How can you tell the difference between...

[FairyCrystal]

I wonder if anyone has figured this one out:
How can you tell the difference between being led away from something because it doesn't serve you (anymore) OR you yourself undermining it by a negative vibrational point of attraction?

It's something I'd love to ask Abraham Hicks, but since I happen to not be in the hot seat, I wonder if someone here has an idea because I think both options are possible?

Thing is, nothing what I seem to start in life works out. Whether it's a web shop, a practice, another endeavour online etc. etc.
Somehow it either never takes off or it falls flat on its face after a relatively short period of time.
And with one thing, like that web shop, I was all in! No doubt about it, I really wanted it! I wanted it to grow big, as in BIG, and also start a wholesale.
I had a unique assortment that no one over here had as I purchased directly all over the world, not from Dutch suppliers as I didn't want to end up with this assortment that most others already had.
I had a die-hard core of clients, but it never grew out big enough that I could make a living of it, as a matter of fact at some point it stopped growing altogether. Then the financial crisis came around 2009 and that finished me off with a 60%-70% drop in sales.

Now why does this stuff keep happening to me? I DID dream big, had a huge vision!
And this chit seems to repeat itself over and over, no matter what I do.

Anyone know how to define between you yourself undermining it or being led away from it (by Spirit, HS, guides, whatever)?

[Lucky]

In my opinion, I feel like the line between undermining it yourself and being led away from it by spirit is fuzzy.

It's one thing to dream big and believe your projects will succeed, that is how we're told the law of attraction works, but perhaps the underlying motives don't fully align? I'm certainly not judging, but it's worth a thought.

Your question/dilemma resonates with me in a way that there's a pattern of things just falling flat and not working out. At least you took action, unlike myself! In my case I haven't felt "all in" on a project because one thing or another about my idea didn't feel genuine and 100% authentic. I'm not sure if this resonates with you, but it's worth looking back and examining each situation to see if each and every aspect of it came from your heart...asking yourself questions like "why did I create xyz in the first place?(insert answer), but why? (insert more in depth answer), why?" Like a child asking why the sky is blue if that makes sense. Maybe you'll find something deep down that didn't align with your core values and it was a way of spirit etc. stripping you down to get closer to the truth? Just a suggestion, and as for me I'm still digging..lol.

To be fair, 2008/2009 was a rough patch for many people (myself included) so your web shop not succeeding was beyond your control. There were many other forces at play that affected a lot of people despite their best intentions.

[JosephineB]

I think that's great advice Lucky.

[FairyCrystal]

Thank you for your reply!
Hmm... now you mention 2008/2009... I think I actually indeed do know why the shop & wholesale didn't properly take off. Yes, I wanted it wholeheartedly as I began that adventure & dream but it was also in sync with my own personal growth & development. At the time I began (2006) I had set first foot on my path and discovery and got intrigued by Paganism, the Celts, and from that witchcraft etc. So after a while I started a web shop in pagan & witchcraft supplies. The die-hard core of clients I spoke of were all die-hard witches, which I was not btw.
After a few years I grew more and I outgrew my own shop. My interesting expanded and shifted towards more, intuitive development, crystals, Angels, energy work and whatnot.
This wasn't congruent with my shop nor with those clients. I tried to implement a shift but I'd built myself such a strong reputation apparently as 'witchshop' -hihi- that it didn't work.
My interest kept waning and with that my resistance against running the shop.
I have realized a while back, when I was thinking nothing I did surmounted to anything, that that wasn't true. I built a very powerful reputation once, meaning I could do that, I could profile myself very strongly. That was also a healing thought.

With the last endeavour I do know. Had I really followed through with it, I'd have had to let go of my benefit. And I daren't do that. So I held back.
Yet, I have wondered about that one too. Like you say "at least you do take action"... I know that if I really want something I just go for it.
So again that question: isn't it the right thing or did I undermine it?

Currently stuck in this place where I keep trying to bang it into place, to force something to happen. Trust me, Abraham is right on that: it does NOT work, haha. And dang is it hard to stop doing that!

Yes, it is difficult to define between the two, haha.

[FairyCrystal]

BTW... since I've had this with so many things, including jobs, I wonder if it's ever going to stop and if I'll ever find what I'm supposed to do or if all this 'hopping' is part of my journey this life.

[Lucky]

So there you have it! It was a successful shop with loyal followers that aligned with your beliefs then, but as your interests changed so did your business. It no longer represented your beliefs or who you were at the time so it fell flat eventually.

I feel like life in general is a series of hopping around and the people, places, things and careers that we leave behind (or leave us) no longer align with our highest good or who we truly are. This can be upsetting in the moment as we rack our brains with all the reasons why we feel it should've worked and all the things we did right to make it work....but maybe our needs and desires shifted somewhere along the way and we hadn't realized it yet. Whether it was our conscious doing (or undoing) or not, we more than likely had guidance from above that knew exactly what was in our hearts. They probably said "ok on to the next" and lined something else up that would help us to discover what feels true to us.

I think life is an ongoing process of revealing more of your true self, and circumstances, people, careers etc. are a means of showing us who we truly are and what we really want. I don't see that process ending..haha. I believe it applies to so many sectors of life, even who we chose as partners but that's a whole other topic!

[FairyCrystal]

Yes, you're very right!
It's just that there's also people who know very clearly what profession they want, choose it, study if need be, and become and stick with it for the rest of their life.
The same with a partner. I know some who've been with their love from when they were approx 17, and are still extremely happy. They never moved from the village they were born in, and thus also still have the same friends they had in elementary and/or secondary school as those also still live there.
They have these -what I disrespectfully haha- call average holidays to places everyone goes to and so on. Perfectly well-behaved children as well.

Now I know you shouldn't compare, and to be honest such a life would bore me to death, hihi, but still... sometimes I wonder, when am I going to find the place I want to live and be totally happy? I don't even have that sussed. And the partner that I'm happy with for the remainder of my life?
At least those two things can fall into place as far as I'm concerned, haha. If they do I'll gladly hop with the rest, grin. Just some things that are fulfilling and stable.

[Lucky]

Maybe those people seem happy because they settled and just aren't curious what happens when they color outside the lines? According to what we've been told, they seem to have checked off all the boxes as to what the textbook definition of a perfect life is. If they are happy, then good for them!

I currently have none of those boxes checked off myself, except for a partner...but it's not all blissful. I am married but I don't promote it as being the best thing ever. Am I happy with every aspect of my life? No. But I'm not settling for less only to be curious about what would happen if I'd explored a different path. I think we are always evolving and reinventing ourselves, and that's ok! I think if we're not, then maybe we're not looking deep enough or afraid to explore.

I'm not coming from a position of giving advice, but I do believe that as long as we aim to align with what's in our hearts the rest will fall into place. I think we will forever be trying to find who we truly are and what we really want.

[FairyCrystal]

You raise some interesting things!
I think I'm at this place at the moment where I am afraid to explore.
Somehow this last endeavour not taking off the way I'd hoped it would didn't help. Thing is that I lost my interest in it after a while, yet again. Not sure what the cause was in this one as I hit pre-menopause and boy oh boy, did that affect my drive and inspiration! More than I'd ever expected. Things just went kind of numb inside, haha. So in this case I'm not sure if it was solely that or again this "it's not the right thing for me". It was really ill-timing of my body to throw that one on me at that moment, hihi. But I did get the increased feeling of it not fulfilling me (anymore).

Oh, and there's me complaining. I do know my current biggest hurdle, which is the benefit thing. I'm not allowed to do anything outside of that. And if I talk to them I will get cut for every extra I make. Understandable, but then they're also going to check everything each month and I'm not willing/ready yet to surrender to that as I feel it's an encroachment of my privacy and what little freedom I have.
I'd have to be really totally utterly confident and sure about what I want to do to go there.
I guess that's why I'm so frantically looking and searching to find 'it'. Also because of my age. I cannot get that one out of my head. Being 53 I feel I have little time left to achieve something worthwhile.

Your last line, when you know what's in your heart the rest will fall into place.
That's so right!
But there's the but, haha... Currently I don't know what is in my heart. Do you know that in spite of not having all boxes of happiness checked off?

[Lucky]

I have to agree, I'm afraid to explore too. My mind explores but I haven't taken action on anything yet...number one because I'm a Libra and I weigh options too much and can't decide, number two because what I would eventually like to get going will require some money, and number three because over the past few years of milling over ideas what's "in my heart" has changed a bit to align with the new me that is quickly revealing more and more of herself.

The money thing is a huge factor, especially having been brought up with feelings of lack for generations before me. It's embedded pretty deep, and due to that conditioning I have fear around wasting money if my ideas fail. I'm not a risk taker in that respect, but unfortunately there lies my biggest hurdle and opportunity for my soul's growth.

As for the career sector of my life, I feel it's easier to recognize what's NOT in my heart versus what IS. I mean, I know what's in my heart but I can't articulate or put it into words exactly. If there were no pressure around money I would have no hesitations to lay the foundation for what I want to create..haha!

I understand what you mean about the age thing. I think there are certain stages/age categories that we hit that give us that sense of oh bleep, what am I gonna do. I'm approaching 40 and I haven't made my mark on the world to the scale I would like to just yet...and I'm feeling that pressure!