I told myself I would spend some time in reflection at the end of the year. Today is the last day, so I guess now is the time for that reflection before the day passes me by. Spending time in reflection isn’t something I often do as I try not to live in any past tense. I’ve never been a person who holds onto an accomplishment for longer than what seems to be a few minutes. It feels uncomfortable to congratulate myself or live on a high that comes from accomplishing something so fleeting.

I am starting to understand at a very deep level that none of this has anything to do with me at all. The things I accomplished really weren’t things I did at all. They were gifts to me on the journey from God. All I did was surrender to opening the gifts. The only reason I opened them was that I slowed down enough to listen deeply.

I am very consistent with my meditation practice, and often when I meditate I get flashes of impulse. It is like a voice that speaks in not sentences, but whole flashes of an idea. You could call it your intuition or for me, Holy Spirit is how I know that voice. These impulses tell me to go DO something and the feeling that surrounds it is always JOY. That was my greatest gift of 2017. All I did was get quiet, listen and take joyful action with complete trust.

So, my year looked a bit different than the one I planned in January of 2017. I didn’t finish my second book for example. That wasn’t what called to me. So what gifts did we open? I use “we” because It’s not just me. I have someone with me on this journey and we work together. He leads. I follow. He speaks. I trust.

• We released The Mapmaker book in April of 2017. That experience has been one of the greatest blessings to me, drawing people and connections into my life I never anticipated. It created an instant connection when someone reached out to me to say “Me too. I feel that way too.” To feel known and heard by others on such a deep level has shown me our oneness in a new light.
• We spoke at four events on the subjects of designing your life with intention, embracing change, and how to trust during hard times.
• We created an online planner system to share with others how I organize my week and days with a focus on alignment and flow.
• We created an online class, Clearing Brain Clutter, that contains three weeks of daily content on how to use your thoughts to set your emotional frequency at a high level each day. This class also teaches introductions to meditation, mindfulness and the difference between our ego voice and intuition.
• We read 34 books, up from 28 the year before. Most of them were on the topic of conscious thought management and how thoughts drive our reality we experience.
• We together with two other amazing women, organized a women’s group in Des Moines. The group intention is to share new experiences together outside of our comfort zone and we held our first half-day retreat diving into life-coaching assisted by beautiful horses.
• We had five books signings and met some wonderful readers and authors.
• We quit using a scale or knowing our weight. This change from someone who used the scale daily for years. I heard the message loud and clear that nothing about me has anything to do with a number, so I just quit putting that number into my mind. This has been wonderfully freeing and supported me in viewing life more holistically.
• We studied and earned a certification as a Certified RTT Practitioner, learning how to work with not just conscious thoughts, but diving into our subconscious thoughts can be healed and reprogramed for more health, confidence, and positivity, freeing us from what holds us back in fear.
• We began our lifelong study of A Course In Miracles, deepening my spirituality.
• We continued to volunteer for Dress For Success and Hospice. 50% of book profits going to Dress For Success Des Moines.

So, what will 2018 look like? I don’t know, but I plan to continue to get quiet and listen. I plan to follow the impulses with trust and joy. So far I am feeling led to more Connection and Adventure. I hope to use RTT to help more people suffering from thoughts that separate them from God’s joy He has for them here. I hope to have adventures through travel and seeing the world from new perspectives filled with wonder. I hope to get back to finishing my second book.

Above all else, I will listen to God and trust. My role is to just open the gifts each day with joy.

I wish you a 2018 filled with a joyful heart, knowing your great purpose here. Every single one of us is part of the entire plan and we absolutely can not heal the world without you. I hope you hear the voice speaking to you and that you let it lead you to your joy, which is also your purpose here. Joy. Happiness. Love. Light. Follow that. Go there. The rest of the details will be worked out for you. I promise. So much is waiting for you to open your gifts. And I can’t wait to see what you do with them.

In Love, Light, and Faith,

Dawn