A year from now, what do you wish you would have started today?
I gotta give some credit for this question to a friend from college, Janette @Janettecasolary. Her IG is amazing, I highly recommend checking out her awesome work.
I had already drawn and was drafting this post for our May Monthly Forecast when I scrolled across this question on her feed and it just so perfectly suits the cards this month.
About a two years ago, this question would not leave me alone. I kept trying to push forward with a plan to go to graduate school when I KNEW deep down it would not be in my best and highest (financial) self to do so. Okay...the money was a big part of it but truly, I knew in my gut pursuing school was not in alignment with what I was here to do.
I took a gamble, ceased all grad school applications and launched Emily Rose Divination. It was a risk. It was scary. I was turning my back to social norms and what I thought I SHOULD do.
But once I was truly able to check in with myself, the choice was clear. It didn't even feel like a decision, it felt like my soul was pulling me forward showing me the next step. I knew I had to help people tap into their authentic selves through Lenormand classes and readings. I wrote a whole POST about discovering my purpose if you want to learn more about this story.
So, as we are around the anniversary of Emily Rose Divination, the cards have said, it's time to pass this question on to you.
One more time.
A year from now, what do you wish you would have started today?
The cards this month insist it’s time to commit to a future that is based on what you TRULY want. Not what you think you SHOULD do, but want you WANT to do.
Here's the Techy breakdown for you Lenormand Learners:
Ring+Woman+Stars+Heart
Advice Card: The Emperor, Reversed
Rana George Lenormand - US Games
The Wild Unknown Tarot
Card Analysis
Ring + Woman = A commitment to yourself. Since I am a woman drawing the cards, the cards represent YOU. Even if you are a man reading this, just think of this card as a placeholder for you.
Woman + Stars = Your future.
Stars + Heart = A future based on your true passions.
The Emperor, Reversed = As an advice card, this is suggesting that perhaps you are holding on too tightly to the routines, and world you have built. What if the world you have constructed becomes too constricted?
As I pulled and interpreted these cards, a phrase bubbled up to the surface of my mind. Oh, how I wanted to shove it back down, because it can seem scary to read it at first...but it kept coming back and I realized that this deeper thought needs to be understood in order to fully process this reading. Here goes...
You are not who you think you are.
Ahhh!!! This is a scary statement, right?!
When this expression first entered into my mind several years ago, I immediately went into denial mode.
I was on a long walk when it entered my mind, and it just wouldn't go away...I couldn't ignore it.
So I began to investigate this feeling...why is this even relevant? Why do I have to confront this?
As Brene Brown says in many of her books, we often tell ourselves stories about our lives. These, stories are the narratives we construct about ourselves and the people in our intimate worlds that may or may not be objectively true.
For instance, a story I tell myself when I walk into a gym is "I'm not athletic...why am I even here?" I continue to tell myself this story despite the fact I have run several half marathons and regularly do yoga. The story isn't true, but it's on refrain in my brain.
But, when you meet someone new, you don't have a story about them yet. Although we may have some initial snap judgements, generally we don't have any idea about who they are or what they do. They could be an architect, a mom, a dog lover, a brain surgeon, an alcoholic, we don't know.
So, what if we treated ourselves like a new person we didn’t yet know? What if we pretended for a moment that we don't have ANY stories about ourselves?
Instead, we can get curious. If you pictured meeting yourself, what would you ask? And how would you answer? I know this is getting a bit weird and meta but you get the idea.
I know many of you may be thinking "but Emily...I have a job and a house, and responsibilities, etc. Who I am is linked to these things.." But...my response is...
Because you are not your circumstances.
We are born into a particular circumstance. As children, we often do not have the agency or knowledge to change our lives. We have to deal with the town we live in, the school we are at, the socioeconomic challenges of our family. BUT...when we become adults, we CAN change our lives.
You face one of the biggest choices of your life. Are you going to continue to plug away within the confines of your current circumstances, or are you going to try to stretch your arms out, straighten your posture, or dance wildly and shift the walls of your life around your new range of motion?
Although it may not seem like a decision at this moment...the way your life is now, is not the way it always has to be. You can DECIDE to change your job, your house, and the people you surround yourself if these things are not serving your higher purpose or bringing you joy.
May is the time to evaluate...are my current goals in alignment with what I TRULY want or are they convenient goals that would only slightly better my circumstances?
I believe our life work is to discover and pursue our soul projects and purpose. But, we can’t do that without significantly altering our circumstances in some way.
So flip the script.
Instead of your purpose fitting into your circumstances...make your circumstances fit into your purpose.
I know this is easier said then done...but you don't have to do this ALL at once. The important thing right now is to begin to realize...
The world needs what your true self has to offer.
When you are doing your soul work, you shine. People can see it. People are attracted to you and the world begins to bring you opportunities. I believe we are here to share our souls with others in some way. We are here to pursue our soul projects and this world NEEDS you and your contributions.
BUT...here's the big but. It is a lot of work. Labor of love. Labor of not love sometimes (I'm talking about fussing with technology for my business). There is only one way to ensure you pursue what lights you up inside.
This is the time to COMMIT to yourself.
The cards are insisting that this month you commit to your soul goals.
What does commitment look like? For me, it's sitting at Starbucks every day for at least two hours working on my business. For you, it could be committing to your yoga practice for 20 minutes everyday, or taking 10 photos a day.
The important thing is that you pick a doable commitment. Something you look forward to most days and WANT to do. Sure, somedays you may not want to, but most days, you will be eager to work on it. If you're not excited most days to work on your goals, then it's not a soul goal.
When you don’t know what to do, get quiet.
If you are thinking, "Emily, I don't even know what my soul goal is. How do I figure this out?!"
First, check out my post "Find your Purpose in 5 Steps" and also, get quiet. Go for a walk with no headphones, stand in your yard and close your eyes, put your hand on your heart and tell it you want to hear what it has to say.
Then, ask yourself, if you could work toward ANYTHING, what would it be? Don't limit yourself here. If you feel that editing voice enter before you fully get out what you want to do, then recenter and try again.
No limits.
Then, once you get your limitless goal, mine is "write books, speak at big events, travel the world, helping people trust themselves through spiritual foundations."
That is a lofty goal...yours can be loftier or more down to earth. Whatever it is, roll with it.
Then, ask yourself "what is the first step I need to take to accomplish this goal?"
What is the first step?
Then commit. Do the thing, every damn day. Why? Because you are worth committing to and the world needs your shine.