KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Sam Bennett

You have so many great ideas, and you can’t decide which one(s) to follow through on. Or maybe once you finally settle on one and get into it, you get bored and drop it like a hot potato for something new. I know.

One of the side effects of being a creative genius is that you have a billion great ideas and a lot of skills and talents, so it can be difficult to figure out where to focus. This is so often what happens: You get a brilliant idea. It appears instantly — so full and rich and detailed and vibrant inside your mind — and you just know it’s a truly 
great idea. And then — just as quickly — you feel stuck, overwhelmed, defeated. You have no idea how to move forward. Thinking about the thing in its entirety is just too overwhelming, so you get stuck before you’ve even started.

Here’s the thing: your brain is a beautiful machine especially designed to look for patterns and solve problems. It works like a charm. Pose almost any question to your brain, and it will present you with an answer in no time at all. Genius, I tell you.

But if there are too many unknowns or too many variables, the machine grinds to a halt. Or it gets stuck in a loop, going around the same block over and over again. “I want to do X, but maybe I should do Y first, but I can’t do that until I do Z, so maybe I shouldn’t even try...but I really want to do X, but maybe I should do Y first...” Exhausting, right?

Breaking It Down
Let’s say your big, beautiful idea is “I want to redo the whole house!” And you can see it! Gorgeous and gleaming. A full, rich, detailed vision of your house completely redecorated appears in your mind.

In this situation some people recommend creating a Vision Board, which I think is fun because I love gluing things onto other things. A Vision Board is a fun, artsy, self-actualization project — it’s a collage you can make of images and words, usually cut from magazines, that, posted prominently, serves as a visual reminder of your goals and dreams. You can also make one online, which is fun, too. And if a Vision Board helps or delights or inspire you, then go ahead. But artists usually have no problem articulating a clear vision. Their vision is usually quite detailed and complete and often features sequels, theme parks, and a worldwide grassroots social movement.

As you consider this beautiful vision of your redone home, you feel the gears in your mind begin to grind: Where to begin? How to afford it? Is now the right time? How do I know if a contractor is trustworthy? What if the paint comes out ugly? Where do I find those cool glass tiles? I don’t know how to tile! Ack!

Too many unknowns and too many variables.
So if you can limit the scope of your project — take it bit by bit — you will be doing your brain a big favor. Tackling, say, just the carpeting in the upstairs bedroom will allow your brain to start searching its files for carpet in the same way that your computer can search for and find information easily once you give it the right name or search term. And now that your brain is whirring away on the idea of carpet, it might just remember that there’s a carpet store over by the lunch place you like, and it might remember that your cousin Denise just redid her house — and maybe she’ll have a few ideas for you — and hey, is that an ad for a carpet sale in today’s paper?

If you have some Vision Boards that are just hanging around making you feel bad about not having achieved your goals yet, for crying out loud, get rid of them. Inspirational tools are just that — tools to inspire you. The minute they quit inspiring you, lose ’em.

Breaking your project down into manageable, bite-size bits makes it something you can actually do, as opposed to leaving it a big, overwhelming, untouchable vision that leaves you stuck. Think of it this way: If you find yourself procrastinating, your project is too big!

You can see how you might be able to make some real progress if you break you projects down into smaller chunks and spend a little time on them every day, yes? But this still leaves you with the all-important question, How do you know which project is the right one? For starters, you have to discern which of the projects matter most to you, and ditch the ones that don’t. Here’s a little quiz-type exercise that will help you do that.

We often downplay the importance of desire in our lives, but I have noticed that the things we really want to do pretty much get done. And the things we do not want to do pretty much do not get done. Have you noticed that, too?

Exercise: Five Quick Questions
Call to mind one of the many projects you are procrastinating on. I know you have lots, but for now, pick just one. Whichever one floats to the top of your mind first is fine. Now — working swiftly and without pondering — answer yes, no, or sort of to these five questions:

1. Do you think you will learn from and enjoy working on this project?
2. Will completing this project make a difference in your life?
3. Will completing this project make a difference in the world?
4. Does your soul ache to work on it?
5. Ten years from now, will it matter whether or not you have done it?

Take a minute to muse on your answers, and jot down a few notes about what you notice. You may have noticed that those five questions are really one question, phrased five different ways — five different angles of attack on “Does this project truly matter?”

You may find that while you feel your project would make a big difference in the world, your soul does not ache to do it. That’s okay. And that’s important information for you to have if you decide to move forward: don’t expect this project to make your soul sing. You may need to find some other spiritual sustenance while you’re working on it.

Or perhaps you answered yes to every question but the first — that might be an indication that you need to find someone else, or gather a team, to execute this project.

But if you discovered that the project you were thinking about really doesn’t matter to you, then for crying out loud — cross that project off your list or delegate it or something. There’s no sense agonizing over a project you don’t even care about.

Now think of another possible project, and repeat the exercise. In fact, repeat it until you have five possible projects that definitely matter to you. Feel free to pull projects from various areas of your life; this doesn’t need to all be about your creativity. It’s always a good idea to try it with at least one really crazy-daisy, dumb idea — even something you think is a bad idea. And you may also want to add in some “duty” options (like the voice in your head that says that you really should go back to school and get that advanced degree).

So now you have a list of five front-runner projects. Congratulations!

From the book Get It Done by Sam Bennett. Copyright © 2014 by Samantha Bennett. Reprinted with permission from New World Library. www.NewWorldLibrary.com

Sam Bennett worked at the renowned Second City Theatre in Chicago alongside comics Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert. In addition to her multifaceted writing and performance work, she specializes in personal branding and career strategies. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Her website is TheOrganizedArtistCompany.com

We bought a new house about a year ago. We got it for an incredibly low price. At first I attributed this to the housing slump and felt really good about it; now I'm not so sure. The problem is that every several weeks, we are awakened in the middle of the night by a loud crashing sound. It always happens around two a.m., and it always sounds pretty much the same. The first time it happened, I thought we had an intruder. The second time it happened, I thought maybe something had collapsed or fallen over in the house. Now that it has happened many times, I just roll over and go back to sleep. While this doesn't feel creepy or ominous, it is unsettling. Do you think it could be paranormal? Is someone trying to get our attention?

Carol

Susyn:

Before purchasing a property, it is always a good idea to investigate its history. While there are indeed a lot of great deals are out there given the housing market slump, people have been known to sell off haunted houses for ridiculously low prices just to be free of them.

As you have already bought the property, I would check out a few other things before assuming you have a ghost. Since the crashing sound always occurs around the same time, it may be that a heater or cooling system is creating this noise. Sometimes loose pipes or temperature changes can cause loud noises. A licensed heating/cooling specialist should be able to rule this possibility out. Plumbing can also create all sorts of noises, so be sure to investigate this idea as well.

Once you have established that the sound is not coming from a physical source, it's time to head to your local library or search the internet for articles that may illuminate your house's history. If these efforts don't turn up anything, visit your county clerk's office to find more information.

Your neighbors may also be able to help you. If they have lived there a long time, they should be able to tell you of any strange events like violent crimes or tragic deaths that occurred in the house. They may even know about paranormal activity prior residents may have experienced.

There are two types of hauntings that can occur in a home. One is called a residual haunting where events from the past replay themselves. These hauntings are not dangerous, for they do not involve the presence of conscious metaphysical entities. The fact that the sound occurs at the same time in the night suggests that if something pararnormal is occuring, it's a residual haunting.

If this were an intelligent haunting, a conscious entity would be involved. I doubt that this is what you are dealing with, however, for you don't mention any other phenomena aside from this crashing noise. Intelligent hauntings tend to accelerate over time and are not limited to one location or type of event.

If there is something paranormal going on, you may be able to quiet things down by performing a cleansing and blessing ritual. Buy a sage smudge stick at your local metaphysical store. Light the stick and move from room to room with it, asking that all entities that do not belong there leave the premises at once. If you identify the exact location the sound is coming from, leave the smudge stick there for extra purification.

*****

Oceania:

It's possible that there is something paranormal happening; you may have a ghost or the energy of your home may be unbalanced. If this is the case, you could hire a professional to help clear your home's energy, or you could do some research and address the matter yourself using a methodology like feng shui. Of course, you could also continue to ignore it.

I think the paranormal offers the simplest and perhaps least interesting explanation. I like to view every life challenge as an opportunity for spiritual growth, so let's explore a deeper, more personal explanation for these disturbing events.

Psychologists sometimes use projective tests like the Rorschach to understand a client's internal world. In this particular test, clients describe what they see in inkblots. Since these inkblots have random shapes, everyone sees something different in them. Basically what an individual sees has nothing to do with the inkblot itself and everything to do with the viewer.

Our environments can also serve as projective tools. The things that catch our attention and the way we describe those things often says more about us than it does about what we're observing. According to the Law of Attraction, like energies attract, so whatever is going on in your life is a reflection of your vibration. By changing your thoughts and your feelings, you can change your life.

Taking the above notions into account, we might presume that you are noticing loud noises around two a.m. because they reflect something within you. The number two symbolizes relationship; loud crashes symbolize conflict.

Is it possible you have some inner tension or relationship conflict? You used the words intruder and collapsed or fallen over. Do you feel intruded upon, disrespected or violated? Do you feel like you or a relationship is collapsing or falling apart?

You also wrote that you roll over and go back to sleep. If you are indeed experiencing some inner conflict, we could translate that to I give up, surrender, and go back to minimizing the problem. I sweep it under the rug. Denial may work for a while, but as you've noticed, the conflict (crashes) will continue.

Though on a conscious level you may be quite content, there may some disappointment or conflict within yourself or your relationship that is trying to get your attention. If these crashes are signs of inner conflict, they should stop happening once that conflict has been resolved.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.