Your job is simply to be ready
You are on the path you’re supposed to take today.
Enjoy today, enjoy the moments for what they are and allow them to bring forth what you need—whether you know what you need or not.Breathe and on your exhale let go of whatever worry is on your mind. Maybe you’re behind on your word count goal. Maybe the lit agent hasn’t gotten back to you. Perhaps your characters have gone AWOL.It’s okay. Believe that what is happening right now is what is meant to happen because you have proven yourself worthy of this challenge.Your job is not to worry about when. Your job is not to worry about how. Your job, simply, is to be ready, whatever that might mean for you. Maybe you’re a spiritual person or not, and maybe you have a hard time giving over to an unseeable force. That’s okay. All you really need to know is that the power and intention is within you anyway.You’re really only going to see this when you’re living and experiencing as many moments as you can in joy. If you’re constantly getting down on yourself for your bad luck or bad timing then there is no room for joy.Things will happen for you when it’s the right time for you—not when you think it’s the right time. This is hard to swallow. We’re all on insane deadlines, aren’t we? Propped ticking clocks on the bedside of our dreams. We want things to happen in a certain time and space so that we can check that off on our Great List of Things To Do and move on to the next thing.
Breathe and tell yourself that your timeline is based on when you are ready. Sometimes that means days, other times that means years. Sometimes being ready requires only a mental shift in awareness, or a decision that pivots your life.
Your version of "being ready" is not necessarily the same as the universe's version.
This is why so many great opportunities are missed. We didn't see them for what they were.Exhale. Don’t waste your valuable, precious moments wondering when or how or where. Rather, focus on your job and be in the moment of that job—whatever that means for you. If you have to take a self-care day, then step out. If you have to give up your hour of Survivor to tackle edits, then get to your project. Maybe you need to engage in a tough conversation with the person standing in your way, sign up for the writing conference you’ve been avoiding, lock the door to your study during your writing session—each day be in the moment that is asking of you.Things will start happening for you as long as you’re working toward what you want. You will be guided to follow what will bring out the best in your plan, whether it’s what you planned all along or you’re faced with an unexpected opportunity or challenge.And what if you follow the wasteful, the critical, the discouraging, the impossible? That is where you’ll grow the most.Breathe and grow. Breathe and grow.One time I followed a path I was sure was the only path and it turned out to lead me straight into the Land of Lost Confidence. My foray in this land lasted for years, no joke. When I finally saw the distant, hopeful light, the direction that led me to a fresher, brighter, more joyful path, I had to start my creative life from scratch, all because I’d been beaten down too much.Initially this angered and frustrated me and quitting again seemed like my only option. Then I began to understand the meaning behind being a totally different person—starting from scratch made so much sense and felt refreshing, rejuvenating. Everything I once knew or believed belonged to my previous version of myself—and that version no longer worked. I wanted to shed that skin.I embraced my transformation with enthusiasm.
This transformation was made up of many smaller changes that took place over time. One intensely impactful change was when I banished the word “balance” from my vocabulary to define my daily grind. I talk about how that move helped me manifest more time in my day, something that I used to struggle with for years.Interestingly enough, while I was writing the rough draft for this blog post, a hummingbird came around to my study window. As you may know from THIS blog post, I’ve been trying to be ready when nature makes an unexpected play for my attention.I was curious if the appearance of hummingbird had anything to do with what I was writing. Here’s what I discovered:
- Hummingbird reminds us to find joy in what we do and to sing it out.
- The wing movement of hummingbird is a figure 8 pattern—a symbol for infinity and links to the past and future and the laws of cause and effect.
- It’s a wonder of migration; every winter it makes an amazing journey.
- It’s a symbol for accomplishing that which seems impossible.
There are more elements to Hummingbird’s symbolism, but those notes are directly applicable to what I was thinking about when it showed up.This kind of magical connection sustains me during those low points, when my energy has been wasted on anything from a poor night’s sleep to frequent interruptions to my writing session. I remind myself to breathe and on the exhale let go of anything that is stopping me from moving forward.My words are intended to offer you some respite from the anxieties you might be feeling at how much time it is taking to accomplish your goals. You are not failing. You are where you’re supposed to be. Feel the joy. Be in the moment. Don’t give up.Summon your inner hummingbird.