Take time to fulfill your soul's desire

As we let go of this year to make room for the new, I realize this is a life-changing principle.

Whatever 2009 may have been for people — good, bad or completely forgettable — we can make a space emotionally, physically and mentally for good things to come.

Anthony Robbins has said, "You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make.Who are you now? Who have you decided to become?"

To become what we need and want to be, we can let go of old habits, perceptions and attitudes.

Emotionally it can mean letting go of past hurts that keep us emotionally stuck and missing immediate opportunities.

Letting go physically can mean cleaning out clutter, the stacks and piles that inhibit clarity and vibrant energy.

To let go mentally, we can decipher what our soul wants to pursue, then let go of old perceptions of self — those Ghosts of Christmas Past Failures — that stand in the way.

Tibetan scholar Chogyam Trungpa says, "Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness. It comes from letting the world tickle your heart, your raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to open up, without resistance or shyness, and face the world."

In facing the world we face ourselves and our fears. Over the past six months I've realized the need to let go of this column, so this will be my last.

With six children and small pockets of time to write, I've found initially small projects of writing a few books nudging themselves to the foreground.

I can feel the "tickling of my heart." As change can be, it's exciting and scary. I'm a mother, not a writer, and certainly not a real writer, with complex plots and skillful portrayal of people's personalities.

And yet, a plot fell into my mind one weekend and will not let go. So in slivers of carved-out time, I learn, research and pray the skills will come.

When I feel the most doubtful, which is generally each time I type, I try to remember others who have felt the same and still succeeded.

Beautifully, this invigorating process happens to each of us as we pursue something fabulous that feels good for us personally. As we face our fears, ways come to light of how to develop our dream and people are put in our path at just the right time.