“Those aren’t mud piles being thrown at you. They are the start to a new foundation. Go on and build it.”

Dear Universe,

Life is full of surprises.

Life is full of twist and turns, delays and detours.

But really none of that is true. The things that occur are never detours or delays. Everything is happening exactly as it should, in divine time.

But, we perceive them as such—and perception is everything. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years—and especially this one which has thrown us all for a loop—it’s how we greet these “unexpected” moments that matters most.

I’ve found that most unexpected moments naturally throw us for a loop, and we assume that means we are being thrown off track.

But often, those moments present themselves to help you get back on track.

Consider this… What if the Universe is actually throwing you gifts and blessings, and not problems? What if the Universe is conspiring for you, not against you?

What if the thing that feels heavy and hard is actually your biggest miracle?

What if the Universe had to send you something so obvious you can’t ignore it because you simply weren’t getting it before?

What if what feels like a bomb going off in your life is actually a fuse being lit to blast you off into a whole new world?

What if the Universe has shaken you to awaken you?

Often, when we get off track it’s because we’ve been ignoring so many signs along the way—for a long time.

We don’t mean to do this. Sometimes we hear the nudge, but we feel it’s just easier to stick with what we know and what’s comfortable rather than shift gears or take a leap into the unknown.

The unknown can feel scary. And we worry—boy, do we worry. We worry about what others might think if we make a change. We worry about how the people around us will be affected. We worry about how it will “look” or “seem” like.

So we avoid, avoid and avoid.

We distract, distract and distract.

But here’s the thing. Hiding from the truth, ignoring your intuition or distracting yourself from what’s calling for your attention, only delays the inevitable.

Eventually the tiny voice inside you that you’re brushing off or the things you’re closing your eyes to, hiding or running away from, pushing aside, shutting out, or are scared to see, always resurface. Always. That’s just the way it works.

It might take a month or a year or a decade, but until you face your lessons, they will keep coming to meet you. Over and over again.

If you’ve ever heard me speak on this, you know how firmly I believe this to be true. I could give example after example of this in my own life, and I’m sure each of you can think of at least one right off the top of your head.

So why do we keep ignoring the inevitable truth?

Because the unknown often feels dark and scary—maybe even downright terrifying.

The darkness scares us off. We move and decide in a state of fear instead of a place of love.

“Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move.” ~Osho

But what we usually can’t see is that where we are is actually darker than the unknown ahead.

Yes, there may be specks of darkness, but the light will always come and shine on you right when it needs to—as long as you’re not afraid to face it all.

You have to show up.

You have to declare you’re ready, even if you don’t feel like you are.

You have to face your fear head on.

You have to try and not let your worries take over—most never come to be anyway.

Life is full of lessons waiting to be learned and spiritual growth to be had. Hiding from them is just that—hiding. Staying still. In one place.

But while you hide, life continues to move around you. And hiding is fruitless. Eventually you have to make a move, any kind of move.

You have to lean on your courage and your strength.

Welcome the lessons, the detours, the crossroads, the unexpected. Welcome them with open arms, an open mind and an open heart. Trust they have arrived for a reason. Trust the path ahead is being cleared with each new step you take.

And just so we’re clear: your greatest lessons—the ones that beckon you to acknowledge, shift, grow or change in some way, the ones that terrify you the most—usually bring the greatest gifts.

When you delay the work, you’re simply delaying or rejecting your growth and gifts.

And you might be pushing away a brighter, happier, more fulfilled version of your future.

“Our history is not our destiny.” ~Alan Cohen

You won’t know until you’re ready to face it.

So the question to ask yourself is will you face it head on now or will you face it later?

But keep this gentle reminder at the forefront of your mind: later is never guaranteed.

All we have is now.

“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting the rest of our lives.”

With Gratitude,