But by deciding to face my demons, be my own knight in shining armor and slay the freakin\u2019 dragon once and for all, I feel simultaneously like I\u2019ve aged a decade and like I\u2019m 10 years younger as I look ahead to 2015. And it has not been easy. There have been tears. There has been anguish. There has been much meditating, much journaling, and much reading of books with \u201cConversations\u201d and \u201cGod\u201d in the title.<\/p>\n
And above all, there has been a very conscious decision on my part to actually do the work<\/em>.<\/h3>\nWhen I used to hear that phrase, I\u2019d think it was referring to some kind of mystical alchemy that went on inside the body if you did enough yoga, took enough gong baths, or had enough therapy. As if the divine oneness was watching on, and would do some divine laying on of hands to absolve all your issues once you\u2019d reached a certain quota of zen\/worthiness.<\/p>\n
The year 2014, which shall forever more be referred to as \u201cthe year that changed everything,\u201d showed me that it\u2019s actually way more prosaic than that. You want to change something? Move forward in your personal development? Bring about the internal shift that\u2019s going to raise your vibration to attract all the abundance you just know is out there waiting for you into your life?<\/p>\n
Then, babe, the buzzword here is action<\/em>.<\/h3>\nI\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s one thing to accept that perhaps your cash flow issues have more to do with your attitude toward money than with accounts clerks getting off on withholding checks owed to you\u2014and a whole other deal to weep buckets in a Family Constellations Therapy<\/a> session as you see how those money issues are intrinsically linked to your grandmother dying young and your own mother not really knowing how to give you love as a result. Bingo.\u00a0(Read more about my personal journey here<\/a>.)<\/p>\nBut the real work? That happens when you proceed with the Landmark Forum<\/a> and realize that you actually have to call your mom and tell her it\u2019s never really<\/em> been okay that she loved your brother more than you, because she\u2019d basically learned how by the time he came along. And then you actually do<\/em> call her, and there are buckets more tears, but you end the conversation by telling each other how you feel like mother and daughter<\/em> for the first time you can remember.<\/p>\nPhew! That\u2019s what I call work. And it\u2019s also where the \u201cmystical alchemy\u201d part comes in, because you know what? I\u2019m facing down 2015 in a better financial position than ever. \u201cMoney\u201d equates to \u201cmother\u201d in Jungian therapy after all.<\/p>\n
I actually predict that \u201cwork\u201d and \u201cmoney\u201d are going to be big themes for us all in the coming months. In numerology, 2015 is a universal \u201c8\u201d year<\/a> (you add 2+1+5), which is the number of challenges, personal power, and hard-earned reward for your efforts. In other words, do the work<\/em> this year and the compensation could be bigger than ever. So here\u2019s how.<\/p>\nFirst up, you need to define what you want to work on. And I say, go big. No shying away from that \u201cthing.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time to drag the monkey off your back, look it right in the eye and declare: GAME ON.<\/h3>\n
(Hint: The real monkey might not be what you think. Like how my money issues turned out to be mother issues, the fact you have a hard time holding onto a relationship is, undoubtedly, all about your dad.)<\/p>\n
Now just start looking around for the \u201cway in.\u201d Besides the Family Constellations work and the Landmark (which is pretty hard core, FYI), last year I also tried acupuncture, breathwork meditation<\/a>, had regular visits with a shaman, hit the mat at The Class with Taryn Toomey<\/a>, and worshiped at the church of IntenSati<\/a>. Not to mention a pretty transformational trip to Burning Man<\/a>. Each and every one of which provided an insight, a tool, or a doorway for me to see into.<\/p>\nNow, don\u2019t just stand there looking at the portal of opportunity any one of your practices has opened for you. WALK. THROUGH. THE. DOOR. Where the rubber meets the road is where you choose to take action. It\u2019s one thing to get an intense download about your relationship with your father after a particularly crazy Kundalini kriya, and a whole other ball game when you actually send him an email laying out all the deets. (Yes, this also happened to me last year.)<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be shy. As in, don\u2019t shy away from taking the necessary action<\/em>. And if you\u2019re having trouble working out what that is, it\u2019s probably the thing you least want to do. But you know you have to. In fact, if it makes you cry just thinking about it, that\u2019s probably it. Tears\u2014of emotion, of compassion, of release\u2014are often how you know the work is working.<\/p>\nFinally, you\u2019d better embrace feeling a little bit weird<\/em> while all this is going on. My friend Louise Androlia<\/a> (aka Louniverse) is a tarot reader and holistic life coach, and one of her favorite things is to remind her clients it\u2019s actually normal to feel abnormal when your life is transforming, inside and out. Expect to doubt yourself, expect to feel vulnerable, expect to question your sanity sometimes\u2014just don\u2019t<\/em> expect it to be a breeze, is what I think she means.<\/p>\nAfter all, if it was meant to be easy, it wouldn\u2019t be called \u201cthe work\u201d in the first place. But it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n
Read the full story of my personal 2014 transformation at thenuminous.net<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\u2014<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
I\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s one thing to accept that perhaps your cash flow issues have more to do with your attitude toward money than with accounts clerks getting off on withholding checks owed to you\u2014and a whole other deal to weep buckets in a Family Constellations Therapy<\/a> session as you see how those money issues are intrinsically linked to your grandmother dying young and your own mother not really knowing how to give you love as a result. Bingo.\u00a0(Read more about my personal journey here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n But the real work? That happens when you proceed with the Landmark Forum<\/a> and realize that you actually have to call your mom and tell her it\u2019s never really<\/em> been okay that she loved your brother more than you, because she\u2019d basically learned how by the time he came along. And then you actually do<\/em> call her, and there are buckets more tears, but you end the conversation by telling each other how you feel like mother and daughter<\/em> for the first time you can remember.<\/p>\n Phew! That\u2019s what I call work. And it\u2019s also where the \u201cmystical alchemy\u201d part comes in, because you know what? I\u2019m facing down 2015 in a better financial position than ever. \u201cMoney\u201d equates to \u201cmother\u201d in Jungian therapy after all.<\/p>\n I actually predict that \u201cwork\u201d and \u201cmoney\u201d are going to be big themes for us all in the coming months. In numerology, 2015 is a universal \u201c8\u201d year<\/a> (you add 2+1+5), which is the number of challenges, personal power, and hard-earned reward for your efforts. In other words, do the work<\/em> this year and the compensation could be bigger than ever. So here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n First up, you need to define what you want to work on. And I say, go big. No shying away from that \u201cthing.\u201d<\/p>\n (Hint: The real monkey might not be what you think. Like how my money issues turned out to be mother issues, the fact you have a hard time holding onto a relationship is, undoubtedly, all about your dad.)<\/p>\n Now just start looking around for the \u201cway in.\u201d Besides the Family Constellations work and the Landmark (which is pretty hard core, FYI), last year I also tried acupuncture, breathwork meditation<\/a>, had regular visits with a shaman, hit the mat at The Class with Taryn Toomey<\/a>, and worshiped at the church of IntenSati<\/a>. Not to mention a pretty transformational trip to Burning Man<\/a>. Each and every one of which provided an insight, a tool, or a doorway for me to see into.<\/p>\n Now, don\u2019t just stand there looking at the portal of opportunity any one of your practices has opened for you. WALK. THROUGH. THE. DOOR. Where the rubber meets the road is where you choose to take action. It\u2019s one thing to get an intense download about your relationship with your father after a particularly crazy Kundalini kriya, and a whole other ball game when you actually send him an email laying out all the deets. (Yes, this also happened to me last year.)<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be shy. As in, don\u2019t shy away from taking the necessary action<\/em>. And if you\u2019re having trouble working out what that is, it\u2019s probably the thing you least want to do. But you know you have to. In fact, if it makes you cry just thinking about it, that\u2019s probably it. Tears\u2014of emotion, of compassion, of release\u2014are often how you know the work is working.<\/p>\n Finally, you\u2019d better embrace feeling a little bit weird<\/em> while all this is going on. My friend Louise Androlia<\/a> (aka Louniverse) is a tarot reader and holistic life coach, and one of her favorite things is to remind her clients it\u2019s actually normal to feel abnormal when your life is transforming, inside and out. Expect to doubt yourself, expect to feel vulnerable, expect to question your sanity sometimes\u2014just don\u2019t<\/em> expect it to be a breeze, is what I think she means.<\/p>\n After all, if it was meant to be easy, it wouldn\u2019t be called \u201cthe work\u201d in the first place. But it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n Read the full story of my personal 2014 transformation at thenuminous.net<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nIt\u2019s time to drag the monkey off your back, look it right in the eye and declare: GAME ON.<\/h3>\n
![\"RubyWarrington200x260\"](\"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/files\/media\/RubyWarrington200x260.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/em>Ruby Warrington is a lifestyle writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is also the founder of