Ten years ago, I was still living in Los Angeles. After a decade long stint living in LA LA Land, it had become the place I called home. And leaving the Left Coast was nowhere on my radar screen of desires. I was blessed to have a cadre of friends, the beautiful beaches in my backyard, and a space where freedom of expression in all its forms was not only embraced, but welcomed.
Then came the recession of 2008. Which did not spare Los Angeles from it's fiscal wrath. I had just left a very high paying media sales gig which no longer served my core sensibilities. Never, ever did I think landing another well paying job would be so challenging. After all, I had over 15 years of corporate sales experience and tons of contacts in the media landscape of Southern California. Through waves and waves of resume blasting, I received barely a nod of acknowledgment that any of them were even received. "REALLY?" I thought! Of course I was not alone. Most companies were moving through periods of massive layoffs and senior level executives were thought 'too expensive' for any real consideration. After nearly one year without a paycheck, my bank account was in sickly shape. My monthly nut was close to $3,500 and after 53 weeks of no dough, I was quickly running out of time. YIKES!
One night I went to the local ATM to make a withdrawal and the computerized voice barked back at me. Instead of money, it spurted out "You're joking, right?!" And then reality smacked me in the face. It was time to call my family back in the greater Washington, D.C. area to tell them I was being forced to leave LA. And I was devastated on every level. Acceptance is a process, and this one was going to take some time. Most def!
However, I became completely resolute that my move would be very short lived. So I subleased my fully furnished apartment right off the famed Sunset Strip and headed back to my family on the East Coast in my sports car.
After a five day drive across the country, I was just pulling into my folks driveway when my cell phone rang. On the other end was a fraud protection agent from Wells Fargo bank. It seemed the $5,000 check my new lessee had given me not only bounced, but was also a counterfeit! No joke. And NOT funny. The first call I made was to this individual's cell phone, and of course it went straight to voicemail. Needless to say, the message I left was more than a little terse.
I had just driven across the entire country and left behind the majority of my earthly possessions to a young lady who was a thief! You can't make this stuff up, right?! I ended up taking a red eye back to LA and she had already vacated the premises. But the horrors I found inside! Holy smokes! How in the hell could someone make such a mess in just a matter of days. UNBELIEVABLE!
My neighbors told me she had been running a child care and doggy day camp out of my apartment. And all the evidence left behind cemented what they shared with me. I'll spare you those details. Let's just say it's the stuff that nightmares are made from!
With very little money, I decided to call my friends and tell them I was giving away everything in my apartment. I figured I would rather my earthly treasures find a new home than be tossed out like trash. The following day I informed my landlord that I was moving out, and would need to terminate my month to month lease. What a challenging time that turned out to be.
In what I had constructed to be a maximum one year stint back in D.C. turned into a decade. And what a ten years it has become! As the saying goes, "If you really want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans!" God thinks I am Jim Carrey apparently! LOL!
Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20, and now looking back to connect all the dots, there is a powerful and very clear path that was leading me straight toward my Hero's Journey! Not one single experience that has manifested into my life the last decade has been in vein. NOT ONE! All the illness, pain, and suffering. The loss of my father to brain cancer. Then my two dogs transitioning back to SPIRIT. The complete familial fracture that was left in the wake of his passing for over two years. The three major surgeries filled with massive complications. Almost losing my leg to MRSA. The onset of depression. And the loss of several jobs. It all makes perfect sense.
My CALLING is that of a spiritual teacher and coach. I've known it for as long as I can re-member. But in order for me to be "The Hero's Coach," I first needed to learn how to become one for myself. Everything that has come my way was preparing me for this MISSION. Exactly what I asked for! And what an absolute privilege it has been to have these very challenges. Each, in their own magical manner, has strengthened a part of me. All the physical, mental, and spiritual attributes that would be needed in order to fulfill my potential were given opportunities to develop in SUPER HEROIC fashion! And I wouldn't trade one single moment of any of it. I truly mean that. It's all made me exactly who I AM.
And now, in 2019, it's MY TIME. FINALLY! And my dreams are BIG! I have made a declaration to create a mass movement of individuals who commit to living from the space of their SUPER HEROIC HIGHER SELF. To discover and fulfill their own CALLING while traveling the path of their individual Hero's Journey. And in the process unleash all their unique Super Powers to be of Supreme Service to themselves and all others on this planet! Some BLISS for you, and some for you over there, too. OH WHAT A FEELING IT WILL BE! And NOT just for the few, but for US ALL! As it was always meant to be........
SUPER HEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAYS:
Over the past 10 years, many in my tribe have questioned some of the decisions I have made. All with loving intentions. Most of them are super supportive and have had the knowingness of my life's CALLING for sometime. And they carry the fervent belief in me to be a Light Worker in a world that currently needs more teachers and healers. But I have learned that it's not just about WHAT you do, but WHEN you decide to do it! Re-member the powerful saying from Scripture, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." And I believe that to be completely accurate and true.
I knew in my heart that the timing was not quite right for me to blow up my coaching business to the masses until NOW. Don't get me wrong, I have been writing, reading, and coaching clients for many years. Continuing to grow as a teacher, coach and HERO. But every time I tried to blast my business toward the stratosphere of "Super Service," the Universe sent me a new challenge to overcome. The recent past was still a time for me to "dream, and scheme." And I have made sure not to waste a minute of it.
I have learned that life's greatest gifts often come wrapped in packaging that does not resemble anything you had planned for. And so very often we miss the blessing that the gift came to bare. That's why it is so crucial to live in the NOW. For it contains the heaven sent PRESENT devised and designed just for you. For your continued growth and understanding. To allow you to develop the skill sets that will be needed in order to fulfill your own CALLING. Too often, we stay stuck reliving the past. Or projecting out toward the future. And then all the gifts pass us right on by. Please do not do that! Your TRIBE is still waiting for you. You came here to be THEIR HERO. And I know you don't want to let yourself or any of them down, right?! ;0)
Just this morning I was watching an interview with the famous crooner Michael Bolton. He said he got his first record deal at age 16. Yet he did not cut his first record until 10 years later! As tough as that time period in his life came to be, he passionately espoused how much those challenges gave him the time to find his unique singing voice. And toughened within him all the areas that would be required to stay relevant in such a competitive industry for over 50 years.
Please do not sell yourself short through the dis-ease of EXCUSITIS. Your path may not being going exactly as you had planned. But never lose faith in yourself or your CALLING. The Universe has things completely rigged in your favor. ALWAYS! As David J. Schwartz wrote in his book The Magic of Thinking Big, "You will discover that excusitis explains the difference between the person who is going places and the fellow who is barely holding his own. You will find that the more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses. But the fellow who has gone nowhere and has no plans for getting anywhere always has a bookful of reason to explain why. Persons with mediocre accomplishments are quick to explain why they haven't, why they won't, why they can't, and why they aren't."
Some of your desires will manifest themselves into your experience immediately after you declare them. Others will take more time. Don't try and "arm wrestle God." You will lose every single time! The path may be arduous or even treacherous at times. But always re-member. Everything happens through you and for you, not to you! Gi-normous difference, right?! So practice enjoying each step along the way of your Hero's Journey. That's how to create daily joy and happiness. And always honor the dignity of your own process. Remain loving and patient with yourself. It's not always about the destination. Often times it's the magical moments on the way that we remember most...............
BE SUPERHEROIC!
Nerdmaste,
Jeffrey Louis Martinez
No comments:
Post a Comment