Lisa Natoli here...
When I was in New York for James Twyman's one-man musical about St. Francis of Assisi, my husband Bill thought it would be fun to go to some of the places I used to hang out when I lived in New York... (James and my husband Bill Free spent 2 months — in January/February 2020 — touring the USA with no money and no credit cards to follow and embody the message of St. Francis — and their tour ended in NYC, so I joined them there.)
As I was taking a walk down memory lane, it occurred to me how magnificent life is when you let go of your plan and allow life to surprise you, guide you and take you to where you are meant to be.
I tell the story of being a small town girl from New Hampshire and how I decided I would "never, ever" live in a big city, especially not New York.
When I graduated from university in 1991, I had a degree in communication and journalism and I wanted to work in publishing. I love books. I love marketing. I love sales. And I thought working in a publishing office would be an amazing fit for me.
I was willing to go anywhere in the USA, anywhere EXCEPT New York City. It was 1991, before the internet, and there was a book "The Writer's Market" which listed all the publishing offices in the United States and the world.
I bought a copy and circled all the places I could send my resume and every time I got to a New York, NY address I made a big X mark though it and I thought "No. Way. Never."
So it's pretty funny to me that NYC is EXACTLY where I ended up!
And upon arriving in New York, I fell immediately in love with it and I've been in love with New York ever since — and continue to go there on a regular basis.
If you hold on grasping to things so they happen in a certain way (your way), determined to dig your heels in until you get what you want, you'll miss all the opportunities for your greatest happiness.
Allow yourself to be inspired to let go of your plan about what you think should happen and what you want to happen.
When you really let go of your attachment and vision of how you think things should turn out, life has a beautiful (and often funny) way of lifting you up and carrying you to exactly the place you are meant to be.
Need some help and guidance living a life you love? Find freedom, purpose and learn how to have peace in the storm with the 40-Day Group Journey beginning on Friday, February 3rd, 2023. To find out more and sign up (and invite your friends and family), visit the 40-Day Group Journey registration page.
Lisa Natoli is the creator of The 40-Day Program for Transformation (which is totally free!) and the founder of The Healing Cure.
