I was part of an executive business group in 2008. We met several times a month to focus our businesses. I joined the group to focus on my financial services infoproduct – a DVD and eBook designed to help people optimize their financial assets. It was more than a mastermind. It was a boardroom of peers – other entrepreneurs who would speak the truth, challenge, and support.

One of the ideas we regularly explored was embracing and doing the things that we weren’t excited about. We used the metaphor of “kissing frogs” to describe this process.

The biggest thing that I was putting off at the time was honoring my spiritual journey, and sharing my spiritual gifts with others.

So I started to do that within the context of this group. After a while, one of the men in the group hired me to work on his wife – they were one of my first paying clients. You may have heard me talk about a session I did with her – she’s the one who got mad at me for asking if she was feeling the energy moving in her body – eventually laughing because I was tickling her chakras as they tuned (we were working remotely).

That theme – putting off my spiritual journey and sharing my gifts with others is a theme that continues in one form or another even today. If I look back on the last six and a half years, the times when I’ve experienced the greatest growth have been the times when I’ve kissed some frogs. I’ve done the thing I was putting off – specially around this theme of spiritual journey and sharing my gifts. I’ve stepped into my fear – gone closer to the edge and actually jumped off, even when I didn’t know where I was headed.

What have you been putting off spiritually? What’s the thing that you really don’t want to face? What are you avoiding?

You know what “the thing” is … and I know what the theme is. It’s universal, even though my experience or your experience of it is highly personal. It’s the area of your life that you are most focused on exerting control.

Here’s a quick exercise: Think of the most successful aspect of your life. Got it?

Now think of “the thing” – the area where you exert the most control. Interesting isn’t it? Whereas you have all the power to make things happen around your most successful area – in this area, you feel powerless.

And it’s not for lack of trying. Back up ten years. Same theme, just a lot less pain.

Think of the last eighteen months. It’s been getting exponentially more challenging, hasn’t it?

So what’s the answer?

Stop trying to control. Stop ALL aspects of control. EVERYTHING.

Spiritually speaking we could call this complete surrender. But that ‘S’ word does something to us, doesn’t it? Makes it feel like we’re on the battlefield waiving the white flag. That we’ve given up. That we’ve failed. We have not overcome the challenge – haven’t lived up to our potential. It’s the ultimate failing. It’s enough to drive us into a deep funk.

And yet think of the times in your life when you’ve stopped trying to control completely.

Could have just been a brief moment. You got to the end of your rope … there were no other options … only to let go, to surrender.

What came next?

Was it relief? Was it peace? Was it freedom – however temporary?

What brought an end to the relief? Was it when you exerted control again?

***

One area that I’ve been struggling with control has been in the manner and method for how I will build my business and my message. It’s funny to write this down because it sounds absurd as I read back the words as I’m writing them. It’s especially funny because I ask myself: “am I the source of my gift and my message?” (the clear answer to this question is “NO!” BTW)

But it’s the truth.

My gift appeared as if out of the blue. I’m sure now that I’d been preparing for decades prior to the moment in the fall of 2007 when I became consciously aware of my spiritual gift. I’d even been asking the question “what is my purpose” for about five months prior to getting the answer.

In truth, I didn’t want healing to be my purpose. I really struggled with it for more than two years. I couldn’t fathom how others might pursue this path. I thought my purpose was to help people optimize their tax, debt and financial strategy so they could retire with a big pile of money. Then the door was opened to it by a messenger of God or my soul (what’s the difference?) named Lin. He told me: “You should be working as a healer.”

Even after confirmation of this gift – which happened within months of first exploring it with others early in 2008 – I didn’t want it. It was too inconvenient – too strange – too hard to understand or explain. Too scary.

Yet it called me onward. Giving me little and big glimpses into what was possible in life. Guess what? It’s still doing that! I’m laughing out loud as I’m writing you.

And just with all journeys of surrender, this one is universal – even though it feels intensely personal.

Here’s how it feels to me: I THOUGHT I KNEW!!! I thought I knew how this was going to unfold!!! I had plans. I’ve spent countless hours in the last two years paying attention to guidance, sitting with my ideas, following what I perceived as the resonance, paying attention to the experts and authorities who were placed in my path. I THOUGHT I KNEW!!!

[Note: this is especially hilarious because I could just as easily have wrote these words in the winter of 2007 – or any point since and it would be as accurate then as it is now.]

Yet it’s clear to me now that I was wrong. There is a flow of resonance that wants to express itself through me. It does not seek to conform with my ideas. Instead it will show me the way, if only I let go of control completely.

[Note: ditto above, LOL].

And so I let go … again. And again and again and again. Until I remember that just a short time ago (was it just yesterday?) I was surrendering completely with each breath I exhaled.

Will you join me and return to the place of resonance lies within? Will you join me in surrendering, and come to a deeper awareness of your purpose and message and gifts?

Join me in kissing frogs?

Join me in being free?

That’s it for this week … From My Heart.

Peace,

Ken

Ken W. Stone
The Soul Archaeologist
Experience the Divine Within
www.KenWStone.com