Light Mail

For me January is a time to clarify my vision of myself. I take the time to look within and ask myself is this what you really want for yourself Dale? I am a follower of my own inner light as each of us on this journey of self discovery is. I have chosen a path that will keep me on track with my vision, that will pull me back when I get distracted; and I certainly do get distracted.

So my chosen path continually creates for me new forms of discipline; daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities that draw me back to the only thing that is truly important to me, my own inner awakening. Every year in January I offer a vision, passion and goal setting workshop so every year I review my vision for myself and recommit to the activities that nurture me.

Recently I had a brief chat with a longtime acquaintance. She recognized she was in a rut and wanted to change but didn’t know what she wanted. I told her she just missed a goal setting and visioning workshop I offer every year. She responded with “Oh, I don’t believe in this New Year goal setting thing. She is not alone, for many years I didn’t either. In fact my leaning was toward a recent quip I read, “Resolutions – they go in one year and out the other.” I believed they were only for people who couldn’t make up their minds, who had low self esteem or who were over achievers with no real social life. I didn’t understand the principles of empowerment involved in clearly setting our intentions.

Eventually I realized I had dreams and desires slipping away while I meandered through an unaccomplished life. I was getting no closer to a sense of real fulfillment… except where I had inadvertently made a solid declaration, usually in some state of desperation. I was living in a perpetual state of mental turbidity. I didn’t know what I wanted, not clearly, not with certainty. My greatest opportunities could have come knocking at my door and I wouldn’t have recognized them. In fact they did, but I was so completely caught up in making my life work with what I had I didn’t see my moments of grace until all likelihood of pleasure and possibility fell away.

In desperation I changed my life (not that I had any real choice), I made some clear decisions about what I wanted in work and relationships. I didn’t really do anything different, I didn’t know how. Somehow some power corresponded to my declarations, new people came into my life and they brought with them new opportunities, doors were opening.

It was still years before I discovered I had actually set goals. It was still years before I woke up to the realization that I had actually achieved goals.

Then I had to learn how to do consciously what I had managed in desperation. I started to develop a vision for my life; in a sense I started to see myself operating on a higher plain of existence. I could see myself in two realities, one existent on this very real physical plain and the other a more esoteric reality. One that was very malleable and seemingly unstable. Every thought appeared to alter that existence. My goals were like semi permanent pillars adding stability to this flimsy world, granting a modicum of firmness. It seemed the longer this tenuous and malleable reality remained the more it transferred into my actual physical existence.

I still have not mastered this process, I am after all still easily distracted and major distractions completely disrupt the fabric of this ethereal world of creation. Still my discipline and passion continue to improve my focus and thus manifestation. By far the action that has helped me most has been my continued desire to be available to others as a helpmate on their own spiritual journey.

Goal setting, visioning, mind mapping and other methods of clarifying our thoughts may not be necessary to some people on their spiritual journey. Yet when the journey you are on is not working for you I strongly encourage you to find some spiritually based goal setting workshop. For me visioning has become the route of least resistance and greatest joy. Every time I see the object of my vision appear in my physical realm I have some small sense of elation. Another piece of my highest vision has been realized.