How many knocks of a hammer does it take to break a rock?
The first few times it seems like nothing is happening. One hard blow after the other and all you can see is a chip here, a tiny crack there. With the 15th blow, the rock shatters. So was it the 15th knock that did it?
Or did ALL the 14 that led up to it, prime the rock for the 15th?
Why then, do you give up at the first sign of nothing happening?
Why do you go to the gym for a month and then give up cos you can’t see results? Or start a new website / business and give up after a few months? Or start practicing a new habit and let it slide after a few days.
What happened to commitment and sticking it out?
The Mighty Oak was once a seed.
A tree when planted takes ages to grow roots. Sometimes takes months for the first tree-bit to appear. We see the shoot and think “yay, now it’s growing”!
But the growth started with the planting of the seed. Maybe even before that – when you primed the land, fertilised it etc. You nurtured the seed with water, plant food, intentions and attention.
And after it had grown enough strong roots, it burst forth. Growth is now visible. It’s tangible.
That’s what happens to many of us. We ask for something, we affirm, afform, whatever keeps us in touch with that feeling of having it.
And a few days or weeks later we start losing hope and get discouraged.
Hang in there! Just cos you can’t see what’s happening behind the scenes, doesn’t mean it’s not. MOST of everything happens behind the scenes, priming for readiness.
Like the foundation of a house, your dreams and desires go through stages.
Lay the foundation by asking for what you want. Then layer it with faith, intentions, actions and habits that support it. You can’t ask for something and expect it to happen overnight (exception: if you’ve already done the work and are in alignment with what you want)
As this email I got from TUT said last night:
The real reason so many have trouble with baby steps, doing all they can, with what they’ve got, from where they are, no matter how humble or seemingly futile…
….. is because they haven’t yet grasped that the baby steps trigger unseen forces that throw wide the floodgates of unstoppable momentum, infinite abundance, and eternal life.
Just some tiny steps, that’s all that’s needed.
So remember, trust and have patience.
Babies take 9 months to be “created and born”, 12 months to walk. Every “struggle” they face along the way is but another step towards success. A butterfly must go through metamorphosis to emerge from its cocoon as a beautiful shimmering miracle.
As, sometimes, must you.
Your “work” is to be in alignment with what you’ve asked for.
Everyday, practice being who you need to be to get what you want. For example, if you’re manifesting a relationship, be who you would be in that relationship today – be happy, have fun, be active, do all the things you would do when you have a partner, NOW.
Don’t give up just as your efforts are about to be rewarded. And don’t lose motivation cos you can’t see, touch, feel or hear the intangible part of your desire.
Stay in the feeling place of your dreams coming true. That’s the most important part of manifesting what you want.
Keep The Faith!
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I’d love to hear your take on this. How long do you wait, what’s that point when you give up? And do you think we should give up sometimes or change what we want if we don’t get it? How do you stay focused on the baby steps and what you want when it’s a while coming?
Fortunately we are not oak trees with only one object of our existence…
Plant a garden of dreams with some that sprout and produce fruit quickly and others that come in later and still others that might take a life time. Plant your garden with ALL your dreams in mind.
I suspect many people have them appear willy-nilly, without ever taking time to organize or notice some cannot come true because they are out of alignment with many of the others. Some dreams will not grow in the same place as others. Imagine taking all the seeds you purchased for your garden, mixing them in a pretty blue bowl and then sprinkling them haphazardly on less than prepared ground. If you are happy with what shows up…. those are not dreams the packaging offered is it?
Maybe if you planned your dreams with dedication and commitment all of them will come true…. they can too.
Michael, how great to hear from you! I like the idea of planting an entire garden and having the dreams manifest at different intervals. That’s just what happens in life, doesn’t it!
But hearing you put it this way has ensured I’m going to remember the garden analogy the next time I’m being all impatient and wanting things NOW.
Hehe >: ) Thanks so much for planting this idea in my head! My garden, not just my oak tree, and all bearing fruit or flowers with the same amount of Intention and attention I focused on them.
Genius!!
Tia,
Thanks for this. It’s so what I needed to hear today! Although my current struggles aren’t specifically about manifesting, it is about putting time and effort into something now, hoping to see results later… and the doubts are creeping in.
I love the image you created with the chipping away of rock. That’s a great metaphor, a really powerful when thinking about the seeds we sow now for benefits we hope to see down the road. I can see that the benefits can be bigger than we imagine…
Thanks again!!!
Jenny
Jenny, how right you are. It’s not just about manifesting something we want right now but knowing that time and effort coupled with faith WILL show results later. Once you set the ball in motion, it has to roll and pick up momentum. Just make sure to angle it right 😉
Hmmm I’m channeling a little Guns N’ Roses for you now, specifically the embolded words:
Was a time when I wasn’t sure
But you set my mind at ease
There is no doubt you’re in my heart now
Said woman take it slow
It’ll work itself out fine
All we need is just a little patience
Said sugar make it slow
And we’ll come together fine
All we need is just a little patience
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twDsyH_7iw8&feature=related
Thank you for sharing and I’d love to see you here again! Much love xo
Mmmm, great reminder to keep the faith. I like to have a mix of plants in my garden, me.
I sow the fast-growing nursery trees and ground cover and flowers so I can have some quick feel-goods around me while I nurture the mighty oak 🙂
Oooooh perfect! Some feel goods for now to keep us going while the perennials do their thang 😀
Ok I’m no gardener so I hope that’s what I meant (the trees that take time to grow but hang around for years as opposed to the one that are here today real quick and gone tmrw?) LoL ..
I didn’t even think of the garden and seeds in a blue bowl mix while I was writing this post. Thanks you guys for reminding me of that!
I am manifesting three big things for some time, now. Within the last few weeks I have noticed that I have expressed, in wish form, a bunch of little things that I want. I haven’t given these little things much attention, other than wished for them as they’ve popped into my head. Now they have started to appear, and every time it happens I think, “Hmmm, I just manifested that.” And then I think, “That is just one more piece of evidence that LOA is working in my life and my big things are coming.”
Recognizing the small manifesting successes gives me faith that all I want is on its way. My small successes are like my annual flowers, proof that the earth is fertile and sprouting all the seeds I have sown–especially the brilliant sugar maples (my three big things).
You know Berta, it’s because we are so unattached to the little things that they manifest so quickly! We ask, know it will happen and move onto something else. And when we least expect it, wooohoo!
When it comes to the big things, we tend to think they’ll take time, and so they do. I’m playing with the idea that big or small, it can all happen instantly if we are in alignment with receiving and believe that it can happen as easily.
Recognising the small successes goes a long way in building that LOA muscle and I’m excited for the day we get SO good at it that big or small isn’t even a factor anymore. I know, I just contradicted what I wrote in the post a wee bit .. or maybe not? What if time (even the time it took for trees to grow) was all made up? Venturing into Kim’s (http://www.kimfalconer.com) territory now!
Exciting stuff 😀 Till then, I’m happy to follow the signs and know my biggies are happening too, all in good time.
Thanks for the example, appreciate your input!
Thanks for this great post.
I often start out strong and fizzle out before my goal is realized. My problem is I’m too impatient, and I have a hard time concentrating. The garden analogy is great though, and I’m going to write it down. Then it will be there when I need encouragement to keep going.
Thanks,
Michelle
PS. I’m thewritinglife from Twitter!
Michelle, you know what just came to me as I read your comment?!
What if that goal wasn’t what you REALLY wanted? What if what you really wanted was to feel how you would feel when you achieved that goal?
Then, you could cut out the “‘starting strong and fizzling out (which is what i do too btw)” and go straight to the feeling you want. Once you’re already in that feeling place, the goal either becomes unimportant and you lose it or if you still want it, it becomes easier to achieve in that new state of being.
Ohhh you would have loved being on the overcoming procrastination call today! Here’s a link to the recording if you want to listen http://bit.ly/OYH6x
We talked about how putting things off could actually be serving us sometimes!
And that procrastination isn’t always a bad thing.
And how knowing the reason WHY we’re putting something off helps us to find solutions. Often the solution starts with acknowledging what’s going on.
Glad you liked Michael’s garden analogy, that resonated with a lot of us. Thanks bunches 😉 for dropping by Michelle!
This is a very timely message for me.
I’ve been struggling with “keeping with it” for a long time now. I’m not the most patient person, I tend to expect things NOW, but it’s seemed like the deeper I get into all of this, the less it works. I’ve had a really tough year – two sudden deaths, losing my job, not knowing what to do next, having NO money – and I’ve figured there’s no better time to really apply this stuff . . . only to have what genuinely feels like nothing happen. In fact, the times I’ve applied LOA with the most conviction, something catastrophic has happened. In all honesty, I’ve wondered lately about the validity of all this, or if I’m cursed seeing as I seem to be the only one this doesn’t work on. I know how “poor me” all this sounds, and I really do want to have patience and trust the process, but it’s really hard to trust that money and what I really want are coming when I have no way of paying my rent. I really wonder what I’m doing wrong . . . or if I’m just cursed. Seriously.
Meghan, first off, THANK you for your openness and courage to share what’s going in. You’re amazing and a real inspiration for doing that. Second, I hear you loud and clear. The loudest thing I hear is how hard you are being on yourself and that you could do with some love and compassion for the incredibly rough time you’ve had. Please, be gentle on yourself.
IMHO, when things start going off like that, it’s a big indication that something in your life needs to change. I’ve found that when there is chaos around me and it feels like the world hates me, that’s when I KNOW something better is on it’s way behind the scenes. Of course, it’s hard to see when you’re IN it.
And when it’s all in the past I look back and go “oh NOW I get it, now I get that this was a life experience I had to go through so I could come out the other side with more strength, clarity, and whatever lesson I had to learn so I could be more of who I want to be”
Death can be a hard one to justify like this but know that how you respond to life rather than how you react to it is what determines your happiness factor.
Is there a lot of attachment to what you want? The best time to apply LOA is when things are going good. Paradoxical, I know. Here’s the thing, Meghan.. When you’re feeling down about something and then try to manifest a change in your circumstances, the energy you’re giving out is one of anger/desperation/impatience etc. And that’s what you then create more of.
The first step would be to acknowledge and accept what you are feeling, or what’s going on. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it as a temporary situation. By doing that, the charge lessens and you can see more objectively.
“”I really do want to have patience and trust the process, but it’s really hard to trust that money and what I really want are coming when I have no way of paying my rent.””” See, right here is what I mean. When you send out an intention and contradict it the very next second, the U doesn’t know what to focus on. Even if you have no idea where the money will come from, you’ve got to believe that it will.
Try this: Look back at times in your life when you thought something wasn’t going to work out. And then remember how it all DID work out. Collect as many examples of little miracles and things working out when you didn’t think they would. I’ll just bet you have many stories! Keep those as reminders to build up the faith and belief you want.
And please please don’t think that you’re cursed! No, no, no! You’re just doing what ALL of us do at times – trying to get out of this situation with the same vibe you were in when it happened. There are ways to make it work and the only way out of it, is through it. But it doesn’t have to be such a struggle!
Here are some more ideas: create a safe space for yourself where you can really connect with your fears and anxiety or whatever feeling you have coming up. Allow it to bubble up, really feel it all the way through. You cld ask “what’s the worst that can happen” and imagine that. As the panic washes over you, breathe in deeply and say “thank you for trying to protect me, you no longer serve me and you may go now”.
Embrace the feelings as they come up and watch them leave. What you resist, persists so the longer you fight it the longer it will take to go.
Thank you for sharing with us so openly, I know it will help others who feel the same way. You’re awesome for reaching out!
Listen, feel free to email me for my # so we can chat some more. I would love to talk to you more about this if it will help. Big hugs to you my friend and you are soooooooooooo not alone in your frustration! Been there, done that.
Thank you Tia, this really helped relax a lot of things in my mind as well. I have a thread running on Jeanette’s Money Mojo site around the conflict when you feel you need to do something, but know you should let it happen. This falls right in line with it. I often feel like I have to control cash flow and even go as far as to say that when money’s tight, it’s due to a lack of control. I know I should release the control instead, but something keeps telling me to get my act together instead. When I really stop to think about it, it’s my vibe I need to get together, not my control of a situation that’s already taken care of.
You’ve done a brilliant job here of pointing out that it IS taken care of even if we can’t see the immediate effects.
Tim so great to have you drop by! I’ve GOT to go read that thread, it sounds like a lot of learning is happening there and I’m excited to be a part of it.
If I were you, I’d question WHY I feel like I need to do something – is it an old habit / work ethic / gremlin or just common sense?
Anytime I hear a should my gremlin antenna starts tingling “should you let that happen”? It works both ways – if you feel like you want to DO as opposed to BE or LET HAPPEN, do it! As long as the action you take (or don’t take) resonates with you, feels good to you, it’s the “right” one in that moment.
Controlling money gives us a sense of power and security. I’d look into what you feel about the word “control” itself. Seems like there’s a negative charge on it. What would feel better? How about “manage” or “play with” or something similar?
If you’ve got a voice telling you to get your act together, look into it. Is it intuition? Or is it fear? Identify it first.
It could be that by ignoring it you’re ensuring you keep feeling that way. When you look at it, maybe some valid fears and concerns may come up? And then you could address them? And then you’d find yourself being more relaxed about money?
Cos maybe those fears around not having control want to be acknowledged.
Maybe they want you to say ” hey, i hear you but don’t worry, i know what i’m doing” and they’ll go “whew, ok Tim knows and it’s all fine cos he’s got a method behind his loa madness ;)”?
Just throwing it out there as something to consider if you haven’t already.
And yep, you’re so on it – it’s not about control, it’s about how we feel about the control. Boils down to that inner knowing of everything will work out cos it always does.
Taking the scenic route makes for more adventures and life experiences ay. Thanks for sharing your insights Tim, loving it!
Meghan, I have to thank you for being so open and honest, because if you hadn’t, then Tia wouldn’t have been able to summon such a glorious reply, and I could well have carried on for some time trying to deny those niggling ego bits that seem to come up in an attempt to bite me on the buttocks (edited for consideration, not brevity). Ahem.
I thank you Meghan.
I thank you Tia. For this:
… breathe in deeply and say “thank you for trying to protect me, you no longer serve me and you may go now” …
Feeling much gratitude, love and appreciation – y’all Rock!
Going Barefoot (literally today – not the wine) tee hee hee
Anna
I’m full of appreciation for YOU, Anna. Thanks for taking the time to acknowledge Meghan’s incredible gift of vulnerability and sharing. And for being the amazing giving, sharing and openly stupendous person that you are. I’m SO glad to have you in my circle of excellence 🙂 Love you girl!
Ahhhh, Tia!!! This is *exactly* what I needed to hear, right this very second!! Thank you:)
That’s all… just thank you for being you and for shining your light in the world! 🙂
Yay Mary! I’m glad you were in the right place at the right time to hear what you needed. Thanks for letting me know. I’m all happy and glowy for you 🙂
Great Post Tia! What a beautiful community you have here!
Michele, I know about the fizzle. Been there. I’m a bit of a humming bird in that I like SO many things I can go from one to the next. I feel great about that because it is FUN! And I know a lot about a lot.
But sometimes it doesn’t serve me. I was doing some energy work and one of my teachers asked another person (I learn a lot watching other people learn) if the fizzle was her way of sabotaging. Her way of saying ‘I don’t deserve this, I’m going to stay here in my comfort zone.) Bingo.
We did some energy work and I released that pattern. Felt good. Perhaps that strikes a cord with you.
Tim, when I read your comment on money control it sounded to me like you were being a bit hard on yourself. I have found when I’m in a place of liking where all my money is going (thank you SO much for the electricity – I love reading at night! This is SO worth it – for example) that I feel really good. But when I feel ‘bad’ about some money going ok its an opportunity. An opportunity to tun in and see if I have some good vibes there, or an opportunity to be a steward of my money and choose not to put my energy (money) there.
Blessings on your journey!
Cheri
How awesome to see you here Cheri! Thanks for the wonderful words of wisdom and encouragement you shared with us here. Especially love the anecdote about discovering and releasing your comfort zone pattern. That was great noticing and letting go. I get into my CZ of getting overwhelmed when I think about how much ‘hard work’ something is going to be. To release it, I have to focus on making it fun or find another way to do it.
Good pointing out where to look when it comes to control and money issues too! Wow, you’ve got to come back to this blog and share your insights with us again, I loved reading your comment. Thank you!
I am late and playing catch up , however I love the post and the timing is right for me to manifest greatness. It’s happening all around me. Thank you for sharing
Renee Henry – Family Muse
http://intheflowoftheday.blogspot.com/