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Henry David Thoreau once said, “if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Do you have dreams? If not, why not? A good spiritual practice is to sit down and figure out what your dreams are for your life. And I have news for you: always have a dream. Because when we have a dream, the universe conspires for it to happen. Once we discern our dream, there is a giant YES there and everything that happens from that point onward is simply another step to achieving that dream. Sometimes it may not look that way. Have you ever heard that old adage about not praying for patience because you will get something to be patient about? Yeah, that. Just keep going. Handle whatever comes up with dignity and grace and keep moving confidently in the direction of your dream.

What if you have a dream, but you don’t think it is possible to achieve it? Dreams are nice, you might think, but they are just dreams. Not true. There are a lot of definitions for the word dream, but I prefer this one: an aspiration or a goal. Yes, dreams do come true. If you don’t think it is possible to achieve your dream, start there. Why do you not think it possible?

And if you do not have the confidence to advance in the direction of your dream, that is the place to begin.

Ultimately, dreams are good stuff. We have an idea or a dream, and the yes is always there, waiting for our participation in achieving it.

Today, I confidently advance in the direction of my dream.

I have a vision for my life that began in 2003.  Some people might call it a dream, but it isn't.  Dreams are nebulous, they come to us in sleep.  Vision, well, vision is powerful stuff.   Leading a vision led life is fulfilling, but in my experience leading a vision led life sometimes takes persistence and courage.  Persistence....meaning if you have a vision for your life, or for a certain area of your life, never give up on it.  It took me almost 15 years to achieve this particular vision.  I never gave up on it.  I have a mentor who once asked me why I devoted so much energy to this particular vision. I told her it was because I believed that faith without works is dead.  Having a vision means little if I am not willing to take action to achieve the vision.  Also in my experience, if a vision is not manifesting, it means I have some inner work to do.  Something in me is limiting the vision.  That is where the courage comes in.

So what was this vision I developed in 2003?  I wanted a long term committed intimate partnership with another human being.  Like all visions, this wasn't just something that seemed like the next right thing to do.  In fact, it made no sense at all.  I'm not the kind of woman who thinks she needs a man in her life.  I have a career, I'm self supporting, I have my own powertools, my own truck.  I can fix stuff, and if I can't, I can hire someone to do it for me.  I don't need a man to complete me, nor do I subscribe to the somewhat misogynistic ethic that says women must be with a man to be worthy.  I'm not lonely, and I wasn't back in 2003.  So...what was up with this particular vision?  Where did it come from?

It came from where all visions come from, a deep connection with something that can see beyond the surface and that knows.  It just knows.  If you are a Star Wars fan, it is the Force.  If you are religious, it is God.  For me, it is an inner calling, a soul thing.  Discovering my vision comes from a consistent practice of meditation and contemplation.  And from listening to what comes when I ask.

This vision was no different, and if I am to be in integrity with myself, I must follow the vision.  So, in 2003, when this particular vision became clear to me, I joined an online dating service.  What followed was a series of comedic events, so disastrous at times that I could only shake my head and smile.  So hurtful at times that I could only wonder and be sorry for people.  I would stop my membership for a while, only to join another service a while later.  I never gave up.  I would immediately and automatically assess every man I met, wondering, "is he the one?"  No one ever was.  For almost 15 years.

For 30 years I've had a practice in place that allows me to go within and explore without judgement the things in me that are blocking me from my good.  I knew there was something in me that was blocking this vision from occurring. I also knew that it is true that I attract who and what I am, so I strived to become what I wished for in a partner.  I explored my own abilities to be intimate, my own abilities to share my life with another.  I explored my beliefs as to whether I was truly worthy of such a partner, and changed beliefs when necessary.  I never lost sight of my vision.

In two days I will participate in a ritual that signals that this particular vision has manifested.  In two days I am getting married.  I'm excited, grateful, in love, and somewhat in awe at how this awesome man came into my life.  The truth is he has been in my life for 40 years, but neither of us was ready for this step, until recently.  He had the same vision by the way.

Why am I writing about this?  Because I feel called to do so.  It's a vision thing. I could tell you that the new year is coming up and that I've got some exciting opportunities for you, all of them having to do with leading a vision led life.  But that's only a surface reason.  I could share that I just enjoy writing about this stuff.  I do.  But that isn't the reason either.  Mostly it is because I want others to experience the rewards of leading a vision led life, and if I share an example of what that looks like, maybe someone else will hear it, see it, get it, and want to know more.  I hope that someone is you.

I hope you will explore my coaching packages, here.  Or maybe you will subscribe to this blog.  Not only will you recieve helpful and thought provoking stuff regularly but you will also receive notifications of upcoming events like retreats and workshops.  I hope you will join this growing family of people who are committed to leading vision led lives.

Vision allows us to move into greater stuff for our life.  Living without vision simply means showing up for life, day after day, taking what comes.  That saying that we perish without vision is true, so come join me and vision for your greatest life ever in 2018!

I love this!  "Great dreamers possess intimacy with the world."

Do you consider yourself a great dreamer?  Do you feel as if you have intimacy with the world?  What would that feel like, to feel as if we had intimacy with the world?

For me, it is a sense of oneness.  Knowing that we are all connected on deep levels.  Quantum physics says we are connected at the level of particles and atoms; in other words, deep cellular levels.  This is science proving that what the mystics have always said is true:  That we are all parts of one big One.  Like drops of water in the ocean.

If this is true, and I believe it is, it has great ramifications for our behavior, and our sense of intimacy in the world.

If we are all part of one big One, then what I do affects you, and what you do affects me.  And if we are all part of one big One, then there is no more loneliness.

It is both scary and comforting at the same time.  To think that my actions have a much greater affect then just my immediate circle makes me think a bit more about them.  I am much less inclined to do and say harmful things.  And I feel it more when others in the world act out in their anger.  The things that are going on in the world today, the hateful language from some of our world leaders, are distressing not only because they indicate a dis-ease on the part of the people speaking those words.  They are distressing because I can feel them.  And so can the rest of the world.  When we are intimate with the world, we feel what goes on.

What is one to do?  Well, if we are indeed connected, and we feel what goes on, then we can do our part by making sure we express and do and be only love.  No hatred, no intolerance, no judgement.  Yes, even when it concerns "those people."

I can tell you that while it has sometimes been a challenge to do and be love, the rewards are great.  Not only do I feel more peaceful, but I am less inclined to feel the loneliness that comes from thinking I am separate from the rest of the world.  When I acknowledge my connection with you, there is no way I can be lonely.

So dream big, acknowledge your connection with the rest of the world, and go and create wonderful things in your life!

I am experiencing, for the first time in several years, seasonal burnout.  On the one hand, I am extremely grateful for the business.  On the other hand, this isn't what I thought I would be doing three years after graduation with a Masters Degree.

I'll get to the seasonal burnout in a minute, but first I want to address disappointment.  I'm disappointed.  See.....I spent 4 years getting a Masters Degree. During that time, I focused on my studies, and not my work as a full time professional photographer.  I figured it like this:  the photography industry is going in a direction I don't wish to follow, so this career change is coming about at the right and perfect time.  I will get my Masters, become a coach/retreat facilitator/workshop queen and release with gratitude that other career that made such a good living for me for 30 years.

So I got my Masters Degree....three years ago.  Promptly began marketing myself and my skills as a coach, designing and holding workshops and doing retreats.  Except, I wasn't getting enough business to pay my bills.  Disappointment.  I wrote a book (www.newthought12steps.com) and published it.  Royalties are....well, not what I expected them to be.  More disappointment.

I figured by this point I would be making a living from almost full time work in my new career, and part time work as a professional photographer.  Instead, it is the other way around.  The gratitude is that I am making enough money to pay my bills, the disappointment is that in spite of marketing my little heart out, my new career seems to be stuck in a rut.

But I know a couple of things about disappointment and while I've been known to furnish my ruts, I also knew a few things about getting out of ruts.  I write this to affirm it for myself, and for you, just in case you might be experiencing the same thing.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in our lives by mistake.  All of it, the good, the bad, the ugly, the awesome, the beautiful, happens because some inner and much greater part of us has called us to make the decisions we make and do the things we do, to get to where that greater inner self wants us to go.  I am not here by mistake and neither are you.

The key is to, as Henry David Thoreau said, advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.  No matter what.  Never lose sight of the dream.  Never stop affirming it.  Never stop taking the action to move towards the direction of your dreams.

That's what I'm doing and that is what I will continue to do.  My dream is to make a full time living helping people achieve their dreams through coaching, workshops and retreats.  Until I can do that, I will continue to earn my keep through professional photography.  Because ironically, the industry seems to be turning around and once again excellence in skill and craftsmanship seems to be making a comeback.  And....I'm doing a retreat..in October.  You should come, it will be awesome.  Here's the info:  http://karenlinsley.com/?p=2508

And in case you are curious, or you need a professionally done business portrait for your business (because having a good head shot means credibility), or a great family portrait, or some wedding photography, check out my photography web site:  www.imageangels.com

Don't ever forget your dream.  If you can dream it, you can do it, and you are worth it.

Oh...and the burnout?  Take a few days off.  I am!