I was recently asked a good question by my friend and colleague, Rob McMahon.  He asked, “With all that you’re working on, how much of it is you having to do it versus Spirit?”

I answered that it feels like it’s me pulling to make things happen about 75% of the time, with 25% being handled by Spirit.  But then I realized, wow – that’s a lot on my shoulders.

How would YOU answer that question?  

With what you’re working on, what percentage of it is YOU versus Spirit?  

Last week I was facilitating a day-long private ceremony for a client that flew in from Florida. I continued to sit with the thought, “What if I was doing only 1% and let Spirit do 99%?  What would that look like?  How would I move in the world if that was the case?”

While I pondered this thought, I suddenly had the urge to get up and do Tai Chi.  It had been months since I had done it last, and yet as I slowed myself down and became “empty” – down to 1% that I was doing – it was some of the best tai chi I had ever witnessed myself doing.  I could literally feel Spirit and my breath doing 99% of the work to complete the movements.  It was absolutely beautiful.

Man, if I could just move that way all the time.  Here I am several days later struggling to remember how that felt as I deal with the challenges of my two babies, work, emails, and the new projects I’m launching.

But it begs the question, “What is the energy that we’re creating with?”

Is it the energy from your last coffee?

Or energy from “The Universe”?

Of course, in any true creation – whether it’s a song, book, or business – it’s about opening up to let the creative energy of the universe flow through you.

Yet, how does the energy of the universe move?

In my experience, very slowly.

Look at the way a flower or tree grows.  It happens, but slowly.

There’s a beautiful hike in the canyon of Laguna Beach that I love going on with Eden.  We often veer off the main trail through waist-height brush to visit our favorite place:  a huge tree that has literally grown right through the cracks of a giant boulder.  It’s an amazing site to see.  Here’s this tree that has literally cracked through the center of a boulder of solid rock, with only the slow energy of Mother Earth as her power.  But what power it is!

Imagine if we could harness this same energy!

Later on in the ceremony with my client, I asked spirit to bring forth the guides that would most serve me over the next several months.  I’ve received many power animals as guides over the years.  This was the first time I was given a Turtle.

A turtle?

Yes, I was shown that I need to take one little, slow, step at a time.  In the days since, this power animal has actually pissed me off.

I don’t want to crawl like a turtle. I want to soar like an eagle, or gallop like a horse, or run like a deer.  I like to go fast.  I like to drink coffee. I want to get up and go – quickly. So what do I do when Spirit gives me a turtle as a power animal?

Do I rebel?

Do I say, thank you very much, but I’d like something else?

The thing with Spirit animals is they are here to teach us something we don’t already have, or don’t already know.  They are here to help us evolve an aspect of ourselves that, frankly, needs some work.   I know there is something to this “turtle” thing.  I know it will help me slow down and take each step more carefully, if I allow it to.  In this allowing, I would be able to let Spirit finally do the “heavy lifting” because I’m not running 10 steps ahead trying to do it all myself.

If we are going to allow Spirit to work magic in our lives and do most of the work, then we have to slow down, tune in, and be one with spirit.  Otherwise, there will be too much “static on the line”.  Spirit may be giving you signs, but you could miss them with all of your mental chatter and belief you can do it all yourself.  If you’re hearing a voice in your head (or heart!) tell you, “take a left” and you keep going straight because you’re moving too fast, then you’ll likely miss an opportunity that could have shortcut the path to what you were wanting.  That outcome, based on your own doing, may not be the highest one that is aligned with Spirit.  You’ll get somewhere, but it may not be the most elevated option.

If you’re not going to put your faith in Spirit, then you better drink lots of coffee and read some Tony Robbins because you’re going to need a whole lot of personal force to make your outcomes happen.  That is one way to get it done.  We’re talking about another way here.  One with minimal personal effort.

Here’s the formula:  

Slow yourself down. 

Clearly set your intentions.

Ask Spirit to do the heavy lifting.  

Know the action required to co-create with Spirit.  

Allow that to unfold for you in this moment.