God’s Answer

On the street I saw a small girl

cold and shivering in a thin dress,

with little hope of a decent meal.

I became angry and said to God:

Why did you permit this?

‘Why don’t you do

Something about it?’

For a while God said nothing.

That night He replied

Quite suddenly:

“I certainly did something about it.

I made you. “

~~ Material Source:  SOUL Institute ~~

What I’m now understanding is that Spirituality comes from within…it’s a state of Being…and I can’t turn it on and off like taking business calls. It’s a way to Live, a Lifestyle and not a strategy in Life. Much easier to practice what I can do 24/7 no matter how little it seems then try to be a Saint once a week, when I feel I’m up to it. I understood this intellectually but I have to admit this is the first time I’m truly embracing and living it. The truth is  the old tape of “If I can’t do it right, I don’t do it at all.” still plays in my head sometimes.

So, how did this lead to this blog post? Well, a couple of days ago I felt pretty mighty and strong.  I was on top of the World and felt I can accomplish anything that came my way- including further Spiritual Growth. Casually, without much thought, I asked the Universe to “Bring It On!”. I felt ready to face all the demons, all my fears from the past. I supposed a bit of Ego kicked in looking for a juicy Challenge. Life was too simple, effortless, and perhaps a bit boring for this “boat rocker”. That, within itself, was a spiritual awakening for me. Life too Effortless? HELLO!

Well, well, well…remember the old saying “Be careful what you ask for?”. What I asked for knocked me off my feet! Holy Lemonade with a bug in it! Did I get what I ask for. All sorts of childhood anxiety came back- as if I were back experiencing everything all over again. I got everything from stage fright to my fear of snakes to being accused of doing something I didn’t do and stuff that was just a bit overwhelming. The memories and experiences sent me straight to panic attacks, paralyzing fear, and much much more. The Amazing thing was they all reflect in my life right now in some way, shape, and form and I didn’t know it. Quite amazing to witness how much I’ve blocked off and “walked it off” in order to function as an Adult. What a Gift! Wow!

As I sat and pondered why and how all this has surfaced out of nowhere,  I realized I had asked for this a couple of days back. Certainly didn’t realize I was going to Receive it within minutes. I kindly asked the Universe to take it all back. And It did, in a matter of hours.

What a reminder! I’ve forgotten to ask in a very specific loving way. And I’ve forgotten the Universe doesn’t really have any time reference or intensity gauge. What you ask for you get. So, time to ask yourself what’s working in your Life? What’s not working in your Life? Either way, I bet ya deep inside the Universe is handing you exactly what you asked for…

Mental Note: “Bring It On!” might not have been the best phrase to use. LOL =)

In loving light,
Jennifer Cloake, Zenn Doggi

Jennifer Cloake interviews the Unstuck Caoch, Donald Hunter on what motivated him to begin Coaching with his financial, computer, and marketing background.  And why people don’t take action.  P.S. I’m not “video visible” because of a minor wardrobe malfunction…LOL

So, my dear friend, Donald Hunter and I had a wonderful chat the other day about his process of taking a Leap of Faith into Coaching.  This entrepreneur stud has moved from the marketing industry to computer programming to financial with ease and smooth transition.  What I adore about Donald is that he’s always done anything he set his mind to and followed his heart. More than that, he’s been successful in anything he’s ever jumped into with both feet despite his blindness.  I was doubly curious about how he’s able to do that over and over again, while others can’t find the courage to take daily action.

So what’s Donald’s secret? Watch the video and find out…

See ya on Facebook!

Jennifer Cloake, DIY Marketing Nerd

Jennifer Cloake, the DIY Marketing Nerd, wants to thank you for being you…We don’t thank ourselves enough!
Now go eat a bowl of ice cream with a big axx spoon!

HUGS!

We hear all the time it’s wonderful to be on Purpose. But what exactly does being on Purpose feel like? No one ever talks about that…

I personally feel minty-fresh, light on my feet, and everything feels just right- Life flows Effortlessly. Whatever I want I get. And those marshmallow clouds are oh so bouncy! But everyone is different right?

Susan explained that in her experience, she has found that when people enjoy what they do they often lose track of time. They have fun fulfilling their true Purpose- Enjoying Life!

What makes you lose track of time? What do you LOVE to do?

Jennifer, your DIY Marketing Nerd

Such a simple task! Such a Headache…oh wait, Heartache!

There’s a limit of 5000 friends in a Facebook Personal Profile. I supposed Facebook is trying to encourage people to make real friends…not making friends just to pad our numbers, seeing who has the most friends on Facebook.

Hey, feels like High School all over again. Yes, baggage! I was one of those who sat in the Library with my ONE friend.

I honestly didn’t think this was going to be a huge task. After all, I “thought” I figured out how to bulk message in Facebook without getting in trouble. Had it all planned out 2000 friends ago! Figure out who I haven’t connected with and probably never will. Press “DELETE”. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom! No harm done! Well, that didn’t work out.

The strange thing is I’m sitting here hesitating on Deletion. 80 so far, and few more hundred may hold me a while. Talking about Deleting is easy but actually pressing the dreaded Button is quite difficult. Thoughts ran through my head. What if they only get on Facebook once a week and they haven’t seen my notification to delete yet? What if they are actually learning something about Online Marketing but just too shy to speak up?

Is it really that hard to let go of the “extras” in our Lives? Wow! The unexpected layer to this is I may actually be hurting people’s feelings! It’s not like cleaning out my garage after all. So, when did I become responsible for other people’s feelings?

Holy crap! Could this be a Reflection of Me afraid of getting my feelings hurt? The World is a Reflection of Me after all…I’m gonna have to figure this one out…for now…back to the Delete Button. This may be one of those Spiritual Lessons I need to learn and an Opportunity to examine my Heart.

What are you scared of letting go in your Life?

Jennifer- your goofy DIY Marketing Nerd

Jennifer Cloake on Zee

So Zee was my first official dog. She saved my life in more ways than one. I remember adopting her from a local shelter. She was full of fleas, matted, stinky, and scared- hid under my bed for about 6 months before she would come out and say Hi. She later taught me to love, about Life, and led me down a wonderful path of animal rescue. She even saved my life from an Intruder in the middle of the night once. I’m forever grateful for this little Soul.

Zee crossed over a couple of years ago. And this morning decided to pop into my meditation. I was so happy to be on the receiving end of a surprise visit. It looked like she also brought 2000 of her closest furry friends with her. hahhaha! I’ve never seen so many dogs. Quite a scene. It was so real, I felt like she was right there underneath my desk- the way she liked it.

I bursted into tears. I realized I never really grieved over Zee’s crossing. This was at a time when I ran the dog rescue. It seemed like every other day I had to put down a dog due to this crazy incurable contagious virus that was going around. I was so sad, felt so alone and helpless but knew I had to do the right thing to save the rest of the kennel population. I will never forget asking myself “Who am I to be God? Deciding who should live and die?”

It was the same walking around at the animal shelters. We only took in dogs that were on the list to be put down. There were so many of them. We took home the ones we knew we can patch up quickly and find a home so we can come back for more. The question persisted- always in my mind- “Who am I to be God? Deciding who should live and die?”

This was by far one of the worst experiences of my life. Zee, my dear little friend, passed around the same time. I realized this morning I had to be so “tough” during this time, I never had the luxury to grieve for all those little Souls who never had a chance for a forever home. I mean, I didn’t sign up for this when I went into animal rescue. I thought it was all about hugging and loving the animals. No one ever told me I had to make these difficult medical decisions. Sheesh…now I think of it, I’m kinda pissed!

I did remember when Zee passed, I thought to myself “I must have gotten used to pets crossing. I’m sad but not breaking down like I thought I would.” Little did I know, I’ve been blocking the heartache for the last 2 years.

I was reminded of a few things this morning:
1. Spirit guides (sometimes animals) are always around. When you need them, they will show. In order to heal deeply, sometimes you have to recall some not so pleasant memories.
2. “Tough it out” is not a permanent solution, only a temporary coping mechanism at best. I supposed if we don’t deal with our emotions, some day it will come back and bite us in the ass huh? ha ha
3. Hats off to All who’s making a difference in the World. Time to ask how we can help instead of judging their actions. There’s always more behind the scene.

I’ve learned so much about Me, God, and the World. Rescuing the dogs is what led me to a Journey of Soul Searching.

How have you “Tough it out” in the past? Ever gone back and try to heal those wounds? What’s hurting your Heart so deeply right now and paralyzing you from living in the Now?

My goodness! What was meant to be a little Experiment for an eBook brought up some shaky Reactions in me. Very symbolic as I move forward with my Journey to be in touch with my True Essence- following my Heart. I love these daily Unexpected events where I learn so much about Life, about Me. Events we often consider to be minor can be the most profound.

So, here’s it is. I’m working on an eBook giving some behind the scene secrets on how to build up a network fast on Facebook. So, naturally I experiment a lot to double prove my theories. One of the things I did today was to change my Profile Picture. I have it stuck in my Head it’s not a wise thing to do since I got ripped apart on Twitter when I tried to switch my picture a while back. Man, let me tell you something. People do not hold back on the Internet with their opinions. And I’d have to say on the positive side, it’s the most economical market research I’ve ever been involved in. Pretty cool! These are valuable opinions major companies pay millions and billions for. (Don’t be afraid to do this for your business before you sink all sorts of money into a project.) This morning, I was physically reliving having my butt chewed out on Twitter as I slowly (yes, very slowly and skeptically switched out my picture on Facebook). Never knew it bothered me so much. 24 hours…only 24 hours, I told myself.

Funny thing is I knew if it doesn’t work out, I can switch the picture back. Again, one day experiment. What harm can it do? Besides, I no longer attract mean people. So WTF? After meditating on it a bit, what came to me was that I’m afraid of letting go of my “binkie”…my security blanket of the Formula I’ve developed- something I know for sure works! Not what I want but what works! I’ve lived my whole life doing what’s “appropriate” and what makes others happy. So, as soon as I want to live my Life the way I want, the Universe tests me. My Head creates all sorts of challenges to pull me back to my comfort zone- Living for Others, not for Me. Almost proving to myself, “See, I told you so…it’s not going to work!”.

Am I really courageous enough to live my Life the way I want to live it? No questions asked. I’ve always pride myself on being able to “go for it!”. I had the opportunity to experience first hand today just how paralyzing this can be for business owners out there expanding Online. The fear of letting go of your old Life, the job you hate, what you dislike but has worked so far…after all, it has provided you with the food on the table, the identity and acknowledgment you’ve gotten so used to. It’s a sure thing! Stepping into the Unknown is freaking scary!

I learned more compassion today. I’m feeling the fear or letting go of something so familiar- even if there’s brighter pastures on the other side. What a Gift I received today! I now can help Entrepreneurs even more understanding how fearful being Online can be. Wow! All from the switching out a picture!

What are you afraid of letting go? What’s paralyzing you from moving forward- jumping in…all in, no looking back…burning bridges and all?

Jenn

Here’s something interesting…

As you know, I’m on this 30 Day Self Discovery Journey to Find My Purpose.
http://www.jennifercloake.com/2010/04/30-day-to-my-purpose-day-26/

Something amazing is happening. I’m sure everyone is different going through the program. For me though, I’m discovering more about how I do things and how I react to events and situations more than finding my Ultimate Purpose. What I realized is that I’m so used to having a Goal that I forget to pay attention to the Now. I am on my Path. I am living my Purpose. My Purpose today is to live my Life to the fullest, be in the Moment. I’m finding that others are inspired to do the same, online and offline. And this is happening effortlessly. Surprisingly, I feel overwhelmed with excitement and it has somehow turned into fear. Quite a huge responsibility.

Recently, I purchased a Mac- a far departure from the PC I’ve used ever since I’ve been on the computer…I knew nothing about Mac’s. I find the whole thing to be so symbolic of Me- my Beliefs. Even though I had people tell me for years that Mac’s are way way simpler to use. I’ve been resisting to the change. After all, it’s easier sticking to what I know and what I’m used to. Switching means an overhaul of my own system not to mention the learning curve. Really, who’s got the time? Funny how this reflects my old and new Beliefs. I feel my new Beliefs serve me so much better. I’m at the stage where my Head is fighting my Heart big time. As a matter of fact, I had to take a few days of break from blogging just to settle the “fight”. Man, am I scared to let go or what? Crazy thing is I didn’t think I had a problem with “letting go”. In the pursue of chasing my Purpose, it turned into obsession to “fix” myself. Hey, wait a minute. Isn’t that completely opposite than being okay in the Now, accept and love myself for who I am Now? Silly me.

At first, my Head was in reaction. “How can I fail my Readers?” “How can I fail myself not blogging for the full 30 Day as I planned?” Well, what I finally realized is this is “real time”- I blog about how I feel for the day. To be completely honest and real, I have to do what’s in my Heart. If I’m stuck, scared, or confused, it’s only fair to share this.

What do you feel obligated to do? Make a list. What are you doing that’s not congruent with your Heart? Share loud and proud. Are you willing to take the action to let go- not just think about it but actually do it? Let me know how I can support you.

Charity starts at home? Really? How selfish…
Well, not so much…
I just realized it’s really efficiency (and you all know how much I Love that)…ha ha

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always thought this statement to be super duper selfish. We have so much and yet not willing to share? What do you mean charity starts at home? There’s always someone who needs “it” more than me.

Well, for whatever reason I just got the concept. I realized that I was only looking at material possessions. Never mind anything else. I get it! When I feed my own Soul, the positive energy ripples out. The more well fed I am, the farther the ripple effect. As a matter of fact, I won’t feel like I have to “do” so much to achieve so little…always at work in giving…it never seems to end. At times I feel so depleted and there’s still more out there that are in need. Charity work never ends.

And really, the word “charity” now sounds a bit condescending to me. Aren’t we all One? Aren’t we all equal? Who says I’m above those who may need some help? Ohhhhhh, did I just open another can of worms?

The Truth is the World is a huge Mirror. I see that Others are needy because I feel I need more on the inside. Th Truth is it’s never enough because I never feel like it’s enough on the inside. Hummmmm…Imagine that. What a concept?

How is the World a Reflection of you? Are you well fed?