It is my pleasure to introduce to you Michelle L. Casto, author of The Destiny Discovery, and a woman on a mission. She is here to set souls free from their mind-made prisons so they can experience their Destiny and reach their fullest human potential.
The Destiny Discovery offers a powerful and integrative approach to designing and living a life of purpose, meaning and Destiny. In it, Michelle utilizes a powerful Self-Coaching approach to help you align your will with divine will and learn to pay attention to the signs and synchronicities along the way.
Please enjoy a glimpse into The Destiny Discovery as Michelle shares with us a taste of her powerful approach to helping you discover and live your destiny.
Q: Michelle, can you share with us some of your personal story that has led you to writing The Destiny Discovery book? Why this book, and why now?
A: Before I got started with Life Coaching and writing books, I was a career counselor in the higher educational field, because I wanted to know what I wanted to be “when I grew up,” and I figured if I could help other people figure it out, that would help me too. So during the course of my career, I have performed many roles—as a freelance writer, adjunct instructor, and counselor helping thousands of people undergoing the process of deciding upon a career or even changing career fields entirely. One thing I excelled at was teaching adults, particularly graduate students. I have a knack for teaching complex ideas and making them “practical” and easy-to-understand. That is why I am so successful as a ‘Destiny Mentor’ today, I am great at inspiring people who are motivated to learn. I am gifted with the ability to help people see the truth of who they are, and I am an “activator of souls”.
I was not always so on track, though.
For a couple of years, I desperately tried to fit a square peg in a round hole in the academic environment. And guess what, it was not pretty.
During that time, I thought there was something wrong with me because I had all the worldly success symbols — college degrees, a good job with a big name company, benefits, etc, and yet, I was miserable.
In fact, the whole situation was making me sick. The culture was toxic — politics and favorites reigned supreme. I am sure you know what I am talking about. I just about burned myself out in my twenties, just going to work, coming home, falling into bed, and doing it all again day after day. I especially resented how my time was dictated, especially my days off. My creative nature was stifled by rules and rigid expectations of what was acceptable.
I found out later that many organizations, just like families, are highly dysfunctional and those who know how to play the game get rewarded, while those with integrity and heart are seen as threats to the system (aka status quo).
I once got reprimanded for being too passionate! I told the supervisor, “I thought I was supposed to care about my job and those that I serve!”
I knew I was in trouble when I kept having dreams about work that would wake me in the middle of the night! The real deal breaker, though, was when my personal values conflicted with the organization’s values — they seemed willing to do just about anything to make a buck.
For me, the typical 9-5 work situation felt more like a self-created prison. For a few years on and off, I would “default” into my career comfort zone and take a job that I knew that I could do, but it never worked out. In fact, I was fired a few times along the way! The universe knew that I was destined for something great, it took my personality a while to “get it”.
I held the belief then and certainly do now, that work not only could be fun, it was supposed to be fun. I knew I had to find something else or I was going to be unhappy for a really long time—like my whole life.
I decided very early on in my career that I was not going to find what I was looking for in a traditional work environment. Gratefully, I followed my inner guidance and was led to Life Coaching. I adopted the entrepreneurial mindset early on and have been successfully self-employed ever since. Of course, there have been ups and downs, and many challenges, however claiming your personal power and discovering your Destiny takes a certain kind of person—one who is ready, willing and very persistent.
Q: How does one get past the resistance to begin living their Destiny?
A: There is an old Chinese proverb: ‘Change does not cause pain. Resistance to change causes pain. “Resistance is what stands between the life you live and the unlived life within you.
When I experienced the greatest resistance was when I made the biggest break through in my life and career. On a deep level, I knew something was needing to change in my life, something big like a relationship break-up, and a move of residence, but I did not want to think about leaving my comfort zone of living on the island where I very much enjoyed a quiet, simple life where I could still run my virtual business.
When something like this happens in your life, recognize that it is a very important choice-point. What you choose to do (or not do) has far reaching effects; so be careful, because if you let resistance rule you instead of your “greatness,” you may miss out on the life experiences that you are meant to have.
For example, when I made the change, I met and married the man of my dreams, attracted new soul-mated friends and my business took off. I know in my heart none of that would have occurred, had I resisted what I knew was true for me—even though it was a lot of work, it is worth it on the other side!
The first thing to do is to accept. Accept what is. Accept what has been. Refrain from making yourself or anything wrong. Breathe in this acceptance, and then you will be delighted to feel a new sense of Self burst through with new ideas.
You can ask “what am I resisting right now?” and keep asking until you hit on the emotional block. Keep in mind that the stress that you are experiencing is the perfect prescription to evolve your soul—if you choose to see the blessing in the chaos (by the way, chaos, change and challenge are what I know to be “stepping stones to Destiny.”)
Q: What are some signs of awakening?
A: You may or may not be aware, we (humanity) are going through a major shift in consciousness, moving away from ego based reality creation to soul-centered living where we are on purpose and living our destiny. Here are four signs that you may be awakening:
- Lack of desire to do, do, do. You just don’t want be so task-oriented and have a sweet desire to be more relaxed. For example, I used to think I had to go to a bunch of meetings in order to grow my business, now that I know better, I am quite content being at home even when the so-called “party” is happening. (You stop looking for yourself where you are Not).
- Realization about the futility of having expectations about the way things are “supposed” to be. In fact, you start to see that what you think you thought was right-side up is actually upside down. For example, the man the Divine brought to me is not the man my former self would have picked—not in my wildest dreams, yet here we are, happy and in love! (You become more open and allowing).
- Greater understanding of those truisms that you heard thousands of times before, and then one day, you actually get it in your bones. For example, the idea of “letting go, and letting God.” One day when I was holding on with a death grip to my ego’s version of Life to the point of sheer exhaustion, when the let go kind of slipped by me, and all the sudden — kapow! I had the visceral experience of what those words really meant. (You develop ” real life” wisdom).
- You are experiencing the “yearning undefined.” A longing in your soul to make a major life or career change, one that will bring you more meaning, direction and purpose.
My book, The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success could very well be called a awakening to Purpose guide, because it walks you through the transformational process of feeling uncertain and scared into feeling powerful and on Purpose. And in this book, I am revealing what has taken me over a decade of rigorous learning and guiding people on their paths to Greatness. This book will change your life and I cannot wait for you to read it!
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Whether you are changing careers, making a major life transition, starting or building a business, you can benefit from the support of an expert guide to assist you with navigating the tough spots of walking your highest Destiny. Michelle Casto, known as “The Destiny Diva” and is one of the most effective spiritual and life transformation coaches in the world. Michelle expertly blends human psychology, spirituality, and the science of success into a powerful formula for personal transformation. Her proven Destiny Success Process (Awake-Shift-Shine-Succeed) empowers people to grow beyond victim mentality and shows them how to be conscious creators of their life. Her signature Destiny RX has successfully allowed her clients to set their soul free to succeed in life and business. Wherever you are on your soul’s journey, Michelle can be your guiding light toward your path of Destiny. Be sure to get your personal copy of her new book, The Destiny Discovery: Find Your Soul’s Path to Success and receive a special bonus of 6 hours of Mp3’s with Destiny Masters from all over the globe.
***Follow this link to receive your bonus gifts and get the book in paperback or Kindle version
Visit virtually:
www.liveyourdivinedestiny.com
www.brightlightcoach.com
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Sheila Applegate
As a clinical therapist, motivational presenter, author and teacher, Sheila Applegate’s passion is to provide a forum for people to process emotion and integrate spiritual understanding into their daily lives. Sheila’s new book Enchanted One: The Portal to Love is scheduled for release December 27, 2012. www.sheilaapplegate.com
To connect with Sheila and receive a FREE 10-minute Guided Meditation, click here.
