You’re being carried (even when it hurts)


Hey there, conscious creators!

Hope everyone is doing well.

These past few weeks have been full.

I’ve been publishing daily videos on my new YouTube channel — exploring identity shifting from every angle, letting these teachings work on me as much as I’m offering them.

Next week, I’ll be sharing something special for those who feel ready to deepen their identity shifting practice.

Nothing to do right now—just a gentle heads-up.

But in the middle of all this creating, one insight kept circling back to me.

An insight about what happens in those seasons when life looks like it’s falling apart—or when you feel like you are.

It’s the theme of this week’s featured essay, and I want to share a part of it with you here.


You Are Being Carried — Even When Everything Looks Like It’s Falling Apart

“Sometimes I go about in pity for myself… and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky.”
— Native American proverb

That line found me again recently.

And it made me wonder:

What if, even in the moments when everything feels like it’s falling apart… you’re not falling at all?

What if you’re actually being carried?

We all have days when we slip into the small version of ourselves—the version that spirals, defends, complains, and believes life is happening to us.

The version that forgets who we really are.

I had one of those moments not long ago—the kind where frustration flares, your mind starts narrating everything that’s wrong, and you suddenly feel like the world is stacked against you.

And then, out of nowhere, that old line resurfaced: “Sometimes I go about in pity for myself…”

I laughed—because yes, that’s exactly what I was doing.

But then the second half landed:

“…and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky.”

Something softened. Nothing in my situation changed—but I changed. A fog lifted. My identity shifted.

Because here’s the truth:

Self-pity isn’t who you are. It’s ego-weather—temporary fog passing through your sky.

And beneath that weather, something else is always happening.

At any given moment, there are two tracks running inside us:

  • Track One: The ego identity — the one that spirals, fears, and forgets.
  • Track Two: The deeper identity — the one being carried, guided, held.

Identity shifting isn’t pretending to be stronger than you feel. It’s the moment you notice, with honesty and compassion:

“Oh dang… I’m on the wrong track right now.”

And in that noticing, you return to yourself.

Sometimes that return comes as a whisper. A quiet knowing inside you that says, “I’m going to be okay.” A feeling that things will get better because something deeper—something wiser—is already guiding you.

And it makes you wonder:

What if you’re not falling?
What if you’re being carried?

Read the full featured essay here →


If you want regular inspiration sent to your inbox, I share short reflections, practices, and insights on Substack throughout the week. You can subscribe to the You Are a Conscious Creator publication or The Art & Business of Conscious Creativity.


Stop Rehearsing Your Fears. Start Romancing Your Future

Most of us don’t realize this—we’re already bending reality all the time.

We meditate on our problems. We rehearse our fears. We imagine worst-case scenarios as if they’re gospel truth.

But the same imagination that worries about the future is the imagination that creates it.

A few nights ago, I caught myself spiraling—running through a list of things that might go wrong, as if fear were preparing me for something useful.

But the moment I became aware of it, I could see exactly what I was doing:

I wasn’t predicting the future.
I was rehearsing fear.

And every thought rehearses a version of your future.

So the question is: which one are you rehearsing?

Because we don’t manifest what we want. We manifest what we feel safe enough to receive.

This isn’t about chasing outcomes or forcing yourself into optimism. It’s about training your nervous system to feel safe in possibility.

Awareness is the hand that takes your power back.


// One Practice

How to Turn Worry Into Manifestation (Romance Your Future)

Close your eyes for a moment. Take a slow breath in… and let it fall out gently. Let your body soften.

1. Bring to mind the version of you who already lives in the future you desire.

See them in a way that feels natural, unforced.

2. Notice how they move through their day.

What energy do they carry? What do they wake up excited about?

3. Let yourself feel their feeling.

Their steadiness. Their possibility.

Not as fantasy… but as a frequency your body already knows.

4. Allow one breath to move toward that version of you.

You’re not forcing anything here. You’re allowing it.

Through the breath, you’re giving your body a quiet signal: You’re ready to meet them.

If you want to explore this idea of “romancing your future” more deeply, I recorded a short video that walks you through it.

Watch the full teaching here →


The Universe Isn’t Creating for You. It’s Creating Through You

Most people think manifestation means getting the Universe to deliver what they want.

But the truth is far more intimate:

The Universe isn’t trying to create for you. It’s trying to create through you.

When something starts tugging at your soul — an idea, a desire, a nudge that won’t leave you alone — that’s not random.

That’s life choosing you as a collaborator in its expansion.

Because maybe life isn’t testing you.
Maybe it’s trusting you.

Maybe you’re not being challenged —
you’re being invited.

And maybe what’s tugging at you lately isn’t pressure at all.

It’s partnership.

__

Here's a short video I recorded that walks you through this teaching.


// Parting Words

Remembering the Self Beneath the Work

You can’t become your future self by performing it. You become it by remembering what she or he already knows—and then letting your body catch up.

Maybe that’s the real shift.
Not effort, but return. Not invention, but recognition.
The answers were never lost. They are waiting for you to listen in a different octave.

Thanks for reading.

As always, remember:

You are a Conscious Creator of your reality!
Keep creating your best self!

avl

Anthony V. Lombardo

P.S... If at any point you want more personal support—whether you’re navigating your own identity shift or growing as a spiritual creator or entrepreneur, I started offering 1:1 coaching for those who feel called to go deeper.

You are a Conscious Creator!

Inspiration and wisdom to help you navigate your path and consciously create a life of meaning, purpose, and one that you absolutely love.

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