~When we ask for guidance, take action, and put our faith in an outcome we can’t yet see, we’ve begun to dance with grace ~ Cheryl Richardson

In July 2017, I had two dreams with my late husband. He told me it was time to sell my condo and to move. He’s the kind of guy that people tend to listen to whether he is speaking from this side or that side of the veil.

I took the bull by the horns and made the decision to move back to Tucson after 37 years in California. I’ll be honest – most of my friends thought I was crazy to leave my wonderful life in Montecito. I did not get distracted by those messages. Instead I was guided by an inner knowing – the informative whispers of wisdom that serve as our guides. I reached out to my team of advisors (legal, financial, psychological) and they supported my decision. They helped me think through all the details involved in a major life decision like this.

Tucson was where I came from when I moved to southern California in 1981. I have a lot of family and friends here. The University of Arizona is my alma mater and I’ve visited Tucson regularly through the years. So when Roy visited me in the dreamtime and spoke to me about selling, I realized Tucson was calling me to return to friends, family, and familiarity. I have been here three months and know that my new environs offer a time for rebirth and change. My new home has also provided a refuge from the horrible tragedies that hit Montecito soon after I left. I am grateful that I didn’t have to face those disasters. Had I not heeded the wisdom of my dreams, I would have faced more difficult challenges than those presented by the move I chose to make on the timetable I created.

Too many of us turn a deaf ear to calls for rebirth and renewal. It takes courage and discernment to follow the calls that demand change. Our challenge is to surrender to the calls for change – a frightening propspect for most of us. Yet we each know that change is inevitable. My point is that it is wiser to be in charge of life’s journey as much as possible rather than be at the mercy of the vagaries of life. It is better to follow this train of thought: create the change you want/ need in your life before life does it for you.

Here is how I responded to the call:

1. I recognized that the wisdom of my dream was a call for a life change.
2. I reflected on what I needed to do to make such a change possible.
3. I reached out for advice.4. I researched who could help me in Tucson and pulled a team together.
5. I rallied the troops in Montecito and formed my support team.
6. I repeatedly took good care of myself – emotionally, physically, financially, and legally.
7. I regularly thank Roy for guiding me to my new life chapter.

The symbol of the rising Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth, resurrection, and change. I frequently remind my clients of the natural resistance to make conscious changes in life. I support them to initiate changes rather than passively wait for change to arrive. We rise like the Phoenix from the ashes with ease and grace when we choose to initiate the change.

Where might you be ignoring the need to change? Take some time to reflect on who or what is whispering to you. Then awaken and respond. Goethe says: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has beauty, power, and magic in it”. Let’s be BOLD!