Author: Val Joy

Instead of living with nose to the grindstone, I'm working hard for happiness instead. Creating balance in love, money and health.

Agent of Change

So… like so many others, I’m now in L.A. with a dream. Of course how to materialize it and how it materializes is the rub.

There had been a vague intention and outline of a plan, but what pushed me into action was more a jumping-out-of-my-skin Gotta Get Out of Here. Sure, the “more opportunities” thing awaited, but not a real job as tsk-tskers would say. I’m Taurean, and the lack of a stable prospect scared the crap out of me, but my Five of Spades birth card of the Wanderer put me on the move lest I blow something up.

The good folks I’ve met at L.A. Meetups have been mirrors to notice my What the Heck. Name, Who You Are, and 90-Day Goal introductions often free-formed into musings of hope and dissatisfaction about ourselves and this city of dreams. I say it without irony because L.A. absolutely still is – both stereotypically and authentically – where people come to see what they are made of. An Indian American music producer /composer from Austin, TX and a Canadian “composer for media” had had successes back home, but both were here with game plans for More. The former is giving himself the classic one-year window to find more gigs, and the latter sojourns twice a year for opportunity tours. Other stories include that of the organizer of the Create Yourself – Los Angeles Meetup and a Japanese American film maker who walk the talk every day by crafting work and a life in the industry that they want to be proud of.

My timeline? Nothing beyond Now. The work? Hmmm…health and wellness? Dare I stretch to say Healing Body, Mind and Soul? Writing? Just “something” to bring in the $$? As life would have it, the ruminating was interrupting by a giant crash as I literally and horrifyingly broke a beautiful piece of artwork in the house I was staying. Dust settled and glass shards and shavings mopped up, the message was clear to have a session with my main ally in life.

The answers from a Willow session are always unexpected and big if you let it be. We discovered quickly that goal-setting was a priority, but (and the “but” is key) the guidance was specific – “within the parameters of joy.” Making that distinction opened up possibilities that hadn’t occurred to me when I was only goal-oriented.

It was a subtlety that brings light-year-measurable forward movement. How different would daily, weekly and monthly goals be if I also slowed down to savor the simple pleasures of life? What if I dropped the judgments about all the things I should do and listened to the voice that connects me to myself and a deeper pride? What would happen?

California States of Mind

It’s real because we’ve made it so: Crazy California. We’re pioneers, thinkers outside-of- the-box, and dreamers who have escaped comfort to commit to an adventure. Flip-side, we’re fabulously busy just being busy, flaky beyond decency, and more sick and tired than healthy and happy. The more refined assessment from the outside world: Northern Californians Fake Real, Southern Californians Real Fake.

I’m a born-and-raised San Franciscan who three weeks ago piled necessities and niceties into the reliable old Accord, and floored it down the 5 to resettle in L.A. (County) for…time undetermined. I’m actually in Long Beach, but that reveal so takes the edge off my adventure. A 93-mph speeding ticket further sobered me up and brought my high-flying escape down to earth.

In the Bay Area, they say there aren’t many of us natives still around, but I think it’s that we just lay low. Many of us are actually firmly planted, prisoners of our homes and family holdings. By accident of birth to American-dreamer parents and outrageous property values, we have an affluence and sense of having made it just by having stayed in the fold. If we were immigrants previously marginalized, we are now the entrenched establishment, landlords holding down the fort against invading renters.

What’s more, as a wanderer by nature, the city so much of a magnet to wanderers had become a crab bucket to me. When you are part of a tribe, you are supported when you stay, and for your own good, pulled back in when you wander off. There was also something disquieting in the collective. I couldn’t put my finger on it, although the Fake Real thing was beginning to seem less name-calling, maybe even truth-telling.

Don’t get me wrong. This may feel like a battle of North and South, California and Everywhere Else I’m setting up here, but it’s truly an attempt at non-judgmental musings. It’s a new age – Aquarius – and a blog makes that possible. Stay tuned.

Visit https://www.willow4u.com/relationships/ to find out how you can look more deeply at your collective and find solutions instead of frustrations.

Check out an Upcoming Event: Shift, Heal and Evolve.

Shift, Heal and Evolve.

Meet your innate potential for healing and spiritual awakening…

Join this unique interactive event where you experience how to restore your natural healing abilities, boost your energy, emotional and mental strength, and master illness prevention that naturally lifts you into a higher consciousness and spiritual awareness.

When you are in need of healing, you often feel disconnected from your own healing powers. The consequence is that you don’t use them or forget about them completely, hoping that something or somebody outside yourself can provide what you seem to have lost. The truth is that you’ve still got it in you, you just need a little help.

That’s the reason why Rita Harrison, a German-government registered naturopathic doctor, physical therapist, and international healer comes to LA to share with you her over-35 years of experience in holistic and spiritual healing…so that you can make a shift, live your life, and be happy. Visit www.willow4u.com for more information.

Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/2463432877244369/

2515 South Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034 Get directions to the space

Love, Money and Success

Write Your Most Empowered Love, Money and Success Story! Make it your new normal…

Create Your Self Meetup – Los Angeles Chapter
Thursday, June 6, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

WeWork, 10000 Washington Blvd, 6th Floor, Culver City, CA

Create even more than you imagined by liberating yourself from what doesn’t work anymore!
When you dream big, you are already on the right path to success, but many people make the mistake that when they don’t achieve their goals quickly enough, they stop dreaming, thinking that they dreamed too big. That’s wrong. What’s right is to keep on dreaming big and build the foundation on which it can happen.
Known for her efficient approach, Rita Harrison shows you how to do this in 3 powerful steps. Come and experience it for yourself.
Rita is an international healer, author, and inspirational speaker who has helped close to 55,000 clients over the past 35 years to achieve their goals. Her passion is to help people find their inherent gems and apply them effectively to transform their lives into precious crown jewels!
As the developer and founder of The Willow System, which helps people maximize their potential, she has worked successfully with the Hawaii Counselors Association, Healing the Healers, and SAG-AFTRA Portland besides many others.

Visit www.willow4u.com for more information.

“After an hour with Rita, I found myself liberated from aspects of my emotional landscape that were truly holding me back. I experienced a state of joy and optimism, and carry the results of this experience to this day.
I’ve worked with energy prior, and my time with Rita exceeds anything I’ve done before in real, powerful and exciting ways. This is Rita’s life’s work, and she travels the world doing this – it is her way of healing the planet and its people, one energy system at a time!” –Mary McDonald Lewis, Voice Actor, Affiliate Voice & Dialect Coach