20 Years and Moving Forward...
This year will mark the 21th year since I came to the beautiful island of Oahu with a single backpack.
My backpack, which had been my house, didn't have much stuff in it, but my heart was filled with lots of excitement, hope, but also uncertainty.
So much has happened over the years since I moved to Hawaii... made great friends, met amazing, kind, inspiring people, gave birth to two children (now two hormonal teenagers), studied computer programming and graduated from a uni, built a career totally unrelated to computer science, purchased a home, and yes, faced plenty of trials and hardships which turned my hair grey which is now nicely colored :-).
I know that the culmination of all my life experiences so far has helped me discover my true calling and spiritual gifts that I didn't even know I had.
How would my life have been different if I had given in to worry and fear some 20 plus years ago and ignored my strong inner urge to quit uni, leave Japan, and step into the unknown?
I certainly could have prevented my Mom from getting a stomach ulcer and being hospitalized...
But, one other thing I’m certain - if I hadn't followed my spiritual calling and had stayed in Japan, I also would have ended up with a stomach ulcer and even something much worse….
When we feel a strong urge to do something from deep within, you just cannot ignore that sign.
If you ignore it, your whole being will nudge you over and over to follow your spirit and take inspired action until you do.
It takes courage to follow your heart.
It is scary to leave your comfort zone and live by faith.
You may inadvertently hurt important people in your life.
Some may leave you because of your decision to follow your heart.
But, when you follow your heart, one day you’ll be glad you did.
You'll find that all is very well.
All your efforts and even hardships will eventually turn into worthwhile experiences that help build your character…
Those that were once against your decision will end up getting inspired by the power of your faith and spirit and come back to cheer you on.
So if you are at a crossroad wondering which road you should take, take the one that speaks directly into your heart and do not turn back.
You may experience a wee bit of uncomfortable feeling which is quite normal as you embark on a new adventure.
Know that you are already equipped with something truly amazing which is unshakable and unbreakable.
Your gift will come to surface and become more evident as you learn to listen to your spirit within.
Your Spirit. Your Power :-)
Yoshie
