By Natalie Rivera
The Ride of Your Life
You’re going on a road trip at night, and the headlights only show 200 feet ahead. As you go toward your destination, you don’t have to see the whole way. In fact, it’s impossible. But as you keep going, the path is illuminated 200 feet at a time. If you trust it will always continue to unfold, you will get there without ever seeing HOW it will happen. Plus, you have something even more powerful than the headlights. You have a built-in GPS system.
Tune your higher self into your dreams and you switch on the most powerful life support system of all times… your “internal Guide to Personal Success” or iGPS.
So, imagine where you are now is in New York and what you want—your dream—is in California. You could get out a map, study the road systems, and wait for all of the lights to be green for the whole way before you begin your trip. But it’s not recommended, in driving or in life. You won’t make it far. Waiting for everything to be perfect before starting is a sure way to never move forward. Instead, tune in to your dream, switch on your inner iGPS and ENJOY THE JOURNEY! You know how a GPS works—you enter in your destination and it ALWAYS finds you the shortest, fastest route to where you want to go. In your car, the GPS tells you where to go with a map and obnoxious directions. Your iGPS tells you where to go by how you FEEL—follow what feels good—and is only obnoxious when you resist its instructions.
There’s an IMPULSE that comes from within: a tug, a knowing, an instinct, a pull. It’s in your heart, not your head. Some people call it a “gut feeling” or an “intuition.” Call it whatever you want—you will KNOW where to go. Follow it and it will lead you to your dream. Even when faced with a fork in the road in which all paths seem bleak, tune into your self and you’ll feel which road shines just a little bit brighter.
The great thing about your iGPS, is that just like its technological counterpart, there are no worries if you change your mind about your destination—simply enter in the new address and your iGPS will adjust the route and you’ll SENSE where to go next. No worries if you take a wrong turn. Your iGPS will immediately reroute you to the shortest, fastest way to go. And, no worries if there is a road block. Your iGPS will find an alternative route—there is ALWAYS a way—ALWAYS. Just keep going—any direction—and your iGPS will pick up a signal that you can FEEL as soon as you can get your thoughts back on your DESTINATION.
And, lastly, no worries if you decide to take a different route because it looks like fun, or you’re curious, or the path just looks bright with the light of possibility. Maybe you’ll come across a new experience that will add to your dream. Maybe you’ll drive through a town you discover you love and you decide to stay awhile: a day, a year, a decade. Should you ever decide to reignite your dream, tune back into your iGPS and get back in the driver’s seat. It’ll immediately reroute you to the shortest, fastest way to get where you want to go.
There are no wrong turns, only new experiences.
There is no finish line. There will always be another dream.
So if there’s no finish line what is there? A journey.
It’s not about reaching the dream, it’s about the dreaming.
Sometimes it may feel you’re off your path. Sometimes you won’t be able to connect to your iGPS. You may feel lost or your journey may feel more like a roller coaster than a road trip. But, if you allow yourself to dream and to believe your dream is possible, and if you remember to focus back in the direction of your dream, you’re always heading the right direction.
The Importance of a Dream
You may be like many people who say they don’t have a dream, or they can’t remember what it is, or if they do remember they don’t know how to get there. You may tell yourself you don’t know what to do differently… how to live differently… to change… to follow your dreams. But you do know. You can feel it. No matter how hard you try to hide how you really feel, it’s there. No matter how far down you try to push it, to avoid pain, to avoid disappointment, it’s still there. It’s calling to you. No matter how much darkness you let in to drown out the light, the spark within you continues to shine like a tiny star covered in dust. It’s time to shake it off.
You cannot turn on a dark switch and fill the room with darkness; you can only turn on the light.
Allow the light within you to be. Allow yourself to feel. Allow yourself to embrace what you truly desire: what you ache for, what you’re hungry for. Feel the freedom of allowing yourself to dream. Remember who you are and how you want to live. You know there is more than this, and you are no longer willing to deny yourself what you long for. You are no longer willing to settle. You are ready to take back your power, to honor yourself.
Dreams are the key to unlocking the power to overcome obstacles.
You are guaranteed to have disappointment along the way. You are going to fail. Things won’t always work out the way you expect, but they will always work out. The difference between those who are successful and those who get beat down by life is the DREAM. Only a dream that lights you up—that you want with everything that you are—is powerful enough to pull you through the challenges and around the obstacles that will be on your path. Only a dream will get you up on that morning after you were hurt or humiliated or your world came crashing down. Only a dream will make you chose to do what you know is right for you, even when it seems everyone is against you, to stand up and say “I AM BETTER THAN THIS. I have something to give this world… I have greatness within me… and I’m not going to let anyone or anything stand in my way.”
Personal Declaration of Empowerment
You may feel the tug of your iGPS. You may hear a distant call of a forgotten dream. You may be feeling the stirrings of a Life Force igniting your true path, but you may feel resistance. You may feel limited by others or by circumstances or by fear. You may need a boost of self empowerment, and so below is a personal manifesto you can read to yourself in your moments of doubt or eagerness in order to ignite the fire of your dream within.
“I am in control of my life, even in the moments it feels like I’m stuck, trapped, or there’s no way out because in those times I know I can always chose my attitude. No one can take that from me. I can choose despair or hope. I can choose anger or will. I can choose bitterness or forgiveness. I can give up or I can remember my dream and grab a hold of it and pull myself towards it. I know that if I never let go, if I always hold my head up and reach for my dream, I can get through anything… ANYTHING. I may not know how I’m going to get there but I’m going anyway. I’ve got my iGPS. I know that even if I never reach my dream, the reaching is going to change me—make me better, make me all that I came here to be. I know it’s not about reaching the goal it’s about who I become along the way and how good it feels to follow meaning and purpose instead of following the crowd. I know it’s about how good it feels to know that I’m walking MY path, that I choose, that this is MY life, and that I can do anything with it, anything.
I look to those I admire for inspiration: some who started with less than I have and went for their dreams anyway and won, those who didn’t let haters or obstacles or limitations stop them and didn’t let life or others beat them down. I know that if they can do it, I can do it.
I am willing to do whatever it takes to live a better life than those around me who are unhappy or are suffering because they are stuck living someone else’s dream, or nightmare, who gave up when things got tough, or who believed it when someone told them their dream wasn’t possible.
I know my dream is possible, and even the possibility is worth the commitment to go for it. I am all in. Watch out because you’re going to see a different me from now on—a me that’s unstoppable. I will no longer play stupid games because I’ll be focused on doing what I’ve got to do and won’t have time for drama. I will no longer allow anyone to influence me to make choices that I know are wrong for me because I know I want a better life. I am committed to making the hard decisions. I will no longer throw my life away because I know now that there is greatness in me. I have value and I am worth it!
I will no longer sacrifice myself for others and I don’t need their approval because I am my own number 1. As I become stronger and I unleash my power on my life, I will be here to lift you up through my example, not because you need me–you have greatness within you too—but because sometimes people just need to see the light shining from a place they may not have expected it. I am determined to be that light. Get out your shades because it’s about to get bright in here. I’m about to ignite my life.”
“Watch out for this woman/man on fire.”
And as you stand in the center of your fire and feel the burning desire of your dream, take note of this feeling—this aliveness. And in those dark moments, when you feel off your path, you can look down and remember that your Higher Self is always standing amongst the flames, calling to you.
And even when you can’t see it, your path is always illuminating right beneath your feet.
Natalie Rivera is a firestarter, speaker and entrepreneur. She is passionate about empowering others to GET REAL and live authentically. After a decade of living a life that wasn’t hers and developing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Natalie let go of everything and completely transformed. Through her journey to healing she rediscovered her true self and greater purpose—to inspire others to transform their lives. Natalie “retired” from the rat race at 24, put herself through school as a freelance designer, created a non-profit teen center, and later created Transformation Services, Inc., which offers motivational speaking, curriculum development, life coaching, event management, and publishing. She is also the Publisher of Transformation Magazine. Visit www.ignitelife.me.
