A month or so ago, I went to a crafters de-stash event with my beautiful niece. For those of you who are curious about what a de-stash event is, it’s basically a garage sale for crafters to sell off their copious, and excess amounts of craft supplies to other crafters who are eager to get a deal on even more supplies for themselves. It’s a crafter addict’s dream come true.
While driving to the event, my niece gushed about her new Cricut cutting machine. Again, for those who are curious, a Cricut machine will cut and print on various materials such as paper, fabric, cardboard, even balsam wood as well as other crafter type treatments like embossing and de-bossing designs on materials. A dream machine for the serious or hobby crafter.
I’ve considered buying one for some time but after my niece listed all the cool things her new machine could do, I was hooked and wanted one for sure. Maybe it was the whole crafting vibe that day, but I was in serious want for this machine. With a $700 plus price tag, I was at least sure that this could not be an impulse buy. (F.Y.I. this price would include accessories and tax and is in Canadian dollars)
So to justify the purchase, I decided to earn the money for the machine instead of taking it from my savings. That way, I figured, I’d have less guilt for spending money on a totally frivolous item.
Time was on my side as I was in no hurry to get the machine, and because there are several cricut styles and options, I thought myself wise to do some research and decide which one would be best for me.
So now with this goal in mind, I had to come up with how I would earn the money?
For those who are unaware, I do intuitive Tarot card readings for folks. I have been reading for almost 15 years, with a decade as a part-time business. I rarely advertise or promote, I work mainly word of mouth, online and locally in person, but my practice had been derailed somewhat in the previous 4 months due to family deaths, and so it needed a kick start. I decided to have a sale and offer readings for $40 which is half the price of what I normally charge. This would kill two birds with one stone so to speak, I could earn a little extra money for the cricut machine and promote my Tarot reading business at the same time.
I had no expectations when I posted the offer on my Crone Confidence Facebook site. I figured I’d book a few reading, earn a little bit towards my goal and maybe get a few new clients to boot.
Within 10 days, I not only had one and a half times the amount of money I needed for the Cricut, I’d definitely injected fresh energy into my intuitive Tarot business as well. The universe had answered my request abundantly.
But as is standard with my relationship with the universe, most manifestations I receive come with a wise lesson or two. As was the case here.
How easily this happened, I made a goal to earn the money for something I wanted and then took action. In response, the universe responded beyond my expectations. I was thrilled. What I’d expected would’ve take me months to acquire, took days. But now that I had more than enough money, I questioned the real need for a Cricut machine. Is this what I really wanted, or was I just seduced into wanting one?
I did buy one, but not the top of the line Cadillac model. What I found through my research is that the smallest machine called a Cricut Joy was really all I needed and the price came in at $200, accessories and tax included.
Before I go into the real lessons here, I just wanted to note that the name of this small little machine, “The Joy” was actually the first lesson. Joy does not always come in big fancy packages. One of the reasons I hesitated on one of the larger, option filled machines was because I knew that I didn’t want to waste my valuable time on learning a more complicated machine. I just needed a simple machine that could cut out various shapes for my journal making. It’s been my experience that the simplest things in life are the ones that offer the most joy.
So what lessons did I learn? Well they all center around manifestation and personal growth.
Define a clear goal.
With out a clear goal, how can you make something real? Once you know what you want to achieve, you have a motivation for action.
My goal was to earn the money for a Cricut machine, without that motivation, I wouldn’t have had the impulse to kick start my Tarot reading business back into life again.
Establish a clear plan.
I needed to earn money for my goal, so I needed a plan for how I was going to do that. I actually had to sit down, get purposeful and decide what actions I was going to take to move my goal forward.
The key word here is decide – to choose a path. This is where most folks get stuck. It’s not so much what it is that you choose, it’s that you choose. The universe then says, “hmmm, looks like she’s serious here” and then responds by coming out to meet you on the path. The decide is the catalyst for the manifestation.
Believe
Confidence only comes by doing, but you must believe that the goal can be achieved first.
I had every confidence that I could achieve my goal and earn the money for the cricut machine, but the real trick here is believing with out knowing how it will happen. That’s being open to the possibilities of life and following the paths that are presented to you without question. Some might call this faith.
These three steps are in essence the steps needed in order to work with the universe and manifest anything you want. They sound so easy when written here in black and white, but the reality is another thing, as we humans like to be in control of the outcomes of our own lives.
Now I’ll swear that the universe loves to let you know who really is in charge here by presenting humbling truth realizations along with your manifestation reward. Nothing is for free after all. I thought I was being so smart by using a skill I have practised for years and years (reading tarot cards) to earn money for a frivolous toy, but the universe used this opportunity instead to remind me of one of my true gifts; that being the ability to connect with people and help them find clarity for their own lives. A much more sacred path than using a machine to cut paper.
The universe doesn’t care about things. Acquiring things is a human weakness. What the universe cares about is love, connection and the sharing of the gifts we all have in ourselves. No amount of money earned can purchase that kind of divine reward.
So while I have a new toy, and it brings me joy just like it’s commercial name, I also earned the universal lesson of the joy of giving of myself, instead of receiving, and as an added bonus, the wisdom to see the difference.
Great post and great advice! I’m happy you found the perfect fit for your passion of crafting.
Thank you darling niece. I have you to thank for being a catalyst for the whole experience. ❤️
great article. The words came at a time when I’m struggling to get my business going.
I found this very helpful! Thank you for sharing!
I’m glad it resonated with you and thank you for your continued support.