'Tis the Season to be Planning

2013 is going to a be a spectacular year!

Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place. ~ Rumi

I am excited for what lies ahead..

It’s that time of year again; the time to get ready for another incredible year! It’s not a surprise that Uplift is in throes of planning. If I am not doing it for Uplift, I’m helping others take those same actionable steps.

Planning for the year ahead supports my longer term vision of my business and life. In fact, what I set my heart to do with dedication, accountability, and kindness almost always comes to fruition. I can’t help but be truly grateful for this. It reminds me that we are the creators of our own lives.

Planning is something that comes naturally to me but this year I was especially delighted by how supported I felt in the process. I hope you will make the steps you need to find support in your own planning — especially if it’s not your strength — or to enlist a partner like Uplift to help you along the way.

The synchronicity amazes me in this world and how we’re all interconnected.

In the days leading up to this week, I have become amazed at the synchronicity in this world — how we’re all connected, interconnected. I have been highly productive and everything is in full flow. This productivity isn’t too much of a surprise though. We’re very much connected to the rhythms of nature and, as we entered into a new cycle, we gained the capacity to see new projects with fresh perspectives and energy.

For me, this emerged with a deep connection to my thoughts and ideas. I couldn’t ever be too far away from my pen and notepad. The planning process had begun.

From The Sabian Symbols*, ‘The Kingdom Within‘:

“This symbol speaks to the fact that richness in life is an inner state of satisfaction that is achieved through the fulfillment of individual potential rather than possession of worldly goods or fame. Creative visualization becomes a magical power that can be used to conform the outer world to an inner reality. Your greatest advantage lies in acknowledging that you have created the situation you are in. Think about where you want to be five years from now and hold that image. Use the magic power of your mind to create yourself anew. Stepping Stones: leadership, mastery, government, management, administration.”

After reading this, I asked myself the very same question: where do I see myself in five years. It’s a big question that I invite you to think about.

First, find a quiet place to relax your body and free it from all noise and distraction. Begin to follow your breath. Notice the flow of the breath enter your body, expanding and filling your belly, your ribcage, and your heart centre as it makes it way to the crown of your head. Then exhale, following the breath from the crown of your head all the way down to the base of your spine. Continue with deep inhalations and exhalations a couple more times to relax the body and quiet the mind. Once you feel a place of calm and connectedness in each moment, mindfully invite the breath to be natural, paying attention to it as it flows in and out of your body, without trying to change it in any way. By quieting the mind like this, entering into a meditative state, it helps us to see clearly and it sparks creativity and innovative thought.

Now ask the question:

Where do you see yourself in five years? Hold the image that comes to mind.

Remember, you are limitless, open, and vast. You have no boundaries. Begin to feel the image in every cell of your body.

What words are coming up? Write them down and explore continuing to be open to what arises.

When you get out of your head, we have access to a place of profound wisdom that is meant for you and you alone. These words and images are coming from your heart and your intuition, offering you opportunities to create the life of your dreams.

When I did this exercise, the questions that came up ‘what will be my business and life look like in five years?’, ‘where will I be?’, ‘where do I want to be – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually?’

I then decided to make these dreams bigger. After all, why not? Typically the only thing that is stopping this process is ‘You’. I hear this in my clients often — as I have heard it in my own voice: we stop ourselves before we even get started. All those ‘What Ifs’ and ‘Buts’ are simply our own creations; they are the things that place limits on our own success and potential. When we shut down our big dreams, we rob ourselves of our own greater existence.

In Bringing Yoga to Life, Donna Farhi adds to this perspective:

‘We have a paralyzing fear of our own insight. When we touch base with our centre and get quiet, we begin to sense what we need to do, and maybe this is not the comfortable life we’ve carefully mapped our for ourselves. We may be working as a retail clerk, but our mystery beckons us to return to art school. We may hope for a life of luxury, but our mystery tells us to travel to West Africa and work in the Peace Corps. We may find these insights a damned nuisance because they seem so inconvenient. And these insights, offering new and spacious possibilities, seem so scary relative to the known, even if the known is a life of discontent.‘

By combining these dreams with a positive attitude, belief, and commitment, I have no doubt that the sky is the only limit. I believe in You.

These ideas were affirmed yet again by the Tarot in Australia:

“Take a moment to visualize what you really want to create in your life. See it, feel it, touch it, taste it. Immerse yourself in your desire. This will help you gain clarity about what you need to do next, and work as super charged motivation to make it happen. Trust in your vision and your ability to make it happen. (COTD: King of Wands)” ~ Kate Holley, Intuitive Tarot

Another resource that may resonate with you is Robin Sharma’s Planning Tips and Tools. I tend to use a blended model based on intuitive guidance, intention setting, gratitude, and elements of ‘strategic planning’.

Be comfortable with what works best for you, find your support team, and continue to make small sequencing steps that support You. This is what’s most important.  When things begin to creep in or appear in the way, let go and surrender to what is because, in all likelihood, there’s some learning we need to discover first before moving beyond the limitation.

I would love to hear what you have been up to. Have you seen any synchronicity with this post and your own life or business? Have you embarked on the planning process yet? Are you in transition with your life or work? Is your organization undergoing unprecedented change? What steps are you taking that really work for you? Please comment below or send me an email. We’d love to hear from you.

Much love and light,

Paula

*The Sabian Symbols are the unique set of symbolic vignettes or descriptive images obtained by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones from an ancient Mesopotamian source in 1925 for each of the 360 astrological degrees of the zodiac.