Friday, December 28, 2012

Seven Paths - Lesson 5

Lesson Five of Seven Paths to Freedom is called, "Coincidence?"

Curtis Rivers says, "You see, there is no such thing as coincidence.

've known this for some time, that 'everything happens for a reason' but never fully understood my role in the process. I didn't always realise how coincidences were 'signs' keeping me on course to the life I wanted to live."


Now that we are meditating, visualizing, using all our senses and feeling grateful, we must watch for signs. You may think these signs are coincidences but remember there is no such thing. 

Here, Curtis says is the important part of creation. "A lot of people use visualisation and imagery in their goal setting, and some even take that to a place of deep contemplation each day, sowing the seeds to turn those thoughts into real life. However, many fall short of realising their dreams, by failing to 'observe'. Others take many, many years to achieve their dreams, when they could have done so in a fraction of the time, had they listened to their intuition, and recognised the coincidences and synchronicities beginning to show up in their lives."


I am going to tell you a little story now. I was eighteen and living with the boyfriend. He managed to find employment but me on the other hand, couldn't land a job so the financial responsibility rested solely on his shoulders. 

I felt bad, but what could I do? 

I was so shy back then. I couldn't look anyone in the eye at all. I couldn't get my voice to pass the lump in my throat. I had no skills. Needless to say, interviews did not go well for me.

I didn't know what to do.

Then one day, I ran into a girl that I knew in high school.  We were in the same art class. We use to draw silly pictures and giggle our way through class until she just wasn't there anymore.  

asked her how she was doing and what she was up to. Turns out she "got pregnant" and left school to have her baby. Donna was working full time as a graphic artist in town. She attained the skills from a course called Commercial Art that she took at Mohawk College. She received money for her bills, a transportation allowance plus all the supplies were provided. 

Sounded great to me. A dream come true. Art, drawing, creativity and getting paid to do it? Wonderful.

I booked an appointment at the Employment Office and met with a counselor.  I explained what I wanted and before I knew it I was applying at the College.

Applicants were required to submit illustrations. No problem. I got in.

The course was ten months long. I made a few friends and finished top four of my class.

One or two months passed by. No prospects.

I kept in contact with a couple of classmates. I can't remember exact numbers but I think five or six of the twenty students managed to get jobs as graphic artists. 

One of those people gave me a call. Marty was working full time for a company called the Stencil House. He had put in his notice and would be starting a new job within a few days. The company still needed a graphic artist and he thought of me. Marty told me to grab my portfolio and get my butt into Hamilton.

Okay. I was still painfully shy but now I had skills. Interviews were still not one of my strong points.

The next day I received a phone call from one of the owners of the Stencil House. I got the job. He told me I was too quiet but my portfolio got me the job. 

Yahoo. Thank you!

I was originally hired to take designs and draw them out as stencils. I was a natural. I whizzed through them in no time.

The owners were so impressed that they trained me to digitize the drawings - a task that was not previously shared with anyone else.

Then I created magazine adds, display maps, samples, new lines of stencils. They kept me busy. The company quickly outgrew the dilapidated building and moved to a larger, new facility. My designs lined the walls. I mustered up the courage, took a deep breath and asked for a raise. 

No? What the heck? I quit. No fear. I knew something would show up.

A few days later, I was at Jackson Square shopping when I ran into my ex-boyfriends best friend, Phil. I hadn't seen him in months. He only had time for a quick chat. We exchanged small talk and I explained how I just quite my job. He told me that his sister was giving her notice at her job as Advertising Co-ordinator at Goodwill Industries. He told me I should apply.

I called Goodwill the next day and set up an interview. I fixed up my portfolio to include some of the work that I did at the Stencil House. I went to Minute Man Press to have my resume updated. (Greta was such a sweetheart. She did it at no cost.)

Okay. I was still painfully shy but now I had skills and experience. Interviews were still not one of my strong points.

Guess what? I got the job. Jacqueline told me that I was too shy but my portfolio was excellent.

I think I will end my story here.

Was it coincidence that I should run into Donna? Was I just lucky that the employment program was still being offered through EI? Or that I could get paid to go to school? Was it coincidence that Marty thought of me? Or that I ran into Phil just as I quit my job and was in need of a new one?

You be the judge. What do you think?

Do you have your own story to share?

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