Stepping Forward Requires Persistence with Courage and Surrender

Sheila Franzen

Stepping forward isn’t always as easy as I want it to be. Sometimes stepping forward means that you have to be willing to step through frustration and pain and irritation. I have written my first mini-book, currently titled Expand Your Light! The process of growth and learning started for me in Michelle Prince’s workshop, “Book Bound by the Sea.” The workshop was focused on writing a book! I’ve wanted to write a book for quite a while and attended another seminar on writing a book last fall. My biggest struggle has been trying to figure out what to write about. I have in depth knowledge in so many topics, so I’ve struggled in making the choice. The first frustrating part of this process has been that I don’t typically have a problem with choice!

I entered the weekend thinking I was going to write a book about ‘time’ and being more productive. While I still want to write that book, it didn’t end up being my first book. During the weekend, I had the opportunity to have lunch with two other people attending. One of them asked me what I was doing with my business. I talked about the current services that I’m offering along with how I would like to integrate more spiritual concepts into the technology that I currently deliver, but I wasn’t sure how. After more conversation, one of them shared that my eyes light up when I talk about spirit and the light isn’t there as much when I talk about technology. Now that might seem like no big deal. I already knew that, yet hearing it from someone else who I had only just met… Now that made an impression! In fact, it made such an impression, that I found myself pretty upset and irritated and in a tailspin the rest of the day. I didn’t know what to write about. I wasn’t sure my business is what it’s supposed to be. I was generally just overwhelmed and frustrated. I spent the rest of that day in a funk.

What is Surrender?

One of Webster’s Definitions is “to give (oneself) over to something (such as an influence)”.

On Sunday morning, I decided that I just needed to meditate and ask my Masters and Guides what I was supposed to write about. I had come to the conclusion that if I didn’t know, I would just surrender and trust to be led to be in Service. So, I asked in my meditation, what is the topic that I am supposed to write a mini-book about to be the business card for my business. What I received was the concept of “Self-Care for Lightworkers”. Hmm… OK, now what was I supposed to do with that? It didn’t seem to fit into my business, but in that moment, I just decided ‘Fine, I’ll write the book!’.

So, over the next weeks, I kept my commitment and I wrote the book. I was frustrated and scared and irritated and short with my family. My partner kept asking me what was wrong. I didn’t know, I just knew that writing the book was requiring me to step forward with persistence even though I had no idea how things were going to fit together. My frustration came to a boiling point when I had to share the book with some friends to request that they edit the book. I finally broke down and just cried. I was so scared to share what I had written with others. Would they like it? Would they get it? Does it even have value? Does it make sense? Those were all things that my mind was bringing up as reasons that I should not make the request. I stepped forward with courage and shared it anyway! Sometimes you just have to do what you don’t want to because you know it’s the right thing. Once I shared it, I realized that it doesn’t really matter if they like it or not. I know that I need to share it and I know that someone will benefit!

Finally, my partner and I sat down to write the ‘About the Author’ section for the book. I was dreading it for a whole bunch of reasons, yet to my surprise when we completed it, my energy had shifted. Writing the ‘About the Author’ was the glue that pulled everything together! Surprise! Sometimes you just never know when things will shift and how they will come together.

What is Courage?

Webster’s Definition is “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”.

Growth and change isn’t always easy. It takes persistence. It takes action. It takes courage. It takes surrender. Sometimes we get so caught up in the frustration that we stop. Sometimes we get so scared that we don’t step forward. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed that we can’t even think or figure out what is next. During this process, I just kept saying ‘I know I need to do this’. I don’t know how it’s going to work or why, I just know I need to do this. I’m surrendering to the book that needs to be expressed. I’m surrendering to expressing what wants to be expressed even though I don’t know how it’s going to work. In so many ways, this is what life is about! We are asked to step forward and surrender.

Are you willing to step forward even when it feels uncomfortable?
Have you had great success when you stepped through the pain and frustration?
What helps you move forward even though you are scared?

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Stay Curious & Expand Your Energy through Learning

By Sheila Franzen • 30 May, 2023

I often mention that I’m constantly learning. It’s so much fun for me! My journey of life is more complete when I’m learning. I’ve often had people tell me… you don’t need to learn anymore. I’ve gone through phases where I let that go, yet life just isn’t the same. I realize for me that it’s about being curious. The energy of curiosity creates openings for possibilities. Possibilities are what the universe is made of! Every moment that we tap into a possibility, we are opening a portal of energy. Everyone wants more energy, right? There is a flow created when we are in the energy of curiosity and learning. Expansion happens! Why focus on learning? When we are learning, we are literally creating new neural pathways and that keeps one from getting locked into belief systems. Learning something new is a way to connect to the energy of creation. When you learn something new, you are creating a new YOU! Just as children are like sponges for new information and ideas, continuing that curiosity in your life keeps you young. Creating a habit of learning sets the stage for learning to be easy, not hard. So, even if you have something hard to learn, you’re not afraid of it. As the quote from William S. Burroughs goes “ When you stop growing you start dying ”. Are you growing? Are you learning? Are you willing? Change starts with the first step. Habits start with a first step. Learn for fun. Learn for joy. Learn with passion. Learn because you can. There is an ocean of knowledge and wisdom available to us. A habit of curiosity and learning allows us to tap into the depth and breadth of knowledge. The incredible thing is that when you surrender to being open to learning, the wisdom drops in when you least expect it. You might find it in a book, looking at a tree or while taking a shower. The true key is being open. Openness is like a funnel that just keeps expanding. At first, it might seem like you are just learning through the books you are reading. Yet, then, you discover that you have new ideas, new insights and new awareness and you aren't even sure where they came from. That's living in the flow of the universe. In that flow, you have more energy, more fun, more insights, more wisdom and more expansion. Learning truly does create more energy.

Honoring the Origin of Mothers Day

By Sheila Franzen • 13 May, 2023

I woke up early this morning feeling melancholy. It took a bit of writing before I realized I was feeling sadness with Mother’s Day tomorrow and not having my Mom to honor. After some writing and tears, I’ve honored her in the way that I know best as I write to her. I write how I love her, how I miss her and the gratitude for being my mother. The gratitude for giving me the opportunity to live in a human body that her body created. As soul, the miracle of human experience is mind boggling and it’s even more mind boggling to ponder that we live in a body created by another. It is one of the most beautiful aspects of creation that exists on earth. As my journaling continued, I found myself pondering the origin of Mother’s Day. I do that often as I’m curious how things came to be on earth. How do these traditions start? I discovered that Ann Jarvis and her daughter Anna Jarvis, both women’s activists are the origin of the 2nd Sunday in May that we observe as Mother’s Day here in the US and Canada. Anna desired to memoralize her Mother’s life and a national day to observe all mothers. Ironically she was saddened as it turned into a commercial event and not just the simple gathering and honoring of mothers everywhere. [ Article ] If you look further back, pagan celebrations honored mothers in Greece and in Rome, Cybele, a mother of goddesses was worshiped as early as 250BC. [ Article ] Sitting with this energy of mother is humbling. We have the concept of mother in the planet as we call her Mother Earth. We have the energy of God as Mother as Sophia God. We all carry the energy of the divine feminine in us as Goddess. We have mothers who bravely and courageously choose to bear children and BE Mother as humans. Dropping into the depth of the energy of Mother settles my Soul. I am reminded that as a drop in the ocean of creation, so much has come before me. The gratitude that I feel for all aspects of Mother fills my heart to it’s brim. Mother is the energy of creation. Sophia God is the origin of creation. Goddess is our inner strength which fuels our creations. Being a mom is an incredible gift of creation. Our ability to create as individuals, as groups, as humans, as parents–it is all the gift of creation. As you honor the energy of mother this weekend, consider extending your honoring to those that have created awareness through time to honor the energy of creation. My prayer for Mother’s Day I honor Sophia God for being the source energy of the divine feminine for all of creation. I honor Mother Earth for her energy that she shares being the mother for our planet. I honor all the Beings of light, Christ Lights, Higher Selves, Angels, Guides and more for being Creators. I honor my Higher Self who gave birth to my Soul. I honor every individual who has ever created anything on this planet as they have tapped into the possibilities of creation and have given birth to something in this world. I honor every woman who has conceived a child on this planet through all time and all lives. I honor my mother who gave birth to me. I honor myself and my partner as Mother to two beautiful children. I honor the energy of Mother.

A New Way to Use a Todo List as a Tool for Manifestation!

By Sheila Franzen • 13 Apr, 2023

A todo list is empowering when you embrace it. It is a tool that you can use with manifestation. Todo lists seem like a very 3D world construct and they indeed are. After all, you do live in a 3D world, so using the 3D constructs that are available to you is a good thing. The opportunity lies with not becoming attached to a construct.