The other day, I spent several hours trying to edit the original newsletter material down into an easy to read article. It was slow going and I ended up taking several breaks, but I just wasn’t making any progress. Great ideas, no flow. I began to wonder what was going on. All the other newsletters were easy to publish, so why was this one becoming a struggle?

The topic I had was pertinent and I had some good examples of the message I wanted to share, so why wasn’t it coming together? I decided to let it go and focus on something else for a while. Then it hit me... it is probably just not the right time to share that information. Perhaps I need some more time to process the information or perhaps more information about the topic would be coming from another source.

Wow, what a relief! It’s not that I’ve lost my writing ability, or lost my ability to organize my thoughts, it’s just not the right time to share that information.

Think about a time when you worked on a project and everything went smoothly. How did you feel afterwards? Successful, happy, uplifted? It turned out to be a wonderful experience?

Now, think about a time when you worked on a project that took longer than it should have, you made many mistakes or you were interrupted many times? How did you feel after that experience? Tired, drained, stressed, glad it was over? A less than satisfying experience?

How often do we disregard the signs we receive? How often do we just keep struggling, trying to get through a project just because we think it needs to be done right now even though nothing is going right? Maybe the message within the struggle is that there’s a better way, a simpler way to accomplish what you want or a better time to be working on that project.

When something becomes more trouble than pleasure stop and re-evaluate whether it is the right time, whether you need something more or maybe that the project is better delegated to someone else.

Begin to honor yourself and the messages you receive. The universe is always sending us messages, we just need to start listening and paying attention.

Make a list of your most recent projects...work, home, personal.

Which ones were easy to accomplish?

Which ones were more difficult to accomplish?

Now, think about the thoughts and the feelings you had before and after these projects?

Looking back at the more difficult projects, did you receive any messages that you ignored?

Looking back at the easier projects that had a nice flow to them, can you identify the difference that caused these projects to be easier?

What projects do you have going on now or are contemplating beginning? What messages are you receiving regarding them? Clear sailing? Or, road blocks ahead?