The Dreaming, The Declaring and The Doing

Thursday and we're coming down the backside of the week! Hope yours has been good so far! Last night the cookbook testing. It's probably a dumb thing for me to be involved in, given I can't eat much these days as I dig my heels into the weight loss thing. And yet, it was fun and convivial. Most of the recipes, in my opinion, were unextraordinary and not cookbook worthy, but then I tend to be a food snob. The almond torte I made gave me fits and starts but ended up being very pretty and Adrienne said, true to the recipe. Last night I actually dreamed of ways of improving it. Woke this morning thinking I can put my own Sarah stamp on the recipe and make it extraordinary. The too-sweet confectioner's sugar frosting could be sassed up with a bit of sour cream and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. The crushed cookies on top of the cake replaced with something less sweet like chopped or sliced almonds or cocoa nibs. Each of the three layers could be brushed with Amaretto before frosting and instead of frosting between the layers, how about almond paste?  The thing that makes this cake worth tinkering with is that it's gluten free - not a speck of flour in it. And unlike a lot of gluten-free cakes, it's delightfully light and fluffy thanks to all the beaten egg whites.

Tonight the next to the last "Being Extraordinary" Landmark seminar class. If I'm honest, I would have to say I get about a C in the class. The homework is hard - giving up feelings of "something is wrong", giving up being right even when you know you are, living with integrity - your word as good as gold, not giving into fear, etc. And here's something ironic. In the Landmark Advanced class I took a few months ago, there was an enormous push to get us to live with integrity, stepping up to do the right thing, keeping your word, etc., being accountable. So get this! After the weekend was over we were sad to say goodbye to each other - 75 or so new friends. I offered to host a party to keep the friendships and the group alive. Sent the invite out about a month ago with the party scheduled for this Saturday. As of Tuesday, there were over 35 people who hadn't responded, a bunch of maybes and only five yeses! Yesterday I cancelled the party. Mostly I was amazed at how quickly people slip back into unextraordinary ways of being. Who would have predicted that this group, that was so high-powered and committed to each other, would disintegrate so quickly! Now my push is getting attendance at a Landmark introduction evening in my home which is scheduled for the 26th of this month (in a little over a week).  Please consider coming - I'll cook something fabulous and we will laugh a lot. You won't be put on the spot to enroll, I promise. Certainly, the objective of the evening is to introduce you to the education and have you consider whether it's something you might consider - whether there are areas in your life where you could use help in providing breakthroughs. But, there will be no hard sell. E-mail me at sbritton  (at)   brittoninfoservices.com if you would like to attend and I'll give you the particulars.

What I'm up to today is living into the idea that happiness is inhabitating the day honestly - aligning my actions with my hopes and dreams. My friend Yuranda said it well yesterday. The universe can provide but it needs to know what it is you need. Your message has to be clear and true, no inconsistencies, no margin for error.  It's the person whose wishes are reflected in their actions, not only the words that flow from their mouth that is providing a clear message. Three realms - the dreaming, the declaring and the doing. To realize a goal, to make something difficult come to fruition, these three realms have to be in harmony - no mixed signals, no discord, no ambiguity.

If we put this concept into practical application, we can imagine someone who wants a more rewarding career. It's not enough to wish for it in a vague way, hoping the fates will step in. And it's not enough to declare to yourself and others that you're going to make a change. It's also not enough to take first steps and start answering job ads. Thinking success comes to the person who harnesses the power of all these things. They spend dreaming time, creating new possibilities, putting fear aside for a time and thinking big, creatively.  Then, knowing such an endeavor is never a solo act, that person reaches out to their community, getting others excited for them, enlisting ideas and help. Finally, when the plan is solid, the support structure in place, the winner is one who aligns his daily activities in line with his vision and keeps the dream alive by continually engaging his support infrastructure and holding himself accountable - day in and day out.  Goal would be to live in such a trued up way in all things we hold dear or wish for. Thinking happiness is a by product of living this way - hopes and dreams synched up with action, supported by people who want the best for us.

You already know what your challenge today is, right?  How about starting modestly. What is your top goal?    Have you approached it with full integrity? Is your vision solid? Your support structure behind you? Your daily actions aligned with a roadmap to get you there?  Are you broadcasting a really clear, non-ambiguous message to the universe?

Peace,
Sarah