4 weeks ago, I decided to go professional with my blog. My first admission here took a lot to tap out.

I sat down with my journal and teased out my personal brand of magic/my calling, my contribution to humanity, and what I could do to set the world on fire. I felt light and free and clear about my life’s purpose. Cue hallelujah chorus and angels rejoicing.

Then I woke up the next day and the fear began: what if I fail? What can I possibly offer the world that isn’t already out there? HOW will I get started?

Luckily, helpful souls restored my faith in myself pretty damn quick.

The fabulous Nikki Groom calmed my fears when I sent her frantic messages on Twitter and shared her story with me through email; turned out I wasn’t crazy and my emotional roller-coaster was totally normal after such a momentous (and public!) declaration. Phew.

John Kowalski added me on Skype, talked me through the uncertainties, and even shared his own personal word map and infographic that laid the foundation for his heart-centred approach to entrepreneurship. Amazing or what, right?

THEN the incredibly wise and lovably ass-kicking Sandi Amorim rattled my cage during a complimentary 30-minute call and freed my soul to reveal more of herself in my blog. This led to The Bonds Between You and I because Sandi emphasised the importance of being real and true to yourself, of letting out your story complete with emotion, authenticity, and purpose. So I did, and more of you connected with me because of it. To those who commented here and on my Facebook page, I thank you.

But I didn’t start this post to tell you all about my journey and leave it at that. I started it to emphasise the power of declaration.

Things fall into place when you get clear on what you want, why you want it, and what you’re willing to do to get it. Opportunities start flooding in to test your resolve, to see how committed you really are to the process.

How badly do you want that dream?

How hard are you willing to work to master that learning curve?

How much of your heart and soul are you gonna invest in making it happen?

These are the questions you’ll find yourself asking again and again. These are the questions that will keep you up at night and burn a hole in your gut until you get up and DO something. These are the questions that will take your dreams out of your head and bring them into the world. Where they belong. Where they matter. Where they are needed.

The brilliant thing about the power of declaration is its ability to attract exactly what you need at the moment you need it. I decided to go pro May 1st. May 10 I got my copy of Danielle LaPorte’s The Fire Starter Sessions (which I wasn’t expecting for at least another week or more). I actually stroked the cover when I unwrapped the parcel; that’s how badly I’d longed to have my own.

May 11 I had my call with Sandi which she offered as a gift option to celebrate the second anniversary of her blog; HIGHLY recommended reading, by the way. That same day we bonded as though we’d known each other all our lives.

That same day she gave me invaluable insights and opened up a spot in her coaching programme because she felt my passion and really wanted to work with me. Absolutely BLEW MY MIND and filled me with so much love and gratitude; humbled me beyond belief because I was amazed I merited her generous gift.

And that’s the whole point. We are all amazing. We are all magnificent and special and worthy of having our needs met.

 We are worthy of dreaming big and going for it because what’s the point of living if you can’t be truly alive? What’s the point of trudging from one day to the next and remaining unfulfilled when you can turn your life around once you get clear on what matters to you?

“It’s time to start living the life you imagined.” 

Henry James

Money. Power. Influence. Fame and accolades. All very nice and highly sought after, but will they feed your soul? Will they make you feel whole and peace with yourself? Will they fill your heart and make your spirit sing?

You need to know the answers before you can identify what is and isn’t working. You need to be unflinchingly honest because no one else can feel what you feel or answer your yearning for you. You must, you must decide for yourself to make your life the glorious dance it should be, ought to be, could be.

It doesn’t have to be flashy or ostentatious. It doesn’t have to depend on fame and recognition. It just has to depend on your heart’s longings and whisperings. What’s it saying? What’s it yearning for? What will you do about it?

The power of declaration will come through for you when you decide what you need. Helping hands and open hearts will turn up and give to you because they know what it’s like to start out on a new path. They understand the necessity of encouragement and sound advice, and much of it is offered for free.

Because let’s face it, sometimes your pocket’s got moth balls in it and yet you have a dream burning in your heart, right? That’s where free training guides, webinars, eBooks, and articles come in handy to help out folks like us who need a while before we can afford deluxe packages.

Depending on your chosen field, there are usually respected blogs or websites that offer loads of free information in their main content and even some bonus materials if you subscribe to their mailing lists. These subscriptions have value because not only do they give you access to stuff you won’t get anywhere else, they also connect you to the person(s) behind the content.

Making your dream a reality is all about the quality of your connections, and helping hands are a direct result of said connections. Feel me?

OK, let’s move away from the abstract for a minute and translate the above into concrete examples. I know I need training to become a professional blogger. LOTS of training. I also know I want to keep my heart + soul at the centre of my work. So imagine my delight when I stumble on the details of a live call between Helen Hunter Mackenzie and Laura Gates barely an hour before its start!  It was all about starting your online business while staying true to yourself, and the energy on the line was palpable.

Not only could callers contribute  and ask questions (which I did), but we could also sign up at l’academie [five.twenty.two] for a YEAR’S free worth of training. That’s right, a whole year. Helen interviews an entrepreneur during a live call, you get to chime in, you have access to the recording if you’re registered, AND you also get a free guide to crush your fears as you set on your merry path to fulfilment. What’s not to love?

My mind wasn’t just blown, it was hugged in the warm, fuzzy way. Because how many people offer free expertise for that long and with such joy to be doing so?

Now, my point here is to illustrate the power of declaration in my life after I mapped out my plan of action. I definitely wrote about getting training and learning as much as I could, so how awesome was it that I found that live call on May 17 when I could so easily have missed it? 

I may have gone off Facebook for the day or not paid much attention to my news feed, but neither of those happened. Instead, God + the universe conspired to lead me exactly where I needed to be and right when I needed to be there. Fantabulous or what? I’ve gone on to attend other webinars since then and they’ve  been incredibly enlightening.

But that’s not all it takes for helping hands to reach out to you. You gotta show up as well. Show up. The opportunities keep coming as long as you keep jumping right in, but slack off a few times and they dry right up. Why? Because your intention isn’t matching your declaration. It’s not matching your action.

Action is the driving force behind the power of declaration. You say you want something, the universe delivers, you jump right on it. You place another order, get another delivery, and get right on that as well.

But place some orders, get the deliveries, and leave them out in the cold? Honey chile, they’re gonna get returned real quick because you didn’t want them enough to unwrap and enjoy them.

So what does it take for cage-rattlers and helping hands to shake things up for you and boost your success as you embark on that new venture?

• Declare your intentions. Get clear on your desires and what it’ll take to achieve them. You can do this by free-writing on your values and ways of integrating them into your everyday life. Ask yourself what’s important, what’s not, and what’s vital to your passion.

• Be open to opportunities and ready to seize them the minute they come your way. Even if you feel you can’t afford a service or programme at that time, attend any webinar, teleseminar, or other gathering where it’s being launched. There’s usually a lot of useful information shared in those sessions; don’t miss out on them because money’s tight right then.

• Act. Connect, ask, thank, and express yourself to a friend or potential sponsor. Whatever you do, act on your declarations or the universe will stop taking your calls.

• Say “thank you.” Be effusive. Write love notes. Mention them on your social networks. Tell your nearest and dearest how so-and-so helped or boosted you in some way. Gratitude has its own pulling power of even more opportunities. A delightful cycle, no? 😉

And finally, always remember why you want to do what you’ve chosen to do. You should already have it written in your action plan, or even a manifesto if you wanna get all groovy about it. The important thing is to keep going until your heart shouts, “YES! THIS is my calling. This is my passion. This is my soul work.”  

Once you figure that out (and you will), taking one step at a time will get you where you want to go. Promise.

So, what will you do about your heart’s yearning? Will you take action and let helping hands get you where you need to be?

Share your answers right here. I’m dying to know. Ciao, lovelies.