It has been quite a full week!  In the past seven days I have been racially profiled (see my Facebook page for the full rant and details), received full credit for my dialogue in my playwriting class (which I posted last week), and actually took some practical steps towards my dream of moving to Northern California.

This is the time of year where I begin to think about my goals for the upcoming year.  Rather than wait until December 31st and throw together some tired, uninspired goals like "losing weight" (boooorrrring!), I like to engage my imagination and think about what I would actually love to have happen.  That's always a great question to ask one's self:  "what would I love??"

I would love to live a life of total freedom - being able to support myself with my tutoring, my writing, and my art.  I would love to have a conscious, intelligent group of friends who are on a similar path.  I would love to make a difference somehow in my community.  I would love to fall in love with someone worthy of my love and loyalty.  I would love to live free of fear, doubt, and worry and help others do the same.  What would you love?? Think about it...

So now that I have figured out what I would love, the next step will be to make some goals that support that.  Without goals it is easy to run around aimlessly doing things that seem right but that don't support your highest dreams for yourself.   But goal-setting does not have to be tedious left-brained work like doing a budget (yuck!)

No, goal-setting is first dreaming, then visualizing, then jotting down whatever action steps come to mind.  And the act of conscious goal-setting is not about ego-based ambition or acquisition.  There is no failure as long as you're staying true to your highest self, continuing to move forward, and not giving up.  Things happen in their own perfect time in their own perfect way.  There is no reason to rush or to force anything.  Life can be much easier than we sometimes allow it to be.

May your week be full of ease and flow as you stay true to your highest self and follow your bliss.
Following is my work in progress on my master's thesis and a photo from printmaking.

by Raven Burnes - work in progress

by Raven Burnes - 8"X 10" print