The Opinion Trap

Recently I was watching a show about a cooking competition on TV and one of the contestants was hugely criticized by one of the judges on the dish he prepared. Unfazed by the harsh words he shrugged it off and said that it was all a matter of opinion and he felt he did a good job and that's all that mattered. The other contestants looked at him in disbelief and voiced that he should accept the constructive criticism and make the appropriate changes. He reaffirmed his belief in what he presented and advised that if given another opportunity he wouldn’t change a thing.

His statement reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by an unknown author that states "your opinion of me is none of my business." When I first heard the quote I thought, “now what the heck does that mean????.” How could we discount opinions? They are important for our growth, right? As a child I was taught to uphold certain standards and keep in mind how others will react or what they would say. Growing up I had a very "interesting" sense of style and my mother would lovingly tell me that everyone may not get it. Not wanting people to judge me or tell me that I looked silly I would change. As I grew older I found myself trying to stay with whatever was in Vogue¬ despite my secret desire to mix polka dots and plaid!

When I began my healing journey years ago I realized that I was living my life based on what others would think of me or say about me. Instead of bracing myself for constructive criticism I would try to avoid it altogether and be what I thought others expected me to be. I found that this caused me a great deal of mental stress. I vowed to let go and live my life as I wanted to, regardless of what someone may think or say.

Are you stuck in a hold pattern or afraid to express who you really are because others may not understand or get it? Does the thought of constructive criticism make you cringe and unwilling to do the things you want to do? Sometimes we look for validation outside of ourselves when actually the only opinion that counts is our own. This life is yours to live, however you want. There will always be opinions; YOU decide which ones count and which ones don't.

So put on our polka dots and plaid and live life freely!

Today, I decided....

For the past several days I've been waking up at exactly 4:15 am. After the 3rd day of waking up at the exact same time I finally "got it." There was something that I was supposed to do or realize. God was giving me the subtle hint and luckily it didn’t take me very long to catch on!

On that 3rd day I made my way (sleepy eyes and bumping into things) to my sacred meditation room. I sat in silence and listened for my message. After a few still moments I realized that I am doing something so huge that I let the excitement almost pass me by. Now don’t get me wrong, when I finally closed on my new studio space I had several sporadic yelling and jumping fits, but I didn’t truly let myself rejoice.

The journey was an emotionally draining one, but with faith and God’s will I am here. My work and persistence wasn’t the most draining thing, it was also due in part to the worrying and judgments of others. I had reached out with an SOS requesting help to fund this dream. I got a LOT of support from my loved ones. But in addition to the support I got a lot of negativity and doubt thrown my way.

One gentleman accused me of doing something illegal by asking for donations! Well of course that’s silly and untrue but his comment did hit me for a moment. Was I getting in over my head? Should I have waited? I now have 2 mortgages to worry about, a slightly less stellar credit rating due to countless inquiries and renovation money that I am manifesting (with glee) so that I can officially open up shop.

I got up once again this morning, this time I made my way to my meditation room with a light heart and determination. In my journal I wrote “I refuse to succumb to the drama around me… to others saying they know what’s best for me… to words of doubt about my dreams… to negative things said about me that have more to do with the speaker… today, I claim my blessings as I am LOVED, I am WHOLE, I am ABUNDANT and I am RECEIVING all the gifts that the Universe bestows upon me.”

Today, what have YOU decided?

Ask, believe and receive

This morning I woke up a little before 5 am. My eyes just popped open and I began to smile. For four months I have been working on buying a new location for my yoga and wellness studio. The process started in April when I saw a quaint house right around the corner from where I lived with a for sale sign in the yard. It was definitely a fixer-upper but I saw the potential. While driving by with a friend she commented that I better buy that house to use as a studio.

I was amazed because I had looked longingly at the house several times in passing and thought the same thing but never told anyone. My friend voiced what I was feeling and I took this as validation. On a beautiful April afternoon my friend and I (who happens to share my first and maiden name and lives on the SAME street!) went by to see the owner. I fell in love with the land and the potential to do great things with the property. I told him that I was very interested and I would be back.... and I did come back with intention in hand. I wrote on a small piece of paper that the property is sold to me and I also wrote the amount I wanted to pay for it.

Time passed, the market changed and my first loan fell through. As I hurried to secure financing I refused to give up hope. I was turned down by 7 banks that could not see my vision. Determined to make my dream a reality I took a picture of the house and put it in my journal. Each day I would look at the picture and thought about all the wonderful things I was going to do with the property. Then as the Universe would have it I found someone who was willing to work with me - but I had to come up with 20% down! Not having the funds at the time to put down I went to work on manifesting the money and thought about my new space. The first closing date passed and a second was secured with a promise to put more down on good faith for the owner's assurance. Donations and support started pouring in from friends, family, clients and their associates. In the nick of time I had all that I needed!

Through asking, believing and receiving my blessing I have manifested the largest thing (so far) in my life. Anyone can do this! Just know and believe you are worthy and open yourself to love and abundance. It is important to stay in a state of excitement for whatever you want to manifest and don't let doubt creep in. You can manifest as quickly as you like, you just have to have blind faith - BELIEVE!