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Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions -- all life is an experiment." That quote keeps coming to my mind lately as I am faced with changes in my life. I take a deep breath whenever I think of it: "All life is an experiment. Therefore," I tell myself, "relax, accept change, follow your dreams, be willing to take risks and make mistakes for the sake of living your fullest life."
When I was a young girl in grade school a teacher once wrote on my report card, "Janet will one day learn that it's a waste of time to worry so much about making a mistake." It was about the same time that I was taking sailing lessons at the Mystic seaport. The other kids would be sailing all around me on the Mystic River, tilting, capsizing, having great sailing adventures and playing with the wind, while I just sat there, stalled, afraid, playing it safe, unable and unwilling to catch the wind.
The winds of change have been huffing and puffing around me this past year; a ruptured appendix, uterine cancer, and a wind-whipped voracious fire in our Santa Barbara mountains have reminded me of the impermanence of this Earth life. I feel my soul urging me to fully live my life while I am alive -- to let go of the safety, security, and stagnancy of the known and to follow my dream and concentrate on writing. My mind says cynically, "Yeah, right, follow your dream to the poor house!" My mind is like an anchor, resisting the wind, trying to keep me moored in the familiar. But the winds of change are blowing my mind, rocking my boat, and exciting my soul, who is joyously singing "Anchors aweigh!"
Someone recently sent me the story of Phoebe Snetsinger, a 50-year-old woman who was diagnosed with cancer and given a year to live. She decided to forgo treatment and use some inheritance money that she'd received to travel around the world as a birder. She ended up living 18 more years (she died in a van accident) during which time she became legendary in the birder world for having seen and recorded more birds than anyone else in the world. She threw caution to the wind and followed her bliss and it led her to a rich, rewarding life.
Sometimes when our world is blown apart, we are freed from the safety and inertia of the familiar, and are challenged to make changes, take risks, and follow our hearts desire. However, we don't need our world to be upended in order to do that. For the last two years my husband Tom has been committed to concentrating his time an resources on developing and marketing his ingenious right brain math system (he's Mister Numbers on Youtube with over 160,000 views). He's excited and tail-wagging happy every day to be living his dream and making a difference in people's lives. He inspires me to do the same, as does this excerpt from "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer:
"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive."
My soul is urging me to take a leap of faith -- to open my heart like a parachute and jump into the unknown, trusting the direction the wind is blowing me. Maybe some of you are feeling the urge to take a leap of faith and follow your heart's desire? "Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions -- All life is an experiment." Have a wonderful adventure!
© 2009 Janet Jacobsen
Jan Jacobsen has been on a lifelong personal growth journey. She is trained in Hakomi, a mind/body approach which advocates that healing happens when we bring loving presence to what is. She also apprenticed for two years with Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks (authors of Conscious Loving), learning skills that help love be authentic and fun. Her thriving relationship with her husband Tom is a testament to the effectiveness and value of those skills. She is the author of EnlightenInk Newsletter, as well as the books Gardening Love; Practical Groundwork for Love to Bloom in Your Life, and Be Here MEOW; Enlightening Lessons Learned From My Feline Friends, and Miracle Marriage; A Transformative Journey to Love, Joy & Intimacy. Her website is http://enlightenink.com
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Follow Your Heart $8.49 Follow Your Heart |
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Follow your Heart $39.99 Follow your Heart - Wood Sign |
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Follow Your Dreams $21.99 Follow Your Dreams - T-Shirt |
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Follow Your Bliss $9.99 Louise Carey Follow Your Bliss - Art Print |
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Follow Your Heart II $39.99 Follow Your Heart II - Wood Sign |
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Juniors: Follow Your Dreams $21.99 Juniors: Follow Your Dreams - T-Shirt |
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Follow Your Dream $9.99 Louise Carey Follow Your Dream - Art Print |
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Follow your Dreams $12.99 Alain Pelletier Follow your Dreams - Art Print |
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Follow Your Bliss Magnet $3.99 Follow Your Bliss Magnet Refrigerator Magnet Express yourself with a refrigerator magnet. This rectangular magnet features a cowboy on a horse and has red and white writing. Size is approximate. |
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Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow (Remastered) $8.99 Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow (Remastered) |