Following Your Path

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest” ~Unknown

Success surely doesn't happen overnight. It's a journey which is faced with many obstacles, mistakes and even some wounds. Whether it is finding your soul mate, a fulfilling relationship or the satisfying job, you don't wake up one day with knowledge of exactly what you want out of life. If only...

There are an array of reasons why one doesn't succeed, a main reason being fear. Fear of failure (or sometimes fear of success) creates a chaos of overthinking and overanalyzing which roots the vibration into what I call the bottom feeder pond. Living in that vibration creates even more craziness and can effect every aspect of your life. Not a fun place to be.
So, what can you do to find your path? First, set your intentions according to your passion. Is it a new relationship? A new car? A better job? More money? As simple or complex your wishes, you can achieve them by taking action - think weed wacking around the path. Setting intentions is the first puzzle piece of that. Gauge to see what you feel like when you ponder what you do want. Do you feel that flutter of fear or that flutter of excitement?
A couple weeks back I read for a young man who dreamt of being a professional ballroom dancer. He had taken lessons since he was a small child and now in his mid 20s was respected in the industry for his talent and his optimism. He loved to teach and inspire others and yet he wasn't following his path. Instead, he worked full time in an office; an office that lacked the creativity that he craved. He said that every morning he got up, all he saw was black and a piece of him died inside - until he got on the dance floor and something inside of him stirred enough to get him by until the next time. When asked why he wasn't teaching or professionally dancing, his response was busy with excuses. A wife who really wanted him to have a 'regular job'. A father who always wanted him to follow in his footsteps. Two babies to take care of. Now, the babies were a priority, I was with him on that, but as we continued the session, I could tell that while he was attempting to please everybody else, he was losing himself. In the end, it would destroy his marriage, his family and possibly his relationship with his father. We worked out a plan during that 45 minutes and I have to say that I held my breath to see if he would email me the reaction from his family. Two days later I received an appointment request from a young lady with the same last name of the dancer and met her the following morning. Instead of being upset with me, she burst into tears of relief. She stated that she could feel the excitement in her husband's voice and felt the rush of passion not only for the future, but into their relationship - something that felt blocked for years. And she wanted help with her life path too.
Our paths do change over time depending upon responsbilities, but our dreams never should.
Some suggestions that I offer my clients to get them back on path is to bombard yourself with what you DO want and not want you DON'T want. Some action type suggestions include:

Create a vision board (Smilebox (www.smilebox.com) offers a fun way to create an online vision board).
Change your screensaver to that dream home/job/car/relationship
Put notes all around that remind you of your dream - on the bathroom mirror, in your lunch box, on the dashboard, in your wallet, on the ceiling of your bedroom, on the wall opposite your toilet, next to your computer.
Journal everyday about what you want.
Meditate and talk to your guides, angels, higher source, etc.
Create goals with tangible deadlines. Remember, baby steps!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best when he was quoted as saying 'Always do what you are afraid to do'. Sometimes coming out of your comfort zone is enough to get the ball rolling. And if you feel as if you have lost your path, stop and re-set your GPS for another destination. This is a journey, not a race. And sometimes when you think you are lost, you may actually have some wonderful experiences that were meant to be.