if it's meant to be...

Have you ever said to yourself: “if it’s meant to be, then it will happen”?

While in spirit, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, which on the surface captures a reverence for the wisdom of the Universe…

in practice I find that we’re more likely to mis-use it to our detriment, than to wield it in a way that sparks true transformation.

Allow me to explain with a metaphor.

Last night I hiked four miles to up a mountain lake at sunset. It was part of my commitment to myself to spend time in silent reflection outdoors this holiday weekend. After a particularly potent couple of weeks at work, I felt called to nature. To stillness. To beauty. To reflection – but also to risk.

To revisit a path that I knew from experience was full of surprises. That was difficult to climb and also challenging to follow at times. And while I could have ventured to do the hike in broad daylight, the new moon and night sky also brought their own appeal.

When I pulled into the trailhead parking lot at 7pm I took a deep breath and checked in with myself again. This hike would ask something of me. Was I willing to give it? I knew that I was. And so I set my resolve, grabbed my water, a warm hat and a headlamp and started down the path.

It’s true, I had intended to get on the trail a bit earlier. But some part of my psyche also knew that the sheer beauty of the emerging stars would be worth risking the delicate journey down in the dark.

Some part of my psyche knows that adventure ignites a fire in my soul – and the riskier decisions are the ones that inspire me to grow.

At the lake, I bid farewell to the sun with my feet in the shallow water. Offering a song and a prayer for the vision I hold for the emergence of women leader’s power and voice in all industries and sectors across the globe.

I allowed myself to be captivated by the light as it changed, and emerged onto the shore for a brief qi gong practice. I felt myself being informed by the ancient wisdom of the trees around me and soil underneath my feet. And when I was complete, I said thank you and turned my attention to the new task at hand: a journey in the dark.

“A metaphor for my life,” I thought.

Walking the path of the disruptor. Forging a new paradigm through patience and practice. This isn’t easy. And neither is descending a mountain in the dark.

It quickly became clear (though my mind already knew this!) that the journey down was serving as a somatic recalibration. Could my physiology handle the sensation of not knowing the next step. Not being able to see exactly where I would place my foot until a few seconds before it touched the ground.

Could I tolerate the awareness that other beings with other agendas may be having their own adventure in the shadowy meadows to my right and to my left? Could I breath softly, and allow my heart rate to settle even when trees looked less familiar, or the trail seemed to disappear?

What the walk required – and trained in me – was exactly the skills I need for the evolution of my own leadership at this time.

• a tolerance for risk
• the willingness to embrace the unknown, rather than resist it
• a nervous system that can transmute fearful energy into fuel
• patience
• presence
• curiosity
• and deep gratitude

Thank you SO much for my safe and easeful passage. Thank you for extending me grace.

Thank you for supporting every sincere yes with the resources, allies and emerging know how to show up for the experience that ensues.

Thank you for supporting me to be a woman who is more committed to growth and transformation than to fear.

These are the thoughts I carried with me down the mountain last night.

These are the thoughts I invite you to practice in your own life this fall.

I was inspired to write this piece as a result of two recent conversations: one with a potential client and one with a dear old friend.

Both were considering some exciting decisions that could lead to expansion – and bring them closer to both their true purpose and their desires.

Both had a habit of hiding, or losing clarity, when the call to adventure was BIGGER than they thought they could handle.

“If it’s meant to be…” they said.

To each of these women – and to you, if you find yourself saying this often – I dedicate last night’s hike.

What I’ve found is that when we delegate our free-will choice to the Universe, we delay (and sometimes even fully stall out) our destined evolution.

What I’ve also found is that when we say YES to something we don't know HOW to do – or don’t know IF we can do it – we give the Universe a chance to meet us outside the realm of our predictable ego patterns, fears, stories and pre-scripted behavior to actually co-create something magnificent together.

“The Universe WANTS to love you,” another dear old friend used to say… “it’s just that you keep getting in the way.”

I celebrate both of these women – and YOU – for opening up to new experiences. For confessing the deeper desires (even just to yourself, in the privacy of your own head!)

And for the ways we (myself included) still talk ourselves out of risk and back into our comfort zones.

This month in Guts & Grace, we will be focusing on Intuition and learning from the Wisdom of the Body. If you find this piece compelling I invite you to join me in in tracking the ways your ego may unconsciously use “intuition” as a tricky alias for fear.

For example:

• If it’s meant to be I’ll get a sign (may = universe please collaborate with me in demonstrating why I’m not ready yet) –– TRUTH: usually we start to get signs and experience synchronicity AFTER we’ve made a positive commitment and started down the path
• I’m waiting for clarity and I can’t seem to find it yet (may = I’m selling short on what I really DO want or envision, and anything less than that leaves me foggy) –– TRUTH: it’s typically easier to manifest something bigger if the frequency is fully aligned with you, your real desire, or your real power
• If I can’t afford it or see how it could work (may = I’m not able or willing yet to let go of control and really trust that I am supported) –– TRUTH: you cannot receive full support when you are fully in control, so the only way to grow is to let go of something

As you can see, underneath your truly practical sounding reasons, there may be an old habit (or fear) that is actually running the show.

And – rather than being the right reason not to begin – it may be the very thing that’s preventing your momentum.

But truly…

DON’T trust me on this. ‘Cause it will only begin to make sense as you practice.

This month I invite you to design a practical experiment. How could you leverage your intuition (the part that comes in the form of a hunch, a desire, a vision, a spark of excitant) to generate the momentum you’ve been craving,

rather than allowing it to operate in service of your fears?

With inspiration,

LeeAnn