JOY is intention enough. OR Manifestation 101
This is about my decision to be limitless. I am sharing in the hope that my words and experience will inspire you to allow more possibilities for manifesting joy in Your life.
Many of us subscribe to the practice of goal-setting. While I believe that goal-setting is helpful, I have found that in some instances, it can foster limitation. When I have been very specific about what I want to achieve, I have achieved just that. Exactly as ordered. Nothing more, nothing less. In several cases, I realized after manifestation that I could have imagined it a little (or a LOT) better. Has that ever happened to you? (The old quote comes to mind, "Be careful what you wish for. You just may get it.")
In contrast, when I have held a more broad intention, focusing only on the JOY I would experience with manifestation of my desired situation or object, results have been phenomenal and far greater than expected. In the past 8 months, I have received a strong message to allow more freedom in that which I wish to manifest. I have learned through exciting experiences that I can simply focus on the feeling of the environment or situation that I desire without deciding (limiting) the wheres, whens, whos, or hows. When the intention does manifest, it proves to be far more satisfactory than I could have dreamed. There have been perks and benefits that I hadn't even realized I would enjoy or need until I had them.
In hindsight, I see that The Universe has been trying to teach me this lesson for many years. The most memorable time when I experienced this lesson that "Joy is Intention Enough" was many years ago but I am only now understanding.
Upon completing college in North Carolina, I set my intention to move from my small hometown to Washington, D.C. to live and work. I made several trips to D.C., visiting friends and learning my way around. While I enjoyed my visits, I was not successful in locating housing or employment there. I returned to Greensboro, North Carolina and settled into my new life with the only job and housing I could find at the time. I worked as the Manager of a 24-hour Convenience Store. My income afforded me a small rent-controlled studio in a sketchy neighborhood and I worked about 16 hours per day, 7 days per week, all hours. Needless to say, I was not having the post-college experience of my dreams.
I knew that usually when I set an intention, it manifested. So while I was disappointed about having failed to realize my big city dreams in D.C., I continued to imagine myself going about my life in a big city. I daydreamed about wearing business suits, enjoying the brisk air and the hustle-bustle. I imagined dining out with friends at hip restaurants, going to swanky parties and shopping at chic boutiques. While I was not in my ideal job or living situation at the time, I stayed in a state of gratitude for having found a job that was challenging and showed me what I was made of. After a few weeks of just focusing on what it would feel like to live and work in a big city, I received a very unexpected call from a friend.
My married friends Marvin and Tracey had recently moved from her hometown in North Carolina to his hometown in New York. I don't know what prompted Marvin to think of me but I had worked for him on several different projects before graduating. He called one day and said, "You know Shauney, Tracey and I just moved up here and I think you could do this. This is all you up here. You should come check it out." Wow. The call and Marvin's words caught me completely off guard. In my wildest dreams, I had never allowed myself to imagine moving to.. THE city. Marv put me in contact with Malissa, the Human Resources Director at the company he was working for. Malissa was from a from a small town too and she helped me set up interviews with companies and agencies in New York.
TWO WEEKS later, I was living and working in Manhattan. My big city dreams were realized and exceeded. I now know that it was the intention and feeling that allowed the situation to manifest. Had I stayed set in my mind with the static goal of moving to Washington, D.C., I probably could have eventually forced it to work. But after seeing how it all worked out, I know that being in D.C. was not right for me and I would not have been nearly as joyful, comfortable, or had the incredibly amazing and positively life-changing experience that I had as the result of moving to Manhattan at the age of 24.
Twelve years later, I am finally deciphering and truly receiving this repeating message in my life. Over the past several months, I have had small lessons in the simple manifestation of joy but I am expanding now to allow JOY to be THE intention for my life in all aspects. I choose now to allow all options to be available to me simply by not selecting any one option upon which to focus. To me, the word "JOY" encompasses the feelings of peace, love, abundance, satisfaction and freedom that accompany a wonderful life. Joy is like a seed. I am planting this seed called Joy in the ether of consciousness and nurturing it by feeling joy in my present existence. I know that my seed will grow into a beautiful, flourishing and mighty tree with branches of amazingness in all areas of my life.
I'll let you know how it goes. My hope is that I may inspire you to also create from a place of unlimited opportunity instead of only choosing from the few things you may truly believe that you deserve.
Just as there is an abundance of air to breathe and an immeasurable amount of energy to utilize and manage, so are the possibilities for my life. I am open to whichever of those meet the highest good of my Self and all those involved. I believe that the same is true for you. I hope that you believe it too.
I Am Affirming All Possibilities for Your Joy and Abundance,
