One of our students posted a really great question in our Facebook Community. She wrote:
Anyone know of an article that Leslie or someone has written about how to move beyond the imagining and feeling stage into making choices to bring goals into reality? The dreaming? Easy. The detailed why? Done. Feel as if it already has happened? Yup. Multiple decisions are before me… now it’s noisy and muddy again. Thanks for the help!
I thought I had an article somewhere but couldn’t find it. I think conversations on that topic have only happened inside our classes, so I decided to turn this conversation into an article. Here was my response:
Once you’ve done all those things, it puts you up on a level where you will “hear” a broadcast of ideas that will lead you toward the desired outcome if you will act on them. But it’s like an ongoing live-stream of MANY ideas, and not all of them are necessarily are for you. That’s why many people who do those preliminary steps end up feeling overwhelmed with options.
If you think about it, that’s an awesome problem to have! Rather than being stumped without a single idea of what to do next, here you have a plethora of options.
But if that flow leads to paralysis, it’s important to approach the many options with curiosity and ask “is that one for me?” “is that one mine?” It becomes an exercise of conscious discernment.
Consider (see yourself) taking one of them – how does the idea of it feel? Consider taking a different one, does it feel any different or better than the first? Usually one of them will stand out as the “next right step”. But if it does not, then decide which one is the most appealing to you, and use your agency to choose it, even if you don’t have clarity or a confirmation that it’s right.
Give it your best guess, and move forward with courage. Take that step. You’ll find out soon enough if it was right – you’ll either feel that it was, or you’ll find that it leads you continuously to another next right step, and then another, and so forth.
That’s what “chasing your rabbit” looks like. Following where it leads, and doing the next right step, one step at a time. By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass. Don’t wait for it to be totally obvious which path is right, if it isn’t feeling obvious. Just start moving your feet – take action – do something – with the trust that as you begin rolling, God will begin steering. One of my favorite illustrations of this principle is in Holland’s talk called “Wrong Roads“.
She replied:
Here is the problem I’m facing. This one, if corrected, would actually alleviate many things in my life when conquered.
I’ve made many wrong road decisions about this category so the options are not clear because it’s surrounded with too much evidence pushing against it with force of waves.That’s where I’m at. The decisions without as many wrong road evidence is much easier to navigate. The static noise is quiet. I’m clear on what I want but I keep taking wrong turns to get there. That is what is causing the paralysis.
So I added:
It really is a process of trial and error. For one thing, it’s possible that the “wrong roads” weren’t wrong at all, because of what they taught you.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison.
It’s frustrating to keep making choices that seem wrong, but if you keep trying, you will eventually find the one that springs the lock open.
So, in THIS moment, bring yourself back to a place of calmness, and bravely ask what is your next right step. Chaos often follows choices that are made from a place of stress or desperation. So get yourself first to calmness, true inner peace (however you best get there) before listening for the inspired thought that suggests the next right step.
For now, your next right step might be to invest the time it takes to return to calmness and trust. Get back to the basics. Commit to those things with the patience of – I’ll do the basics and trust no matter how long it takes.
It looks like you may have missed the webinar about the Mechanics of a Miracle. Check yourself with brutal honesty about each of these elements:
- The desired outcome is difficult or unlikely (acknowledge that if it happens at all, it will be God’s doing).
- Visualize the desired outcome.
- Imagine how it would feel.
- Choose to really believe it is possible somehow anyway.
- Expect a happy outcome, even if it doesn’t end up looking exactly the way you want.
- Keep calm / make total and honest peace with present conditions if nothing ever changes.
- Identify and take a next right step.
Most people get stuck on number 6. They are too attached to needing the change that they skip the “being okay” if nothing ever changes. And that piece to be checked off really needs to be accomplished with full and total surrender as if nothing will ever change.
That’s probably the hardest piece, but so critical. It’s releasing your grip on how you need things to be, so that those things can begin to fall into place more naturally. Without that piece, there is often an energy of force, which communicates like desperation, which can negate the process. It’s mental gymnastics, I know. But hopefully something here can help you find your next right step regardless of how your past steps have gone for you.
Lastly, here’s an article that can help you see your mistakes in a new light: https://medium.com/@amateora/on-fear-failure-fractals-the-wisdom-of-iteration-9d4117889e7a
Her reply:
I read the article. I have come to the conclusion that fear of failure is not my issue. Otherwise I would have stopped taking all those wrong roads a long time ago. My lesson is patience and recording down my lesson so I can step forward better. Better and more efficiently narrow in on what I don’t want to create, so I can more accurately make decisions based on what I do… based on the evidence of what I’ve already done. Record it and act.
Conclusion for now is
- Patience
- Analyze.
- Get more clear
- Let go.
- Receive what is meant for me At this time.
Thank you for your guidance.
If you’re reading this article and are still struggling to know what your next right step is, don’t wait for an obvious prompting, assume your thoughts are being influenced as you do whatever you think of doing next. And watch for the next time that our Mechanics of a Miracle webinar is available. Make sure you’re getting our Rare Faith Newsletter so you can be notified of the next showing.
- Rare Faith Free class tomorrow (replay available) - April 25, 2024
- Rare Faith What we do to ourselves - April 19, 2024
- Rare Faith Waiting for the other shoe to drop - April 15, 2024
One Response
This article was perfect timing for me! We are in the midst of relocating due to my husband’s job, and have so far been unable to secure housing. Thank you for writing out these steps so clearly!