As I’ve been rummaging through my physical closet in preparation for our move to Florida, I’ve also been taking a look through my virtual closet – aka My Google Drive.
I have a folder called Life Design where I’ve stored a wide variety of brainstorms, exercises, journal entries, course notes, etc. that I’ve taken over the years. It is a treasure trove! In these entries I can see a woman experiencing a deep wound, only then to discover a new idea that helps her to heal quickly and get back into the arena of life.
Some titles of the documents in this folder are:
- How Successful People Grow (Notes)
- What can I do with my time that’s important?
- Reflections on Homecoming by John Bradshaw
- Shift from fixing things with yourself to pouring energy into your desires
- My Desire Map
- Wheel of Life
- What INFJs Need Most
I’ve always been attracted to seeking out wisdom that helps me to break through whatever is holding me back. As I’ve explored this Life Design Drive, I’ve also begun to realize that my vision for my life has been relatively unchanged. It is only now, however, that I feel free to live it day in and day out.
One of the documents I came across tonight is titled “Law of Attraction” and is from two years ago. At that time, I was working at Snapdocs, living in shoebox furnished studio in San Francisco, and dating lots of men after a break-up!
It sure seems like a lifetime ago; but here’s a completely unedited version of what I wrote then about what I desired for my career:
| Prompt from the Exercise | Example with career |
| I love knowing that my ideal | career…will afford me flexibility and allow me to impact the lives of others. I like being able to invest in people that I care about. |
| I love how it feels when | I can lead a brainstorm or teach someone something new. I like how I’m able to transfer my energy and enthusiasm to others |
| I’ve decided | That my ideal career is in a role where I can teach and support others. It feels great to be able to learn something new and share that. It also feels great to write, get feedback, and learn more. |
| More and more | In my ideal career, people write me thank you notes because I’ve helped them do something important with their time and energy |
| It excites me | To think about creating a career in which I have the freedom and autonomy to choose whom I work with, to focus on interesting topics, to learn and to share |
| I love the idea | Of traveling, having a family, showing them the world, teaching them about new cultures, playing sports, etc. -> and finding a career that enables that |
| I love seeing myself | As someone who puts herself out there, shares her ideas, and motivates others |
Can you believe it! When I came across this, I had to smile. I was stunned. Of course! This makes perfect sense. This IS what I want to do!
At the time, I had been so focused on what I didn’t want, and – surprise, surprise – those things were showing up non-stop in my life at the time. I knew then exactly what I wanted to attract in my life, but I did not stay open to the desire and – more importantly – I did not take action toward the desire. I’m sure I wrote this down on a Sunday night and then woke up on Monday to work through an over-scheduled week to avoid feeling anything too strongly. Client call, team meeting, powerpoint, OrangeTheory, shower, bed, repeat.
I love discovering stuff like this. Sure, I could sit here and think that it’s sad that I’ve always known what I wanted and I’ve been wasting time doing other things, but that’s not very productive or even true.
Everything is unfolding perfectly, and this evening’s discovery has energized me even more to stay true to this unfolding and unknown path that I’ve embarked on with all of you and Soul Excellence.
Do you have a life design folder? What’s in it? What tools are you using to design your life? What’s working for you?