I firmly believe this and am seeing it happen in my life. Last night, an old friend asked me to help him find inspiration to jumpstart his songwriting after a long creative drought. It moved something. An energy poured out from me and into the Universe. And what I received when I stood in this wave of momentum was something truly breathtaking. A former client e-mailed me out of the blue, saying he knew of a friend needing an editor. I responded right away, asking if he would share my contact information with his friend. He did. Within minutes, this new person called me. I was well into the second (and slightly disgruntled) hour of waiting for my car to be serviced when the phone rang. This man launched into the subject of his book, a tone so confident and led by Spirit, it woke me out of the sleepy funk I’d fallen into while waiting. I felt like I was speaking to someone I’d known for years. It was purposeful and no accident that he called right at the moment I was really starting to lose steam in my day. I thanked God and then came home, feeling wonderful. That exchange helped me clear some of the emotional cobwebs I’d been getting stuck on the past couple of days, because all of the sudden, my attitude was one of complete and focused thankfulness. I knew that God had me. I felt so HELD by Spirit’s warm, loving presence. A few hours later, when looking at LinkedIn, trying to make new connections (by joining groups and following companies), I received the most miraculous, heart-warming recommendation from an old colleague. Her words melted me.

She said this:

“Amanda is the type of person you would totally want to encounter in life, not just in the workplace… but that worked out pretty great too! Perhaps randomly on the street or the happenstance of a small yet personable exchange while grabbing coffee. She would be the one inspiring your day with a hello and a kind smile. She is smart, insightful, and positive. Always open to the possibility to learn and grow through new experiences whether at work or in life. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing her just shy of two years and in that time her impact was lasting. Above all, I was impressed with Amanda’s ability to run with a topic and speak from a perspective that not only applies depth to it with practical application but insight into verticals of possibility that parallel it. And, of course, her personality and upbeat nature would be a true asset for any position she set out to retain. Her future is bright and will always come with my heartfelt recommendation.”

And I know that this is the power of giving. After I put my focus on helping my friend with his creativity, the world showed me just how fast it could serve me in unexpected and miraculous ways. Because I was sitting in the HEART of what I love (inspiring people how to BE inspired!), this flow poetically opened up. Even when I started to doubt the goodness, Spirit overpowered thoughts of despair.

I praise God for gifting me with such beautiful encounters today. I pray that I continue being led to give, and to move past the perceptions of comfort zones. Wayne Dyer said something beautiful in a video with Nick Ortner (whom I contacted today—in a spirit of boldness!); he said, if all you have is love in your heart, then all you can give is love.

Let the #Love shine on.