Your Unfolding Path September 2001	Click Here to See Carol's Current Column
	by Carol Adrienne, Ph.D.

Wake Up and Smell the Synchronicity

Many of us have a dream buried deep inside. Maybe our dream is to write a book, make a movie, start a business—or get married. While it may lie quietly within, every now and then, we can feel it stirring—but usually we haven’t a clue about how to get started making it happen.

I met Sue Christensen at Tom Bird’s writing retreat in Sedona, Arizona last month. Sue, fifty-five, is a very successful real estate broker, who lives and works in Flagstaff, Arizona. I was impressed with her forthright and good-humored attitude. She exudes positive energy. The first day we met, Sue told me, "Every year for the last six years, I have put down my goals at the beginning of the year. Every year I have put down, Start my book, but I never did anything about it. Oh, I did a little writing, but only in the form of lists and ideas."

Sue did take one small first step, however. Out of curiosity, she went to Barnes & Noble book store and browsed a copy of Writer’s Digest, just to get familiar with how people write and get published. This led her to finding--to her amazement, she said--that there are software programs for writers.

"Early in June, I was talking to my sister, Judy, and mentioned that I had gotten a couple of these programs. A few days later, Judy called to tell me to check out Tom Bird’s web site. That phone conversation turned out to be a huge thing for me. I was really clicking with Tom’s message to would-be writers, so I printed out the material. Our friend Mary Ann, who was already in Tom’s intensive writing program, showed Judy and me what he was teaching her. Judy and I had been talking about collaborating on a book ever since our grandmother died. We had promised her that we would write a book together, because she had always dreamed of writing, but had never had the chance.

"The first night of the retreat Judy, Mary Ann and I were talking about the experiences of the day. Tom had asked us to visualize someone we knew in a picture frame and someone we didn’t know and write about them. Both Judy and I were amazed that we had both visualized our grandmother.

"I kept having more and more insights during the retreat," says Sue. "All this time I thought I was the Queen of Self-Satisfaction. Thinking I have my act together because I have done very well in real estate, and I am not married to my job. I thought I had life-balance down."

Sue’s dream was beginning to wake her up, but it was taking a different shape than what she had expected. As she did the writing exercises, her sense of what she wanted to write about began to change. As the class explored ideas about synchronicity, purpose, and intention, Sue says, "The lights went on. I saw how I had been kidding myself. I thought I had been taking time to relax and ‘smell the roses.’ But really what I was doing was spending all my time with other entrepreneurs, talking about how we could do more and get better. The only thing I focused on was productivity. While that’s been fun, I don’t feel I have been tuned into the depth of enjoyment that’s there for me now. Now I am less attached to the importance of making every sale and being productive every moment. I’m much more aware of some of the simple elements in life like a rich conversation or just being quiet in nature.

"These spiritual ideas were all new to me. At the retreat, I felt like I was the only person there who has not had an awareness that there are signals and connections and meanings that if you are watchful can show you meaning and excitement everywhere."

Sue clearly shifted something during her time away from normal routine. After having been home for a week, she went to a real estate conference in Orlando, Florida--one that she had been avidly looking forward to for months. Now, however, she was more interested in staying on track with her writing schedule than she was in attending every single session as she normally would have. As it turned out, the conference provided a synchronistic meeting with a man who teaches a course that she has wanted to take for years, but because of location and timing she could never enroll. "I found out that he lives and teaches right in my backyard," says Sue, "so I can easily work with him. All of a sudden, I feel like the whole universe is involved in one great conspiracy to bring these amazing things into my life."

Sue had come to the seminar thinking she wanted to learn how to write a novel. During the retreat, I noticed that she kept referring to herself as a novice in regard to writing. Several times she made the comment that she didn’t want to do any writing yet, because she might do it wrong. She didn’t want to create any bad habits in her writing out of ignorance.

Sue’s comments intuitively jarred me because Sue is anything but a novice, whether or not she is an experienced writer. I sensed she had a lot to say when it came to success, sales, and business. Her personality and communication style clearly indicate talent for public speaking. I mentioned my intuitions to her one afternoon. She admitted that she loved to tell newcomers to real estate how to sell, how to make big money, and how they need not work nights and weekends—something unheard of in that industry. I suggested that maybe she should start writing about these ideas. Sales and making deals are as natural to Sue as breathing. It was obvious to everyone that she is a powerhouse of energy. As we discussed the ideas and lists that she has stored away in her office, Sue’s face suddenly lit up with a big grin. A book on how to make money in real estate (and other types of sales), she realized, would be the most natural, easy and exciting place for her to start. Writing about what you know best is, of course, common wisdom in the writing field. Going with the natural flow is also part of the idea that we have had experiences in our lives for a reason. Too often we are blind to our gifts and talents because the ego thinks we aren’t good enough the way we are. We should be different.

Two days ago--a month after the writing retreat--Sue called to tell me she had just finished the first draft of her manuscript, Making a Six-Figure Income on Your Terms: A practical guide for life-balanced real estate agents and sales people in any field.

"I thought I was supposed to learn about how to write fiction--mystery with romance," she said, "The reason I abandoned the idea of my real estate book in the first place was because now the big guns in the industry are looking for a seven-figure income. To me, that means having to have a big overhead and all the management headaches that come with a large business." Sue told me that when I asked if she had done any public speaking on selling real estate, she reconnected with some of the training and lecturing she has done in the past—to great acclaim. "I thought," said Sue, "Not everybody is making a six-figure income, and if they are, they are usually surrendering their personal lives, and spending far too much time at work.

"That’s what made me realize that I do have a message. I took your suggestion, Carol, to write out chapter titles. That started me writing and, with Tom’s coaching support, I finished the first draft this morning. I was amazed when Tom first asked me if I had written anything. I drove over to his house to give him the big stack of lists and bullet points I had been piling up. The next day he said, ‘That’s a great outline, but don’t look at it again. Just start writing.’ He told me to write two hours every morning before doing anything else. Today I looked at the chapter titles I wrote down at the retreat, and they are the complete content of the book.

"I just bought a new picture frame that says, "Notice the amazing things that surround you." Having our group retreat picture in this frame is a huge reminder to me to open my eyes and look for synchronicities. "One more thing," said Sue. "I think subliminally I keep reflecting back to your question about public speaking. You told me to go where I feel strong. I was having my nails done this morning and I found myself telling the manicurist (who’s a friend of mine now), that I was thinking of approaching some retail stores at the Flagstaff mall, and offering to do some sales training. I nearly died when I heard this coming out of my mouth!

"You often hear people talk about doing things ‘someday.’ I feel like now I will always be open to noticing these messages from the universe. When Judy told me about the writing retreat, she also asked me if I had read The Celestine Prophecy. I got it and just burned right through it. Everything that has happened in the last eight weeks has stemmed from that one phone call."

Take a moment to reflect on Sue’s story. Ask yourself, what is the dream I might have buried deep inside me? To explore creativity? To learn to dance? To go back to school? To swim with wild dolphins? To start a community garden? To read more books? To travel and write articles?

Don’t wait. Ask the universe to help you meet the right people at the right time. Listen for the message in your next conversation. Start now. Start anywhere.

Sue Christensen can be contacted at RE/MAX Maximum Realty in Flagstaff, AZ (928) 774-7755 ex 222. Email her at sue@aztophomes.com. Sue is looking for a publisher for her book, as well as opportunities to show sales people how to make more money and still have a life.

Carol Adrienne, Ph.D., is an internationally-known workshop facilitator and author whose books have been translated into over fifteen languages. Her books include The Purpose of Your Life: Finding Your Place in the World Using Synchronicity, Intuition, and Uncommon Sense; Find Your Purpose, Change Your Life, and The Numerology Kit. She also co-authored with James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy: An Experiential Guide and The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision--An Experiential Guide.

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