This has been a wild, wonderful, dynamic and highly challenging year. Life is stretching me wide open and calling me to trust and show up on deeper levels and in bigger ways than I knew were possible.
Life is ever-changing, evolving, speaking to and through me in whispers and shouts, and showing me the way through subtle signs, soul-crushing doubt, and the guidance of others (strangers, family, friends, soul mates, teachers, clients and dreams).
I've been given multiple opportunities to embrace life in all of its wild discomfort, with resistance, strong like a bulldozer ready to take me down. Just as the dark days of winter give birth to new life in spring, I'm continually reminded that as dark as things can seem in my inner being, there are always new seeds of life beneath the earth's surface, sprouting, stretching, expanding beyond their core, their hard shell, taking that risk, that leap, choosing YES!
Last year I said "YES" to an opportunity to attend one of the most unique conferences I've ever been to for entrepreneurs, change makers and MISFITS in Fargo, North Dakota. As the date approached I felt major... I'm talkin' MAJOR resistance here. There was no schedule, no speakers list, I didn't know anyone attending and I was showing up alone. I almost threw in the towel, gave up my ticket and gave in to resistance.
However, as I'm getting to know what makes me tick as well as what wants to lead me astray, becoming hip to the ways of my inner detractor or saboteur, I'm ever more familiar with the voice and energy of resistance. So I said to myself four days before takeoff, "Laura, if you're having this much resistance to attending this conference, you'd better get your ass on that plane!!"
And that's exactly what I did... loads of resistance, missing my girlfriend's bridal shower, my other dear friends' intimate wedding celebration, and the 10 other excuses I could have come up with to do the familiar instead of stepping into the uncomfortable, the unknown.
First things first, when I landed in Chicago for my connecting flight and arrived at the gate, there was Jonathan Fields of the Good Life Project waiting to hop on the same flight to Fargo. I knew in that moment that I was exactly where I needed to be and thanked my lucky frickin' stars for saying YES to this adventure!
Photo by Laura Aiisha in Fargo, North Dakota
In a nut shell, MisfitCon 2014 was one of the most impactful, synchronistic, amazingly awesome weekends of my life with 150 of the most brilliant, creative, courageous, change makers, doers, innovators and co-creators I've had the pleasure of meeting and sharing a weekend with yet!
Photo by Laura Aiisha in Fargo, North Dakota
I'm thinking about this experience in parallel to the resistance I had seven years ago to start going to Karaoke in order to get over my fear of singing in front of people (a dream I'd long had). Then, after a month of Karaoke got booorrring, getting out of my own way enough to co-found a reggae band as front woman, taking the stage for the first time in my life as a singer, and then walking away from a project I had poured my heart and soul into just 18 months later...
My journey to developing greater confidence in my creative endeavors and self-empowerment has not been easy. It has taken a concerted effort on my part to keep showing up (in the face of major fear and doubt) to becoming diligent about noticing what thoughts and stories I'm focusing on, while reminding myself to focus on what I WANT as opposed to all of the fearful "fantasies" in my mind about what I don't want.
Choosing to become the WITNESS to my internal dialogue in new and powerful ways is transforming everything for me.
Here's the thing... for most of us, our lives, businesses, legacies are developed over time (usually not in our time frame!) by choosing one thing, then the next, then the next.
I used to want it to just HAPPEN ALREADY! I mean... Haven't I DONE ENOUGH WORK YET? Haven't I SUFFERED and TOILED enough already?! When will it be MY TIME to SHINE?! MY TURN?! And when will I get that much-needed BREAK to leapfrog to the next level?!
Here I was showing up as a victim again. In that contractive "What About Me?!" energy. Where was my power in this? Who did I need to be in order to show up as the empowered co-creator of my life?
After grieving the experience of leaving my band, and taking a three-year hiatus, I began slowly but surely opening up to writing music again while choosing to share my voice from the stage through speaking and singing.
Photo by: Lindsay Miller TheMarketingPhotographer.com
At the top of 2014, I knew this was the year to do what I said I was going to do, and more importantly, what my heart and soul were calling me to do. So I decided to put my money where my mouth is and invest $5,000 of my own resources into writing, recording and launching my first ever product, in the form of my first ever solo EP.
After all, I did write the song "Get Up," which encourages myself and others to:
Get Up Get Up Right Now
Get Out of Your Way!
The World is Calling You,
To Leave Your Greatest Legacy!
What's become crystal clear to me is this:
Ohhhh... the magic, miracles, synchronicities, golden opportunities to positively impact people globally, new friends, co-creators, Divine opportunities for my own personal growth and transformation would I have missed if I gave in to resistance, and chosen fear instead of love!
A few of the things that have become crystal clear to me are:
- Doing what I said I was going to do is one of the BEST feelings
- Showing up in the face of resistance to do what I said I was going to do feels even BETTER!
- Doing things from a place of YES and empowered choice leaves no room for "woe is me"
- The Universe, God/Goddess, Source ALWAYS has my back (no matter what the monkey mind says)
- KEEP GOING! You never know what amazing, magical awesomeness is right around the corner
Now I'm curious... What are YOU missing out on by giving into resistance?
More importantly... What is THE WORLD missing out on by you giving into resistance?!
And if you're choosing to show up and do what you said you're going to do (or feel called to do)...
What magic, miracles and breakthroughs have you experienced as a result?!
Standing up courageously in the face of fear, doubt, resistance, nerves and old limiting stories is by far one of the most dynamic and courageous human experiences I can think of. I'm glad to be on this journey with you... and trust that my journey will inspire, uplift and motivate you in some way.