So where do we begin? Often people approach me by saying, "I am no longer happy in my career." Or, "I don't know what direction I want to take in my life at this time-I feel lost and confused."

Letting Go of Fear

Before embarking on this path, let's consider a few aspects that may be holding us back, and how we can move forward.
So often, we have forgotten what we love to do, what inspires us-what really excites our passion and peaks our interest. For example, we may have chosen to work in an area that offers financial stability, even though it is not our "ideal" career.
We may have chosen a job and now we feel "stuck." Perhaps we were afraid to take a risk and to venture out toward a career that would allow us to stretch and to use our special talents.

Step One: The first step is to focus on what we really want, instead of focusing on our fears. Our fears might include: how to pay the bills, how to provide for our family, or the fear that we will not be successful.
Form clear intentions: Money flows into my life, and I continually receive checks that provide material ease.  I joyfully make a contribution to others through my work. I focus only on success.  By centering only on success, I cannot attract anything but success!

Step Two: A simple formula is to write down everything that we are passionate about doing. It's important to include hobbies, such as sports, cooking, or love for music, art, traveling, charity or philanthropy-whatever creates a surge of joy.
When dreams have been repressed for many years, it can take time to get in touch with what exactly inspires us. The feelings that accompany inspirational activities are feelings of joy, enthusiasm, creativity, love, and satisfaction.

We also want to include the qualities and values that resonate within. For instance, "I love to help people unlock the keys to a fulfilling and meaningful life, through joyful work, self-nurturing, and loving relationships."
Do you love to inspire children, or do you enjoy bringing beauty to others through art or music? Do you like to help others find creative ways to solve problems?
It is essential to be open during this process of discovery, and to allow these ideas, concepts and feelings to percolate before taking action.

Step Three: Once we are clear about what truly and deeply inspires us, then we can send our intentions out to the Universe. We write our intentions down and declare them verbally.
For example: "I intend to help small business owners find creative ways to market and promote their companies." "I desire to make a contribution that will allow them to use their talents fully and to create prosperity."
Declaring our intentions verbally creates even more energy, drawing the circumstances, people and opportunities to our door. Keeping our intentions on a small card, and stating them verbally two or three times a day adds even greater focus and energy to our goals.

Step Four: When we visualize the outcome we desire, we may experience images in our mind, or feelings of joy and lightness while participating in our favorite activities.

Here is a personal story about my husband I want to share with you.

Tom visualized being a vineyard owner. He saw himself owning a vineyard, and farming high quality grapes to create a delicious wine. He mentally touched the grapes and smelled their aroma, as he tasted a grape. He saw himself surrounded by helpful and supportive people in his business, as well as everyone who enjoyed and bought his wonderful wine!
Within two years, Tom owned his vineyard and paid a minimal price for high quality grapes in Napa, California.  The property he had seen previously and loved came on the market just when we decided to sell our remodeled home in Healdsburg, California.

Now, we are both living this dream.  A wonderful vineyard manager and excellent winemaker are part of the support team. We sold our grapes to Caymus Vineyards, and we have harvested for three years now. Our own Cabernet wine is bottled and will be released at the end of '09.

What is your dream?

Visualizing becomes even more powerful when we sense our desired outcomes as if they are occurring in the present moment. In this manner, we draw our desired future to us by energizing it in the present time.

Step Five: Trusting our intuition and higher guidance is key to realizing our dreams. Intuition and higher guidance may come in many forms, as you have probably already experienced.
We may receive information concerning our intentions through dreams, through mental images, inspiring thoughts or even symbols. Another person may call us out of the blue, offering a contact or idea that moves us in the direction of our goals.
What about receiving higher guidance?

"The ideas feel like your own thoughts, but they have a higher quality about them. They are of a different nature: they bring a new way of looking at something or a more loving perspective. When you have a new thought,that is a sign you are in tune with that higher level guidance."
Sanaya Roman, Personal Power through Awareness

Step Six: Expect our dreams to be realized.  By staying focused on the end result, and seeing ourselves living our newly intended reality, we will attract it to us.  This is the Law of Attraction. Step 6 is about allowing everything to unfold.  The Universe has a timing to everything.  If we become impatient and begin to lack faith-When will this ever happen?  The Law of Attraction will respond accordingly by holding the intentions out there unfulfilled-When will this ever happen?

Step Seven: Follow Our Dreams. Following our desires does not mean we will lack in financial abundance. If we stay aligned with our intentions and take inspired action through intuition and higher guidance, the Universe will guide us on our path to fulfillment.
The appropriate finances will appear, the right people will join us on our path, and we will soon be living the circumstances we had previously imagined.

If you follow these seven steps, you will already be on the path to success and joy. May you realize your greatest dreams and deepest intentions every day.