“Where there is great love there are always miracles.”  Willa Cather

I love this quote on this day of love.  It led me to do a little research on Willa Cather.  Willa is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for a novel that she wrote entitled One of Ours, although it doesn’t appear that she became a published writer until after she was 40 years old.  Born in 1873, I wonder how Willa would feel knowing that she is an inspiration for over-40 women in the year 2014?

“Over the years we’ve buried many a precious dream under layers of soot and rubble.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I don’t know about you, but my buried dreams are many.  I am grateful that, at 52, I still have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.  One dream that I had for over two decades was becoming a realtor.  That dream came to pass last November, and I can see now that there wouldn’t have been another time in my life that would have been the right time.  It is a tremendous amount of work, starting a real estate career.  I don’t know how I would have done it while raising my children – having evenings and weekends to devote to them was too important to me.  I also needed the firm that I am part of to be created.  Olive Branch Realty stands for everything that I stand for – due to the nature of the real estate business, I think I would have found it very difficult to be part of a firm that is not based on the Christian principles that we are based on.

“…while I have learned that dreams need doing as much as they need being, I have learned that the being always comes first.”  SBB

God’s timing is perfect.  I held onto that dream of being a realtor for a very long time, and when I paid close attention to the message that I was getting from Him that the time was right, and I moved forward on that message, everything fell into place.  I am getting another message now, one that is telling me to write, write, write.  I am listening.  What about you?  What message do you get if you take the time to listen?

“The dream was always running ahead of one.  To catch up, to live for a moment in union with it, that was the miracle.”  AnaÏs Nin

Shalom!

“A sobering thought:  what if, right at this very moment, I am living up to my full potential?”  Jane Wagner

Yikes.  I don’t like the sound of that!  It is a sobering thought, and one to really put some thought into.  We are still early in the year.  We have a lot of time to make a big difference for our 2014 transformation, yet there is no time to waste.  When I read that quote, a light bulb went off in my head.  An aha moment:  if I am going to live up to my full potential in life, then I have to live up to my full potential every moment of every day!  I can’t keep living like I have a thousand tomorrows to reach that potential, to make my dreams come true!

“I’d gone through life believing in the strength and competence of others; never my own.  Now, dazzled, I discovered that my capacities were real.”  Joan Mills

I have been dreaming of writing a novel since I was a young girl.  I can’t tell you how many I have started but never finished.  I’m not getting any younger now, am I?  Yesterday, I picked up one that I started several months ago, and I read what I had written so far.  I really liked it.  I mean, if I had bought that book for myself, I would want the story to keep going.  So today, in front of you, I am making a commitment to finish that book in 2014.  No excuses, no I’m too busy’s, no letting my other commitments get in the way.  Writing is a big part of what I was put on this earth to do, and it is time to stop procrastinating.  I am going to ask for it and I am going to claim it.  Today.  You are my witness.

Shalom!

“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.”  Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

A few days ago, I mentioned how Brené Brown had inspired me when she shared how she worries what people will think when she chooses what to wear.  Oddly enough, just a day later I was chatting with two business women, and one mentioned how she worries about looking “stupid” due to her choice of clothing.  I laughed inside when she said it, because she was very attractive and well put together, and I realized that we are all so much alike.  Why do we worry so much about what people think?

“Try to contact the girl you once were.  She’s your authentic self and she’s waiting to remind you how beautiful, accomplished, and extraordinary you really are.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I try to reach back to my ten-year-old self as Sarah suggests, and I’m not sure that I was ever the child that she describes.  I have always been such a pleaser, I don’t know if I ever trusted my own instincts.  So how did I learn to trust them in recent years?  Is it the magic of turning 50?  Perhaps being disappointed too many times by trusting and following the wrong people?  Meditation and prayer?  Reading books like Sarah’s that teach me a lot about myself?  I think it is a combination of all of these things, and I am grateful for the wisdom that comes with middle age.  It is a wonderful place to be.

Shalom!

“Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.”  Shakti Gawain

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were unhappy, and you felt guilty for feeling that way because you knew how blessed you were?  A few years ago, while still working as chief operating officer of a wonderful Lakeland law firm, I felt that way.  I was so full of discontent, and I struggled for a couple of years over what to do about it.  It was a wonderful firm, full of wonderful people, and I was compensated very well.  How could I be unhappy about all of that?  But it wasn’t any of those things that were making me unhappy; it was the fact that I wasn’t where I belonged any more.  There was a time when I did belong there, but I had outgrown it.

“What is going on is part of the process.  I call it Divine Discontent.  It is the grit in the oyster before the pearl.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I have learned that there is a difference between being grateful and listening to your inner voice when it is telling you that it is time to make a change.  If we were always happy about our current situation, we would never grow.  Without that “divine discontent,” we would not move on to the next chapter that life has planned for us.  Had I not felt that discontent while I was living in Upstate New York, I would not be in beautiful Lakeland, Florida right now.  I shudder to think of it!

“Be very careful to safeguard your newly recovering artist.  Often, creativity is blocked by our falling in with other people’s plans for us.”   Julia Cameron

I am very blessed to have a husband who supports whatever my inner spirit is leading me to do.  That is why I am able to be a realtor today.  What is your inner spirit asking you to do today?  Will you ask for it and claim it as Sarah suggests?  Your fellow readers are here to support you.  Let us know how you make out!

Shalom!

“Turning away from the world and toward your own happiness is the path of authenticity.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Oh, how I wish someone had made this book a requirement for ninth grade English.  Can you imagine learning these lessons about being your authentic self when you were a young teen?

“When you learn what you can live without, you are able to ask life for the very best because you possess the gift of discernment.”  SBB

I agree with Sarah’s quote.  Like many people in the last few years, my financial situation has been less lucrative than it once was.  I have learned so much through the experience.  I am so much less wasteful today than I was previously.  I am almost embarrassed to admit some things, like how I would replace a pair of mildly worn shoes without even trying to scrub them clean first.  Eating out more times than not with no thought to what we were spending.  We were frivolous in so many ways.  Having to pay attention to our spending has taught me so many lessons.  I like myself better now.  I am proud of being more fiscally responsible.

It may seem like a simple thing, but I think we live in such a wasteful society, and I am ashamed to say I was very guilty of being an active participant in that improvident culture.  Living with less has definitely given me the gift of discernment.  Today would be a perfect example.  I needed a new camera for my business.  In the past, I would have gone to one store, bought the best one they had without a blink, and left the store without any comparison shopping.  Today, I researched the cameras available and decided on the one that would provide what I needed within a certain price range.  I then left the store, researched reviews online to ensure its quality, and checked pricing for that camera at multiple locations.  It was $30 cheaper if I drove a few miles north to Best Buy.  I humbly admit that in the past I would have convinced myself that my time was worth more than the $30.  Today, I drove to Best Buy.

“It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”  Somerset Maugham

Developing patience also allows you to truly enjoy the rewards when they come in a way that you can’t appreciate when you live a life of instant gratification.  Last week I went shoe shopping for the first time in three years, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it.  I made a day of it, taking my parents with me on a road trip to DSW in Tampa, followed by lunch at International Mall.  I have wanted to take them there for years, but I never made it happen.  Suddenly, through the beauty of this transformative experience, life is becoming more meaningful.  I hope it is doing the same for you.

Shalom!

“Today, don’t rush through your inner preparations as you get ready to set down a piece of your soul on life’s canvas.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

Sarah talks about all of the preparatory steps necessary to live our lives authentically.  Quieting our minds in meditation, using the discovery journal, and becoming aware of our true preferences are some examples she gives.  The other day I spoke about how I was able to calm myself from becoming stressed when rushing in fear of being late.  Recently while sitting in meditation, I realized that I was wound up so tight I would spin like a top if you let me loose.  My shoulders were hunched up around my chin, arms tight and hands in fists.  What was that?  By taking this time, I realized there were some things going on that I needed to pay attention to.

“…our preparation won’t have been in vain.”  SBB

I realized after that day’s meditation that I am allowing the world around me to infiltrate my peaceful existence.  This led to the realization that I need to figure out how to be in the world without the world being in me.  Everyone is in a hurry.  Everyone is stressed.  They are not with me on this transformation journey.  It takes a constant awareness and being present in each and every moment to keep their negative force from penetrating my soulful state.  With some people, their presence is so intense it requires a lot of effort on my part to keep that undesirable aura at bay, but I have learned that it can be done!  Not only that, but often my peaceful state can penetrate and effect change in their stressed out being.  How wonderful is that?  As I continue on this journey to discover my authentic self, I have learned that this is another reason for my being, to bring peace to others and make them smile.  I am working on making that happen, one beautiful spirit at a time.

Shalom!

“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how … The artist never entirely knows.  We guess.  We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.”  Agnes DeMille

Have you ever walked into a party, and someone was dressed in a way that you had wanted to dress, but you didn’t because you felt unsure?  Recently I saw Brene Brown in an interview with Oprah, and Brene talked about the boots she was wearing and how she almost didn’t wear them, because she was afraid that people would think that she thought she was “all that” for wearing them.  I was so grateful to her for being so honest, because I can’t tell you how many times I have not worn something because I thought someone would think I was trying to be something or someone I wasn’t.  To hear Brene share this made a world of difference for me.  Suddenly I was no longer afraid to wear whatever my spirit wanted to wear.  How liberating!

“Today, take a real risk that can change your life:  start thinking of yourself as an artist and your life as a work in progress.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I read a billboard outside a church recently that said, “Faith is taking the first step even though you can’t see where the stairway leads.”  When I spoke the other day about my life being its best when I have been quiet and listened to where I was being led, this is exactly what I was talking about.  A perfect example would be in 2005, when I decided to move to Florida.  I had no idea how I was going to make this happen.  I was a single mom.  I had a house to sell, and I couldn’t imagine selling it and packing up my house and moving it all to Florida – it was especially overwhelming since I had just moved into and renovated that house one year before!  But I knew in my heart that I was being led to do just that.  People told me I was crazy.  Jobs were hard to find.  Houses in central Florida were selling as fast as they were put on the market – how would I find one when I was so far away?  I didn’t listen to them though – I moved forward in faith, one step at a time.  I didn’t know how I was going to do it all, I only knew that this was what I was being led to do.  And as you can guess, it all went as smoothly as it possibly could have gone.  I emailed my resume to a law firm in Lakeland and got an immediate response – “You have perfect timing.  When can you come for an interview?”  The day I was flying down for the interview, a buyer signed a contract on my house.  The day I flew down to look at houses, the perfect house for me went on the market.  The entire process was effortless, as I moved forward one step at a time, confident in the knowing that I was doing what God wanted me to do.

“The beautiful, authentic life you are creating for yourself and those you love is your art.  It’s the highest art.”  SBB

What art are you creating?  Share it with us!

Shalom!

“I have made my world and it is a much better world than I ever saw outside.”  Louise Nevelson

Sarah tells us that we need to restore a sense of rhythm to our lives.  I am working hard to do just that, but I’m afraid I am not there yet.  I am a work in progress, especially with my new real estate career.  I am working long hours to take excellent care of my clients and make this new career a success.  At the same time, my creative pursuits – writing, art, and music – are so important to me, and I need to make time for those things, as well as time with my loved ones.  I haven’t seen my grandsons in over a week, and my studio is sitting with clay pendants waiting for their necklaces to be made.  My piano and guitars … don’t even want to go there.

“Restoring rhythm to the way you conduct your affairs can bring you contentment and a sense of well-being that will nurture and sustain you when the cares of the world can’t be left behind.”

I had this conversation with my friend Eunice today.  She was talking about how taking an hour or two with a girlfriend can restore her spirit, so that when she returns home, she feels rejuvenated, like a new person.  I had that same experience recently.  With all I have on my plate, it has been a long time since I’ve taken time to be with girlfriends.  But recently I realized it was the birthday of a friend who lives alone with no family nearby, and I took the evening off from working to take her to dinner.  I did it for her, but I think I benefitted more than she did!  It was a must needed respite from all of the work I have been doing, and the evening left me feeling thoroughly recharged.  I didn’t realize how much I had been missing girl time!

We all need to determine what is important to us, and what we need to “say no” to, but for those of us who have so many interests, restoring rhythm can be especially challenging.  Do you have a secret for organizing your life in such a way that you can “do it all?”  If you do, I hope you’ll share it with us!

Shalom!

“Today, deliberately turn away from the world … Begin, instead, to listen for the whisper of your authentic self telling you which way to go.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

I had a meeting with my mentor, Maria, this morning.  Maria is an amazing woman, and we have found ourselves to be “birds of a feather,” like minded and spiritually connected in many ways.  Maria gave me some advice this morning that is well suited here.  She suggested sitting quietly each Monday morning, in silence, being still enough to hear the voice of God whisper to you what you should be focusing on that week, and whom you should be in contact with.  I know that it works, because she does it, and every time she has reached out to me, she has had perfect timing!

 “We are always being shown the next step of our uniquely personal journey.”  SBB

It is so easy to get caught up in the business of life, and the urgency of everything that must be done.  Even as I write this blog every day, I am a work in progress.  This morning, as I was getting ready for my day, I found myself feeling rushed, worried about making my meeting on time.  Then suddenly, as I was going through the process of making my morning tea, I reminded myself to focus on being present, and a peace washed over me.  A voice whispered, “Calm down, relax, it’s alright.  Everything is fine.”  I was able to relax, enjoy my morning routine, and made it to my meeting early!

 “Only when the clamor of the outside world is silenced will you be able to hear the Deeper Vibration.”  SBB

There have been very distinct times in my life when I was quiet enough to listen to where I was being led, and each and every time, my life couldn’t have gone better.  I am going to follow Maria’s advice, but on a daily basis.  I will be listening very carefully.  How about you?

Shalom!

P.S.  If you are new to these posts, Transforming 2014 is an online book club of sorts.  We are reading Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book, Simple Abundance:  A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, together so that 2014 can be a transformative year for all of us.  Use the comment section to inspire fellow readers or share your difficulties so that we can support you.  You can find Sarah’s book on Amazon, and it is available in the Kindle version as well!