It's serendipity, I tell you…
You want to know how I figure out if I am following the right path in life?
Synchronicity.
It's like this…
Say I pick up a book, and that book is Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I read it, love it, and put it within easy reach of my desk. I, however, do not actually do the writing exercises that require filling notebooks with uncensored writing. I READ the book to learn how to write better. And that, for me, is enough.
I find myself weeks later drawn to The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I have had this book for a LONG while, but often times I will shelve a book after I buy it only to rediscover it months, even years, later, beckoning me to pick it up and lose myself. I was 60 pages into it and realized Cameron is expecting a similar commitment as Goldberg. She wants "morning pages" — writing done upon rising in the morning before the day begins. In this case, I set the book aside and decided to take it seriously once the kids were back in school. My curiosity is heightened, but I really don't have the time…yet.
Today I started Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues (which has also been a shelf resident), and wouldn't you know it. She not only credits these 2 books in her own, but she ALSO asks the same of her readers. Write, write, write in a "Mother's Notebook." Do you see a pattern?
Write each day by committing to a certain number of pages or an allotted amount of time.
They each also stress the importance of making personal time a priority — a couple hours each week for a "time out" from all that you do.
Okay, okay, okay! So clearly life is asking me to recognize its gentle hints…and I would be a fool to ignore it. Whatever I need to learn, do, or accomplish lies somewhere within my cooperation. The same applies to you. When you find overlap in your life, PAY ATTENTION. These "guideposts" are the closest thing we will ever get to a road map. Shakti Gawain said, "Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness."
Follow your intuition, make note of themes that emerge, trust yourself, and watch your life simplify. Call it luck, fate, or serendipity… This is, in my opinion, the best route for getting out of our own way and living the life we imagine.
