Tag Archives: Courage

Love Revelation: The power of “AND”

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me

On August 27th, 2013, the word “AND” transformed my life.

Let me explain.

Two days before, in my Advanced Course with Landmark Worldwide I’d had a huge breakthrough that had me seeing all of the ways that I was living my life as a victim who needs to protect herself from anger, harshness, disappointment. I was being a coach inside of the thought “Please don’t be mad at me;” a daughter, lover, friend inside of the thought, “Please don’t be mad at me;” I was pursuing my dreams inside of the thought, “Please don’t be mad at me:” which ummm…wasn’t very effective, to say the least. Was I making things happen? Yes. And I had NO CLUE what I could make possible through freedom from that fear story.

So there I was on August 27th, the final night of my Advanced course, and we were doing one last exercise. It went like this:

Look for all of the statements where you say, I want X BUT Y. And we were going back and forth with a partner stating as many of these as we could think of.

“I want to have a passionate, committed relationship BUT I’m afraid it’s not possible for me.”

“I want to make money doing what I love BUT I don’t know how.”

“I want to move out of my mom’s house BUT I can’t afford it.”

Then we made one little shift that created my life as I know it today. We simply took that little word, that action-stopping, you-can’t-have-what-you-want word, “BUT” and replaced it with “AND.”

“I want to have a passionate, committed relationship AND I’m afraid it’s not possible for me.”

“I want to make money doing what I love AND I don’t know how.”

“I want to move out of my mom’s house AND I can’t afford it.”

And suddenly the world opened up. There were actions I could take to have what I want. There was the possibility to move forward in my life in ways that truly matter to me. When I got to that last one about wanting to move out of my mom’s house AND not being able to afford it, I was stopped in my tracks:

“I need to move out of my mom’s house.”

And then I saw actions: Get clear on my finances, pick a date to move out and get clear on prices of apartments that I want, create a financial plan to make it happen, etc.

And I hit the ground running. That next week I was looking at apartments in Madison. And than it occurred to me: I don’t want to live in Madison anymore. I want to move to Brooklyn, NY, and I’m going to do it by March of 2014. I registered into the Landmark Introduction Leaders Program that just started this past Friday as a way to REALLY throw my hat over that fence.

And well, my loves, I’m writing this post from Brooklyn, NY and it’s March of 2014. And believe me: there were freak outs and break downs. I nearly cancelled my registration for that program multiple times. I chose to move in the midst of a business re-brand, which felt insane. And I didn’t let that stop me. I found the courage to ask friends and family for financial support in order to follow through on my commitment to get here in March to begin that program, and between the online GoFundMe campaign (http://www.gofundme.com/MelissaNYCJourney), and loving checks in the mail, I’ve currently raised $2,961 toward my $5000 goal, with 11 days left. Vulnerable to ask–Hell yes. And I didn’t let the word “BUT” stop me from creating the invitation for others to contribute powerfully to my life and those who I’m meant to touch with my life.

And I’m falling in love with what is beginning to unfold in my life here in my new city. And oh yeah, I’m going to have that relationship that I want, and every day I get to do more and more of the work that I love while also making money…doing what I love.

Anything is possible when we remove the word “BUT” from our language.

“AND” just might be my new favorite word. 

Now it’s your turn: What could that simple word make possible in YOUR life? What actions can you take to turn YOUR wanting into reality?

All my love,

:)Melissa

©2014 Melissa Simonson

Love Revelation: The lie that I tell…

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So, I have this lie that I tell.

I tell it every time I walk into a group of people…the bigger the group, the bigger the lie. I tell it when I’m the “new girl” or I’m about to embark on something completely new and out of my comfort zone.

It goes something like this:

“I don’t belong here. I’m invisible. Everyone knows what they’re doing except me and no one cares that I feel lost. No one even cares if I am here or not…”

This lie seemed to get crystallized around age 10, the first week of band class when I picked up my flute to play a song I knew well…and unbeknownst to me, the band was playing it in a different key…but since I didn’t know that, all I thought was, “I’m wrong and I don’t even know why and no one cares.” If it weren’t for my dad getting me extra help when I came home crying and wanting to quit, I wouldn’t be playing flute today.

And the funny thing is, I’m not 10 anymore, but that memory, that feeling, can live itself over and over again every time I step into a new situation with a group of people, and every time, I want to quit, to walk away, to find the escape hatch.

And it’s a lie because the truth is, I belong the moment that I say I belong. I belong the moment that I step outside of my “what about me” fears and get present, really present and engage with the people around me. I belong when I get that every single person on this planet is a contribution, and I can choose to be a powerful, loving contribution.

I belong when I express myself, all of myself, when I share from my heart and create the space for others to share from their hearts.

I discover with a little more ease each time I start to tell this lie that if I want to belong, I need to create a space where others belong.

I’ve found that life is so much more powerful when I give away what I want the most.

So I ask you: What are you going to give away today?

©2014 Melissa Simonson

Welcome Home, Melissa.

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singing

14 days into living in NYC and I found myself singing solo blues & country on stage with strangers…who are now friends, of course…while other beautiful new friends from Colombia & Liverpool cheered me on, and an East Asian woman danced along with her Irish friend…

All because I was bold enough to run up and throw a third harmony into the mix when the mood struck me…

Welcome home, Melissa. Welcome home.

©2014 Melissa Simonson

Love Revelation: Listening for “home”

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It is a weird and uncomfortable experience to not have a clear sense of “home.” Today marks my 2nd full day in Brooklyn and Yesterday’s big accomplishments included finding a local grocery that I like so that I could actually have food at home, picking up odds and ends for daily living…I’m of course, already noticing the things that I forgot to bring, the items that I had no idea would be essential in this new space. And, oh, I didn’t get lost yesterday, which was cool. 

The emotional experience, right now is one of total ungroundedness, searching for center, for the SENSE of home. I find it and create it in little moments and then it’s gone again, to then, rediscover it in another moment. Lavender essential oil filling my room, time spent with my journal, watching a favorite TV show online and reading before bed, nourishing food, my favorite lotion, creating order in my new space. There is a deep need to find and create the familiar within this completely unfamiliar place. I feel invisible and disconnected from who I am, what matters to me, what I want, what I need. And yet, the preciousness of this time is that I get to rediscover and perhaps discover for the first time, the answer to these essential questions.

My main inspiration, right now, lies in creating and relishing in beauty. Nourishing my body with movement and good food. Making my space pretty. Creating a sense of grounded spaciousness with lovely smells. Creating softness and lightness in my experience.

There are powerful fears lurking beneath the surface that I’ll get stuck and consumed by a mode of survival, that I will lose sight of who I am, that I’ll forget and disappear somehow, that I won’t accomplish what matters to me in my heart…and my inner Wise Woman is smiling at me as she reminds me I’ve only been here for 2 days. Now is not the time to climb mountains, it is time to rest in the valley, to gather up strength, to listen within for what is “home” and then to lean into those experiences with all of my heart. That sense of home will guide me, will pull to exactly who, what and where I need to be.

And so I honor my fear for not letting me forget that I am a leader feeling called to accomplish big, loving things in the months and years ahead. And for now, I bring myself back to the here and now, I meet myself with gentleness and patience and ease, and I listen and follow the voice of home that lives in my belly and my bones.

And as I write these words while listening deeply to my inner landscape, I hear a soft whisper telling me that magic awaits, and I am smiling, tears glistening in my eyes.

xo Melissa

P.S. Feel inspired to support my soul journey to NYC while claiming AMAZING rewards–like the opportunity to be supported by me through your own transformation at kickass discount prices? Visit: http://www.gofundme.com/MelissaNYCJourney to learn more!

©2014 Melissa Simonson

Love Revelation: Will you hold my hand through the unknown?

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I’ve created an amazing opportunity for you to experience the Soul Mapping Journey at a 50% reduced cost until March 31st. But first, this week’s Love Revelation.

It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a moment to still myself and write from my heart. I’m flying out to Brooklyn, NY on Saturday to begin this next chapter of my life, and my brain has been full–from the moment I awake in the morning, I have been consumed with all that there is to do with this move, and this wouldn’t be a love revelation if I didn’t admit that there is lots and lots of anxiety mixed in with the to-do’s.

I took some time out to journal this morning and slow down my thought process and I saw how scared that I am. It’s not that there isn’t excitement in there, ’cause there is definitely that, and there is also loads of vague anxiety. A sense that I’m dropping the ball, somehow. A fear that I’m going to struggle financially. A deep longing for peace, ease, and solid security.

Much of this is just my mind, body and spirit reacting to mega change. My fight or flight response is in hyper-drive, right now. There is a need to allow myself to be with the fear, to validate it, to thank it for doing its job–to be with myself as I would be with a child who is under my care and protection as we make this big transition.

And then there are the parts that I can simply remedy with clarity, with continuing to be in communication with those around me, with creating plans and structure that have me knowing that no matter what, I will always have my back. 

And it’s for that reason that I decided to create a crowd-funding campaign and open myself to receive your help and support. The money part is, of course, an essential piece in my making this transition in a sustainable way, and there is something deeper than that. The support that I have received so far has buoyed my spirit, it has created a sense of connection and an awareness that I am truly not alone in a way that I so need, right now.

Because the truth is, going through transformation can be the most alone experience that we go through…it can feel like we’re lost and in between worlds. And it doesn’t HAVE to feel that way. Taking on this move to NYC has been a powerful lesson in that for me. I don’t have to go it alone, and I’m choosing not to. None of us have to go it alone.

It is my commitment through my Soul-Mapping Journey program to hold people’s hand as they choose to pursue their passions and follow the call of their souls, and now, I’m inviting you to hold mine as I take my own soul journey. 

Will you hold my hand and make a powerful difference in my life as I take this powerful step in the direction in my dreams? Will you give yourself the gift of not only knowing yourself as a powerful contribution in my life and in the world, but also through receiving the cool opportunities (like the Soul Mapping Journey at 50% off) that I created as rewards for the campaign?

You can watch the inspirational video I created, support the campaign, learn more, share it, and claim your own amazing transformational rewards by clicking here: 

Thank you for being with me on this journey. You make a true difference in my life with your presence and love.

If you are thinking that you would love to receive the Soul Mapping Journey at this kick-booty discount and you’re wondering how the program will make a powerful difference in your life, I offer a Free Discovery Session to all those who are ready to to get unstuck, to have clarity, and to take action in alignment with their soul purpose–and experience great freedom and joy as a result. In this Free Discovery Session, we will get clear on whether or not The Soul Mapping Sessions are a perfect right fit for you, and you will receive:

  • Clarity around your core needs & longings right now
  • Clarity around how you can meet those core needs & longings
  • An unleashed desire to pursue your passions
  • Unconditional love & acceptance for who you are and where you are in your life, right now
  • Full access to tools that you can use to create a life that you love

That’s a lot of deliciousness, no?

Your soulful calls to action:

1) Email me with why you would love to experience a FREE 1-hour Discovery Session with me.
2) I’ll send you a link to my calendar so we can make that happen!
3) Visit my GoFundMe page and check out all of the awesome, awesome rewards: http://www.gofundme.com/MelissaNYCJourney

I love you.

:)Melissa

©2014 Melissa Simonson