my parents.” His brother looks out at the ocean, points to everything around them at that moment and says, “This is your life. Right now.”

THIS IS YOUR LIFE. RIGHT NOW. And this moment is all you’re ever guaranteed to get! That can sound really, really scary or be incredibly freeing. We prefer to see the glass as half full here. This IS your life. Welcome yourself to it. Big Dreams come and go. Some because we achieve them and then find that they are replaced by the next Big Dream. Others because something shifts inside of us and they fade away. What never changes is the moment you are in and how you choose to think about it, experience it and live in it.

We would recommend you try walking meditation as a way to practice being exactly where you are. Check out "A Guide to Walking Meditation" by Thich Nhat Hanh to get you started. Or, if you prefer video, try this:

In an article he wrote in Tricycle Magazine, Thich Nhat Hanh recommends repeating this Zen poem to yourself as you walk:

I have arrived.

I am home

in the here,

in the now.

I am solid.

I am free.

In the ultimate

I dwell.

(From “Walk Like a Buddha” by Thich Nhat Hanh in Tricycle magazine, Summer 2011.) 

You may also count your breaths, choose a mantra of your own, or simply walk in silence. All are beautiful ways of practicing being fully in the now with every step you take.

Having said all that about staying in the moment, don't forget to spend some time working through your feelings. When you're at the impatient place again, give yourself 5-10 minutes to have a good temper tantrum about it. Ask "WHY?!?” and say out loud how tired you are of keeping on! It’s good to get those feelings up and out. We say you’re never too old to throw your whole body down and kick, scream and moan when you don’t get your way fast enough. Just don’t stay down there!

Once you get up off the floor, look back at how far you’ve come. Grab a journal and make a gratitude list. What people have you met, experiences have you had and/or hurdles have you cleared to get here? We have a feeling it’s a BIG list and one full of life! Every step has been essential in your process and gotten you where you are today! Would you have wanted to skip any of these along the way? Ok, well, maybe some of them didn’t feel so fun at the time but you’re here and that’s perfect! Someone said it best, “I’m not where I want to be but I’m a heck of a lot better off than where I used to be." We say, "Amen to that!"

Next, like a pilot plotting his course, look ahead to the next airport. Where’s this particular flight plan end? If you’ve got a HUGE dream – like winning an Oscar or the Nobel Peace Prize – know that you might need to stop and refuel along the way. Keep your eye on the big dream AND break it down into smaller, actionable items. That way, you’ll be passing mile markers and ticking things off your list as you fly along. 

Or, as we always say, take the next best step. And then the next one and the next one. You ARE living your big dream right now in the sense that every step you take is part of the process (the journey IS the destination). Keep taking those steps, seeing where they lead and taking the next one. Celebrate your accomplishments along the way and reflect on your failures. Making a big dream come true is like playing a symphony – there are lots of high notes and low notes that work together to make up a beautiful piece of music. Make sure you take time to enjoy playing every note.

As you move forward remember, too, that DIVINE TIMING is not always our timing and that while things may seem to be moving slowly from an earthling's perspective, “...[W]e know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God, The Universe, Source planted the seeds for your big dream inside of you and is working night and day behind the scenes to bring you all the goodness and love that you deserve. And so it is! 

Peace, Oneness, Love and Light to you always!

Jennifer & Lara

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