Not Meant to Be? Or Is It Manifesting Interference?

Nearly a decade ago, I was under contract to buy a very large, very expensive (for me) fixer-upper home outside of New York City. There were problems with the house and I negotiated back and forth for months. Finally a leak was found in the underground oil storage tank and the owners had it repaired against code, so I was able to cancel the deal and get my down payment back. I still lost thousands from paying the appraisal and the lawyer. During these negotiations, I received quite a bit of negative input from family, friends, and my boyfriend at the time. Comments were made about the size of the house, could I afford it, the repairs needed, the responsibility of that much property, etc. I was relieved when the deal fell through.

So here is a question I have pondered a lot throughout my life – when is something not happening because it’s “not meant to be,” and when is it not happening because the attention, effort, and energy you are putting into it is not clear or sufficient to work its “manifesting” magic? There is que sera, sera – what will be, will be, and then there is “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Does it depend on the ease of the process? If you are working too hard to bring something about – the proverbial trying to put a square peg in a round hole – then listen and perhaps decide that it’s not meant to be? Or should you take a look at your process and if other people’s opinions and input may be mucking up the works? Who knows how large doses of “not” energy affect the outcome?

I say, YES. Notice BOTH. 

Conflict or Compassion

On Sunday afternoon, the moment I heard about the tragedy in Tucson, I called a friend who lives there to see if he was okay. He said he had been en route to hear Congresswoman Giffords speak – he got there just after the ambulances arrived.  I was thankful he was not there any earlier. When I called him, he was on his way into the V.A. hospital to join Native Americans who were about to hold a prayer service. In a moment of crisis in his own backyard he and others were quickly turning to compassion.

Conflict or Compassion – which do you choose, when, and for what purpose? Do you have the flexibility and the emotional intelligence to know the appropriateness for different situations?

How to Keep Your New Commitments

I think a New Year is a great time to take a look at commitments – not so much our ability to make commitments – but if and how we keep them. We all have the great intention of keeping our New Year’s resolutions, but we don’t necessarily equip ourselves with the skills to do so. Here are some blocks to look out for and some solutions to keeping our resolutions: