When you buy a new car, you suddenly notice every one like yours on the road.

Taking a leap of faith is no different. I find that my eyes have been opened to the miracles others perform every day. Some may think it’s nothing, but the rest of us know they’re pretty amazing.

Take, for example, a friend of mine who is about to move herself, bag and baggage, four states away. She just decided it was what she needed to do for herself, and put the plan in action, allowing herself the chance to let things fall into place just because she believed in herself. Now, as she’s ready to leave town, she has 3 jobs, including the one in her current state, and she’ll be able to work them all from her home office, with regular trips to and fro, allowing her to stay in touch with friends she’s made all over the place. How terrific is that? And none of it would have happened had she not just believed.

Or take another friend who, despite a cranky knee, runs marathons what seems like every weekend, AND she dances AND keeps up a very active life besides. She truly is a rock star!

Then there’s my daughter who encouraged her husband to follow his own dream. He decided to take whatever route he needed to in order to get into the medical program with the Navy. At the moment, he’s a chef, but he goes above and beyond whatever he does. He’s already ranked up and is getting very positive feedback from some of the officers. But it meant that my daughter had to move far away from home for the first time in her life. What did she do? She went back to school…and she took up karate…and she’s getting involved with the family support group for her husband’s ship…and who knows what she’ll take up next. Best of all, she’s following her own dream as the colleges where she moved have exactly the programs she wants and needs!

In my quest to write and publish, I’m stepping further out of my own comfort zone and looking for a writer’s group which will suit me. I love reading everyone’s stories. Even letting someone read our scribbles can be a huge leap of faith, much less putting in the time and effort to actually publish something so it’s available to the masses.

How better to perpetuate leaps of faith than by surrounding yourself with other leapers?

As I follow my own personal reinvention, sometimes leaping, but more often crawling, I find myself inspired by people who have made drastic changes in their lives, and I want to surround myself with people who are willing to get past their fears and just follow their hearts. I was going to say that they squelched their fears, but at least those like me don’t do that. We simply recognize the fear but don’t let it paralyze us. If nothing else, you don’t write things publicly or toss your literary baby out into the world if you give in to your fears. You slap a lid on them, glue it down as best you can, move forward while they’re being quiet, and stop when necessary to slap them down again. Otherwise, you’d be a quivering mass of protoplasm curled into the fetal position in some dark corner, never to be heard from again.

Writers must write. It’s as important to us as breathing; maybe more so. That doesn’t mean we have to share, but authors need to share, and share, and share. Although, after I read the rules for the writer’s group I’ll be visiting tomorrow, I don’t think I’ll be sharing for awhile yet. They only want edited work, and frankly, mine has a long way to go. But there will come a point when I’ll know that it’s do or die, and one of my babies will be launched from the womb to bear the scrutiny of a world I hope will, at least initially, be kind in its criticisms. There will be plenty of time after it’s been fine-tuned for the world to take pot shots. Hopefully, by the time that happens, both my writing and I will have thickened our skins so most of what is chucked our way will roll off of us like water off an oil slick.

All I can say is: “Keep on Leapin’!”

My biggest desire right now is to keep meeting people who took their own leap, and who will share their stories with me so I can add them to the growing list of people who’ve changed their lives for the better.

If you would like to share your own leap of faith, I invite you to be a guest blogger. You can message me on Facebook through the page I’ll reference below, or leave a message here on the blog. I look forward to being able to share your story!

My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for small successes in the Tarot Spells I’ve cast.
2. I am grateful for people who inspire me to continue to push my envelope.
3. I am grateful for quiet evenings alone with my cats to fiddle and play, but also to be inspired and to write.
4. I am grateful for the variety which has come into my life lately. Maybe soon I’ll be able to keep track of what day it is again!
5. I am grateful for abundance: leaps of faith, energy, inspiration, motivation, consistency, love, joy, happiness, friendship, lessons, health, prosperity and the constant companionship of my cats.

Blessed Be

And now for some shameless self-promotion:
I’d love it if you’d visit my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SheriLevensteinConawayAuthor?ref=aymt_homepage_panel. I’ve created this page as a means of positive affirmation and would be very grateful if you’d “like” it or leave a comment! Thank you!