 Last weekend at the Happiness for Your Health Expo a young girl, curious about psychic coincidences yet at the same time incredibly skeptical, asked me if what I do is “real.” I love teenagers and young adults, because they don’t have the same filters adults have and will ask me blunt questions like this which results in an amazing dialogue.
 Penning One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All, is an accomplishment I am proud of. Spirit was my inspiration and I feel honored to have been chosen to capture the important tenets put forth in the book.
But when I am honest with myself about my dreams for One, I’m only beginning to start on the journey. One to me is more than just how many copies I sell or how many people enjoy it. For me, it’s about creating a movement. Like in Harry Potter, when the kids come together as Dumbledore’s Army empowered to change themselves and not be held back by the regime, I dream of individuals coming together to break through the stigmas of intuition and ultimately normalize mediumship allowing people to live their purpose. I have been accused of being a dreamer and idealist (I AM an Aquarius after all). And this goal may be a tall order. But it is my hope. And, I believe while it is a stretch goal… it is possible. One person at a time. I believe it is possible because I’m already seeing the movement begin. How? As of right now, the book has been received by people in eight states. In about ten days, not too shabby. Not only that, because there have been so many pre-orders I had to order more books for the launch! It’s not only being shipped around the country, but individuals who have purchased and read the book are beginning to share it. My Facebook and Instagram feed have been filled with pictures and posts about the book. Who knows how far the reach has gone because of that? Most importantly, I see it in the conversations I have with people who have purchased the book. It is apparent to me that they have I read it… How do I know? They talk about the concepts discussed in the book. For example, my mother mentioned the archetypes, a client asked about life themes and knowing the difference between ego and intuition, and a friend has commented that she knows after reading the chapter on trust that she just has to stop doubting herself. I love hearing these comments as it shows they read the book. But, why I’m really smiling when they talk about it is because the way they are talking about the book demonstrates that something in the book resonated with them. It stuck and now they are applying it. And if you’ve read the book, you know this is important because thoughts become words which eventually become actions and ultimately a person’s truths. When these words become actions and truths, that’s when the movement really begins. A movement is beginning. It’s on its way folks. I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings. Drop into the Tewksbury at 249 Ohio Street on June 29th between 6pm and 9pm and be part of the movement. #WeAreONE  The book release party is a week away! I’m telling people the party is going to be epic. My daughter is telling people it is going to be “best party ever.” I’m hoping these signs are manifesting a great time. Because at this point, there is very little left for me to do but wait and pray that the hard work and my prayers pay off.
What is paying off, the coping skills learned during my post-accident speech and occupational therapy rehab. Thank you Shari and Lisa! Lists are made. The boxes upon boxes of stuff that will go with us to the event are organized, much like packing a home, where they will live once they get there. The food is ordered. We had our final run through with the manager on Tuesday and Tewksbury staff will take care of the snacks and beverages. My husband will pick up the cookies, cupcakes and doughnuts day of, then all we have to do is set that up! Easy peasey. The décor is taken care of. Thanks to the wonderful and talented Cassandra Boyd who provided us with fabulous direction, the venue should look beautiful. My husband (the crafty one) is putting the finishing touches on all the decor. Now all we have to hope is that all the measurements we took were correct and that when we get there Thursday we just have to plop everything is place. We have less than 3 hours to put everything up. We have been assured this is more than enough time. The giveaways are in process. Swag bags are prepped and ready to go. Fun swag guys!! Also, great door prizes folks! There are two wine baskets (a red and a white), two gift certificates (one for a reading with me and another from WillowLight), access to and materials for The Basics of Mediumship Online Classes, a complete set of One (book, workbook and CD), AND the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire with One on it. These baskets are almost ready to go – unfortunately waiting on a couple items to come in. For example, the Kindle I proudly displayed on Instagram… that went back. Why? A new Kindle Fire was released the next day. Can’t give an old version away!! So we are just waiting on that. Most importantly, the books are in! I even ordered a few more copies… As you can see, pretty much all the aspects of the party I have control over are completed. The rest is in Spirit’s hands. What does that entail? Shoes… It’s a silly thing, but while I’ve got my party dress, I haven’t found shoes yet. That’s not entirely true, I do have a pair that will work. But, I have a vision in my head of the pair I want that would complete the outfit. What am I looking for? A pair of white and blue floral print pumps. I’ve looked but haven’t found them yet. If you see me in them on Thursday, you’ll know Spirit worked its magic. Flights… My dad and stepmother are flying in from Florida for the soiree. I’m excited, but have a little worry as their flight arrives on Thursday a little after 12noon. I’m not anticipating any problem or delay with the flight, but you never know and since we have a tight schedule and need to be at the venue around 3pm to set up… here is hoping everything is on time. And of course, we do have a Plan B – which reminds me I should let that person know he is Plan B! Weather… For any event, especially one that plans on having part of the event outdoors, this is always a concern. While rain won’t kaput the event as we do have ample indoor space, we have hired an extra bartender and plan on having a bar outside on the wharf allowing folks to enjoy the view of River Works and the River Fest Park. Not only that, for any of the kids that are attending we have bubbles, crayons, a hula hoop and balls to entertain them which would be hard to use indoors. So, while right now the forecast says Partly Cloudy, I’m praying to my Weather Guides that it stays that way. I’m not going to think too long about these concerns, because I’m sure it will be fine and that Spirit has my back. And, for those of you versed in the Law of Attraction, you know that worrying about those concerns makes it more likely they will occur. If nothing else, the day is going to be perfect! Hope you are able to join us, if you aren’t… tune in to Facebook Live. I will be Live Streaming periodically throughout the day in preparation for the event and throughout the evening.  When thinking about when to release One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects All, I decided June 15th would be the date. Why the 15th? It made sense as it was day 100 day of 100 videos in 100 days. What better capstone to the challenge?
So, June 15th became my self-imposed due date for the release of the book. With that date in mind, my husband and I worked with vendors to ascertain the last possible day files could be submitted for us to have printed materials in hand and ready to mail out to you great folks on June 15th. Each vendor indicated files needed to be submitted by June 6th. Not wanting to take a chance, as with this type of thing there are bound to be issues, we decided to shoot to have everything submitted by June 1st. And we did. It’s a good thing we submitted early, because we did hit some glitches. Uploading everything to Amazon’s CreateSpace was a breeze. Besides a few minor details that needed to be adjusted, we received notification that we were good to go. The system is obviously designed to be user-friendly. The same was not the case with the Special Edition copies. The Limited Special Edition copies of One are embossed with gold foil. To have the book imprinted with the gold foil, in addition to the cover file an additional file for placement of the gold foil was necessary. The requirements for this weren’t clear on the website. THANK GOD for my amazing graphic designed, Joe Babcock. He spoke with the company, and after getting in contact with the correct person it all got worked out. There were some file submission quirks that aren’t industry standard – all worked out… but, the hiccups set us back. The files submitted on June 1st weren’t approved for print until June 7th. This pushed the shipping date back from June 10th to the 14th… causing me to wonder (and worry), would the books get here by the 15th? While not as harrowing, we hit a glitch with the CDs as well. We were a little behind schedule CDs and didn’t get these files submitted until June 4th. Still a couple days before the June 6th deadline, or so we thought. Turns out, once everything was uploaded to the system, the shipping notification we received informed us that our parcel would arrive between June 16th and June 21st. Worried, and thinking we would need to expedite the order (a more than $70 difference) my husband called. The kind representative who he had been working with assured him the CDs would arrive by the 15th. With everything submitted, all we had left to do was wait. Books arrived from CreateSpace books arrived immediately. We had them in hand on June 7th. We left them in their boxes, unopened… waiting on the others to arrive. As the date creeped closer and closer to the 15th, I worried I might miss my deadline. On the 14th, I kept checking the tracking numbers and fretted the packages weren’t on their way. I hate missing a deadline, even if it is self-imposed. So, I prayed to Spirit. Asked the universe for a little help. And they did. On the morning of the 15th, the online tracking system indicated that the packages were on the truck and out to delivery. They were on their way. By 1pm, everything had arrived and with a little hustle everything was mailed. This is a testament that sometimes even with the best laid plans, you need a little extra help from the universe. Thank you, Spirit!!  One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All is at the printer. Special edition pre-orders will be mailed out within the week. The party to celebrate the book release is a little more than three weeks away.
Why throw a party for One? Selfishly, the completion of One is an accomplishment I am proud of ME. My academic pursuits didn’t go as planned. When I graduated from college, it went by relatively unnoticed. I didn’t celebrate it. I didn’t feel I needed to or wanted to. If you’ve read my blogs, you know my college career was interrupted by a car accident. After working to regain my physical health, I returned to school at SUNY Empire State College and I picked away at my remaining courses. I worked on my degree while working full time and building my business on the side, so the passion I once had for my classes wasn’t present. I worked towards the degree not because I had a desire to learn, but because I felt I needed the degree. We live in a society where that piece of paper, for better or worse, opens doors. I was further disconnected to the investment in the degree as Empire State is an online school. As such, my entire degree was completed virtually. I didn’t know my classmates. I didn’t know my professors. I didn’t even know my mentor. Compared to my time at Allegheny, where I had amazing relationships with my classmates, my professors, my hallmates, my sisters, the college community, the experience I had completing my degree was impersonal. If I had chosen to walk, I would have been walking with strangers. That didn’t appeal to me. So, when my diploma arrived, my husband and I opened a bottle of wine and toasted. The diploma was then filed away and my life continued. This is different. It is my work of art. It is my physical demonstration, much like a degree, of my hard work. In some ways, for me this represents my value. And, I want to celebrate that. I want to celebrate my Oneness. But, unlike at Empire State where I didn’t feel connected to my peers nor did I feel their investment with me, when it comes to One – I feel a connection to each of you (emotional intuition), connection to the environment and world around me (physical intuition) and my connection to the universe (spiritual intuition), I want to celebrate that Oneness. That is what this book is about, at least in part, after all. Without connection, this book wouldn’t exist. Without the support and encouragement of each of you, I wouldn’t have written the book. Without the guidance from the universe, I’d still be looking at a blank sheet of paper. For these reasons, and so many more, I want to celebrate the You and the One that connects us all. If you are free on June 29th from 6pm – 9pm, please come out to the Tewksbury Lodge at 249 Ohio Street, Buffalo 14204. Feel free to drop in and filter out. Wine and beer will be on the house, so please RSVP. Additionally, there will be food, giveaways and good times. If you aren’t able to attend, check out Facebook. I will be Live Streaming the event.  Being in the right place at the right time is something I love about being a medium. It makes my life easier as I don’t have to take extra time to run from here to there and coordinate efforts.
Let’s use this example that occurred yesterday to demonstrate the point. As the Book Release Party is just around the corner (June 29th – RSVP here), I was excited when my flyers and postcards announcing the event arrived from the printer in yesterday’s mail. With these in hand and the book at the printer, I can send out press kits and invitations, and promote the heck out of this event. I’m planning on an EPIC party. One of the first places I needed to get advertising out was at WillowLight. After looking at the calendar and seeing that there are several events before I planned on being in the office next, I decided my husband and I would swing by before we grabbed my daughter from the sitter. On the way down the road, my husband asked, “Do you want to stop at WillowLight first? Or, would you prefer we run our errands near the mall and then hit the offices before we grab Baby Girl?” It didn’t matter to me, so my husband decided stating, “I don’t know why, but I think we should do our shopping first.” This was an opportune decision. When we pulled into WillowLight, we were surprised to see a full parking lot as there was nothing on the calendar. Turns out, Buffalo Underground had a pet communicator in and the class had just let out. Perfect timing as it allowed me to bump into Judy Hartke (the owner of WillowLight) AND Melanie (Buffalo Underground). Both were people I wanted to get the invitations in the hands of. Judy, because as a co-sponsor she is helping to promote the event. Melanie, because I wanted to make sure she was personally invited to the shin-dig. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! Had we not swung by or swung by earlier, we would have missed both. By arriving when we did, I was saved from running around. Thank you, Don, for listening to your intuition… see it’s not just me who is a medium. Everyone is! When I started writing, the book I intended on penning looked NOTHING like the book it has become. At the time, I intended on writing about the basics of mediumship – grounding, protecting, centering and listening.
Why did I think I was going to write about the basics? There were several reasons which included:
But, alas, that book was not meant to be… this time at least. And, don’t worry… I didn’t scrap the copy. Rather, that material was put in a parking lot for another book. In fact, even upon the last review of this book two whole chapters got cut and pushed into a future book! So why did I change the premise of the first book? Well the premise of the book never actually changed. When I set out to write the book it was with the objective of writing to engage individuals who don’t think they are mediums. I wanted to reach the people who are “spiritual but not religious” and the people searching for something and aren’t sure to what or where to go. More importantly, I want to normalize mediumship by demonstrating EVERYONE is a medium. Unfortunately, I quickly realized this is something the basics would not do. Why? It’s simple. While I believe everyone is a medium. Yes – You and You and You and You – not everyone believes they are. Realizing this, I was stumped. How do I do that? Fortunately, my days in health care consumer engagement flashed before my eyes. As I reflected upon that work, I recalled that consumers could be divided into four categories: Phase One, the deer in the headlight who knew nothing about the topic and needed to be made aware; Phase Two, the individual who was aware but who lacked education; Phase Three, the folks who are engaged and want to take action, but just need a little assistance as they modify and adopt new behaviors; and, Phase Four, the individuals who are already doing it but might need a little assistance in maintaining their way of life. Upon remembering this, I smiled as I noted that everything we do in life prepares us for something. I also, I realized the book about basics would engage individuals in stages three and four. Not my target audience. So, before I could write a book about developing that intuition, even if it was a book about the basics, I needed to first write a book for the people still searching to figure it out. But what would engage people in stage one and two? That’s when I realized I would need to describe not only why one would want to use their intuition, but more importantly how it works. By describing how it works, I’m able to demonstrate why mediumship is not reserved for the special few but is something that is within us all. I would have been remiss, however, to leave this information without simple things to be aware of to enhance their intuition and trust it. And with that, One was born. Had I wrote the basics book first, those with an aversion to mediumship would have dismissed it and perhaps other books. One opens the door for them.  One place the muses like to talk to me is in the shower.
If you watched this video, you know that the shower is a great place to receive messages. Not only is it one of the few times during the day when I have time for ME and MY thoughts, but water is also a great conductor of spiritual energies. Throughout my life, the conviction to move forward with important or creative decisions have always come to me while in the shower. For example, it was in the shower when I knew that my husband and I would find the house of our dreams. After the shower, I hopped online to search the MLS listings. Sure enough, there was our house. It was also in the shower when I had the inspiration for Where Is Dawn Lynn? The stroke of genius that occurred in those situations happen about once a month. That is until about two months ago. Since then, the muses have been working overtime. Every Single Time I hit the shower, my to-do list gets longer. In fact, my husband has told me he likes my stink and perhaps I should go longer between showers… I think he just doesn’t want HIS to-do list to get longer. Wondering what some of these inspirations have been? Here are a few examples: 100 Videos in 100 Days My husband had ordered me the book, Known by Mark Schaefer, for either my birthday or Valentine’s Day. I was in the midst of reading that. While in the shower I realized I needed more consistency in my YouTube presence and thought, huh? 100 videos in 100 days. I can do that! Told my husband the day it started… might be one of the reasons he would prefer I don’t shower, it tripled his work load. The Book Launch Shortly after starting the 100 videos in 100 days, I was inspired to launch One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All. The book itself wasn’t a new concept. I’d been working on it for about a year. But, the moment the inspiration struck I had no plan on when to release it. But, I was inspired to use the momentum of the 100 days for the book. Also, what better way to mark the end of the 100 days than with a party? Handbook and Meditation CD Once I was committed to the book launch, that little voice spoke again. This time it nudged me to create a supplemental handbook and meditation cd. Both make a lot of sense. In fact, my one reviewer recommended that the exercises be highlighted in the back of the book. And, I had been thinking about recording meditations in the past. Hadn’t planned on it for the book… but it makes sense. I’ve got the content. It will be a little... okay, a lot more work. But, I’m doing it. Geocaching Not sure I’m going to put this one into action or not, but because the premise of the book as the tag-ling suggests is energetic connections, I was hit with the idea of placing a couple books in locations for geocachers to find. This would be fun. Get the book in the hands of people who might not otherwise get the book. Downside? I have to hike to where the book is going to be placed. Would probably make a great Youtube video. Funny to watch. I’m not a great hiker and would probably fall a lot. Oprah So, this one may be a little more of a day dream than an inspiration. I’d love to have Oprah read, endorse my book and have me on Super Soul Sunday. I had the vision of this happening after I sent her a lovely basket with the book, cd, goodies for while reading it and a One pendent, similar to the one my husband was inspired to make and I’m not supposed to know about. I see her wearing it as I sit on her couch. Might this happen? Who knows! You may have noticed the them, all the inspirations I’ve had recently have been around One. I’m taking this to mean the universe is working overtime to help me out with the book launch. And trust me, I’ll take any help I can get. Which means, now through June 30th which is the day after the book launch party at the Tewksbury Lodge, I think I might end up taking a lot of showers. When I share that I wrote a book, most respond: “But you are so busy. How did you find the time?”
They are right. I am busy. I have a vibrant and active toddler that I am constantly running after. My business is thriving, due to the fact like any successful business owner not only do I spend time seeing clients but also attending to my media presence. As a home owner, there are always projects to be done. And, as a wife, daughter, and friend, I try to be there for my friends and family. Amid all this, I did manage to write a book. How did I do it? It’s quite simple. I made it a PRIORITY. Penning One was not only something I wanted to do, I felt driven to do. I knew that if I didn’t write this book, I would have regrets and be disappointed in myself. With this in mind, I found the time. I dedicated time in my schedule for writing. I am not the type of person who could take an hour or two every day to write. I tried it and found that as soon as I got on a roll, time was up. I needed chunks of time to allow the words to flow. To allow for this, there were several weeks where I did not see clients. Instead, I wrote. Every Day. During my writing weeks, my family rented homes and went away. Why did we do this? It limited the number of distractions. These homes were in quiet, serene locations. In fact, one had no cell service. I was not distracted by noises around us. But, I also wasn’t distracted by the day to day chores such as the load of laundry that needed to be done or the sink full of dishes. I also wasn’t distracted by the home improvement projects that could be done. All I had to focus on was writing. That was my job for the week. With that intention, I was able to get to business. I averaged eight to ten hours of writing a day, getting up early and staying up late. Fortunately, in order to avoid burn-out, I was able to enjoy family time in the afternoon. We went to museums and to parks. Reinvigorated, I was able to go back and write some more. Being a priority meant I had to invest more than just time, I invested money. It cost money to go away and write. And more than just the expense of the rental property. During those weeks, I didn’t see clients. Unfortunately, as a small business owner when I don’t work I don’t get paid. In addition to the costs in time, there are costs in publishing the book. I was blessed to have found reasonable ways to manage a great deal of the costs, but I have contactors to pay such as a graphic artist for a book cover, and printers to have copies of the book made. Costs add up. There is no guarantee any of that money will be recouped. It’s a risk. But you know what, it doesn’t matter. Writing the book isn’t about the money or fame it could bring. It’s about sharing knowledge. Giving Spirit a voice in another way. Accomplishing a dream. And for that, it was worth it. The creation of this book was a dream, and I saw it through. That’s an important lesson about making dreams a reality. If you just dream it, it may or may not happen. If you want that dream to come true, you have to see your work through to the end. Even if you don’t know if at the end, the outcome will be what you want it to be. It’s not about the outcome after all, it’s about the journey. The journey of writing One was fun. Can you say your journey been enjoyable?  If you saw my video, you know that in June I am releasing a book. One: Unleashing the Energy that Connects Us All.
There is A LOT of work that goes into getting that done. From the editing, to cover design and book layout, to press releases, scheduling a book tour and book launch… lots to consider. All of which occurs amid my already crazy life of parenting, seeing clients, teaching, filming and trying to carve out quality time for my friends, hubby and ME. Needless to say, it has been a hectic few weeks. The stress has allowed my Ego, which I discuss at length in One, to rear its ugly head putting the following doubts in my head: Is the book any good? Is anyone going to really care? Is the information of value to people? Are people going to pick it up and feel like they have wasted their time and money? These fears are raised because I know I am biased. I’ve spent months writing and have put my blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul into the book. I’m proud. But that’s me. And, my husband doesn’t count either. To put these fears and the ego to bed, I was picky about who I chose as my first set of reviewers. I needed people that I trusted to be kind, and yet at the same time critical. I didn’t need someone to fluff my ego only to find out by the copy editor that it was a crappy book. But, I also needed someone to be gentle as the book has truly been a labor of love. Ultimately, I needed honest feedback. These were the brave folks who were not only selected, but stepped up to the task:
These folks were the first to see it, other than my husband. It was in rough shape. But, I was excited to find they LIKED IT… THEY REALLY DID. Now there were a lot of comments and questions. And work to be done, but less than I expected. After a job with a tyrannical boss who loved her red (sometimes green) pen, I was ready for the worst. But, I didn’t have that. In some ways, I think I may have been harsher than they were. After getting it back I decided to cut two whole chapters!! Don’t fret, they are going in my next book… or the one after that. Their comments put the fear to bed for a little while. Long enough to make the edits and get it to the copy editor. Now that it is in her hands and I’m waiting, the fear is creeping back in. What if the book isn’t needed? Spirit worked to alleviate this fear over the weekend at the Find Yourself Retreat. Throughout the weekend, there was insightful conversations. These conversations, initiated by the group of ladies who were looking to Find Themselves, were all topics covered in my book! It got to a point where I felt guilty saying, “it’s in my book!” I wasn’t there to sell the book, but the questions raised were those that I sought to answer. Finding intuition is really about finding oneself. And over the weekend when I struggled to come up with another reference that truly answered the questions they had, I realized there wasn’t one. At least not one that broke it down simply. Made me realize, maybe there is a place for my book… maybe I’m not just overly proud of myself…. And maybe, there was a reason I was inspired. Want to be one of the first to get a copy? Click here to pre-order! Last week I spoke about synchronicity and divine timing. I’m going to continue that conversation in this Blog as I’m a big believer that the universe conspires to “help” a girl out. This includes introducing us to the right people at the right time.
If you recall my Blog entitled, Lining Up the Help, you’ll remember the universe introduced me to the midwife that delivered Baby Girl. They also led me to New World Gifts and Awakenings. Seems like the universe is conspiring again… This tale starts a few weeks ago. In order to improve the quality of my YouTube videos, my husband purchased a new camera. At the time we weren’t thinking of doing 100 videos in 100 days, another coincidence? But it turns out, this purchase was rather timely… Perhaps a story for another day. Returning from that tangent. With the new camera, my husband found some of our old equipment was no longer necessary or complimentary. To recoup some of the equipment cost (camera equipment is expensive!), he placed the extraneous items on Craigslist. One by one, piece by piece, lenses, tripods, and adaptors sold. As he passed these pieces along, he chatted each new owner up to see what their plans for the equipment was. Through these conversations, he met interesting individuals. Including a graphic designer who is currently in his final semester at Buffalo State College. Impressed with this young man’s work, my husband asked for his card (never know when you might need a good designer!). Not only that he shared the card with me. At the time, I was preoccupied and tossed the card into a pile, not giving it a second thought. But that interaction sat in my subconscious… waiting. Fortunately, it didn’t need to sit there too long. A couple days later, I had a moment of inspiration. In that moment, I realized I would need a graphic designer for a project I am working on. Not only that, I’d need one fast. Which is where the problem came in. The woman I normally turn to is currently under the weather, so I’d need someone different. Where would I find someone? That’s when I remembered my husband had met this individual. Immediately, I hunted around the house to see if I could find his card. Sure enough, it was where I placed it. First thought, hmmm… I like this card. Good first impression. I then went to look at his website. Nice clean lines. His designs fit my taste. Liking what I was seeing, I had my husband schedule a meeting (which if you watch my videos, you saw in Day 17). After talking with him, we entered into a contract for which Joe is currently sketching ideas for my… have you guessed it yet? If not, you need to be following all my media… project. I should have sketches in hand this week. To think, this professional relationship all came about by selling some equipment on Craigslist. Who would have thought? |
AuthorDawn Lynn is an EveryDay medium. She lives and breathes via her intuition, which as a fourth generation intuitive from a family of Spiritualists came easily. Her abilities became apparent in early childhood and were cultured by a supportive family. Through her Blogs and Vlogs, she wants to help you become the EveryDay medium too. Categories
All
|
RSS Feed