Hatched: A Love Child
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will. ~ George Bernard Shaw
Oh George, if only it were that easy!
Creating stuff is hard. That initial idea has to be followed up with a lot of time and effort, along with a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears. And going from brain to book, especially a highly designed one like this, requires a ton of details and decisions — two things I am least capable of and most averse to! And don’t even ask about the technical stuff …
But last March, the idea came to me that I should offer a tool to help my clients with affirmations and having a practice to connect with themselves on a daily basis (since I always assign both as homework). I wanted it to be a simple but powerful little book that would appeal to all genders and ages. The idea was so clear and straightforward, I thought it would be a piece of cake to manifest. Ha! I then had to remind myself several times over the past 12 months that “Man plans, God laughs.”
I self-published my first book over seven years ago, but like a mother who forgets what it’s like to give birth and raise children when she gets the pang to have another baby and then once pregnant endures awful morning sickness, followed by the pain of childbirth and subsequent sleepless nights, not to mention expenses … the initial impetus and overwhelming love for the child supersedes and washes away all of the agony. It’s this kind of amnesia that keeps the wheels of creation moving forward!
And along with the creative process comes a lot of doubt, vulnerability and risk: What if no one likes my baby or thinks it’s ugly? What will they think about me as a mother? What if this was a terrible idea? Good thing I created a tool to help me with that, lol! #wewritewhatweneedtoread
My mantra when self-doubt started to creep in was: I’m doing the best I can with the tools I have. And I reminded myself that comparing myself to ANYONE is a direct route to suffering and does not make sense because we are all on our own unique path, so success is a relative thing. #weteachwhatweneedtolearn
I definitely had to use affirmations like “I love myself,” “I trust in the Universe and go with the flow” and “I have the courage to be who I am and express my fullest potential” often. At the end of the day (a year later), I had to let go of any issues I had around making this perfect or public.
No matter what the outcome, this was about me honoring my vision and experiencing this beautiful power of creation that we all possess but many discount, deny or simply don’t use. But it is incredibly rewarding to see an idea become tangible, especially for someone like me whose work is mostly intangible.
It is truly a labor of love, and to see it through is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself.
From its conception (March 2021), I trusted that the book would be born when it wanted to be born. I laid the egg and trusted that the chick would hatch when it was ready. I never could have planned for this book to go live when it did, which meant I announced it on the day when the first night of Passover fell on Good Friday during the month of Ramadan, with the themes of the burning bush, rebirth and renewal, along with colorful Easter eggs and Peeps, on a full moon in my rising sign to boot! #cantmakethisup. To me, there was no better proof that it was, as I like to say, “in time and on time.”
Lastly, with so much negativity and suffering on the planet, this was a way to counteract all of that by putting out some positivity, bright colors and good vibes into the world. I hope you enjoy it firsthand!
Watch a fun video here announcing the book
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Kristina Leonardi is a nationally recognized career and life coach, speaker and author who for over 14 years has empowered individuals to make lasting professional and personal changes aligned with their true passions and talents while fulfilling their role in the world at large.With a holistic and personal growth-oriented approach, she has helped hundreds of men and women over the past decade improve their job performance, enter or re-enter the job force, change careers, better manage their time and stress, and live happier, more meaningful, balanced lives. Her specialty is working with people who feel stuck or are in transition and can help you clarify exactly what you want to do, identify blocks, issues, and patterns in your way, and offer proven ideas, resources, and action steps to get you there.
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