Article first published as Book Review: 'Stepping into Your Becoming' by Nicole Gabriel on Blogcritics.
September 3, 2015
Stepping into Your Becoming
Leadership Principles for Embracing Change and Achieving Self Mastery
Nicole Gabriel
Aviva Publishing (2015)
ISBN: 978-1-943164202
New Book Guides Readers into Owning Powerful Authentic Self
In the first book, Nicole detailed how to find your inner truth, and she left her readers in awe of her multiple and diverse spiritual experiences, ranging from working with shamans to experiencing some extraordinary and even bizarre supernatural events. Ultimately, Nicole learned just what her inner truth was and how to embrace it. Now in this new book, she owns that truth by living it and modeling it for others so they also can step into their own authentic selves.
Stepping into Your Becoming is divided into four sections that walk readers through the process of owning their authentic selves. The sections are: Awaken, Transform, Realize, and Being. In the first section, Nicole reveals how she awoke to more truth. Readers of her previous book will remember how attached she is to her Shar Pei dogs. She details in this book the near-tragic accident that occurred when one of her dogs fell over the side of a cliff while she and her fiancé were walking on a mountain trail in Hawaii. Nicole was instantly devastated by the possible loss of her dog and organized a rescue attempt. This situation initially sent her into a tailspin, but in the end, it taught her powerful lessons that she now shares with her readers.
Using this event as a springboard, Nicole reveals how even the most upsetting and unexpected moments can be part of the plan that God has for our lives. That said, this is not a Christian book about belief and faith, but rather, Nicole draws upon numerous traditions, from Christianity to Shamanism to Hawaiian spirituality to find truth and wisdom she can apply to all areas of her life. She is very open-minded to different spiritual beliefs and also aware that no tradition holds all the answers or the only answer. We each must explore and decide for ourselves what is true for us; then we must empower ourselves with that truth and spread our message of authenticity to others.
Each chapter ends with tips taken from that chapter’s main points. For example, Chapter 2’s tips are:
- Know that God created you and will not intentionally harm you or your loved ones.
- Trust in the power that created you.
- Understand that God has a better plan than you can imagine.
- Believe in miracles.
- You have the power to conquer doubt. Use it.
In other places, Nicole’s has tips in the middle of chapters such as Tips for Flowing with Spirit. One of these is: “The outer world is a reflection of our inner state of consciousness. Adjust accordingly.” To me, that statement reflects one of the most powerful messages in the book—that many things we encounter in life can be seen as mirrors of ourselves and something we need to learn. For example, in a situation you encounter that you find unpleasant, how does what you are encountering reflect something about yourself that you may find unpleasant and need to change? How can you use that situation to grow and become more authentically you?
I also appreciated the open-mindedness Nicole shows to other traditions and her belief that they can all help us. She notes that she appreciates Buddhism because, unlike some other religions like Christianity, it does not claim to have all the answers or be the only way to God or wisdom. She also likes that Buddhism advocates for personal responsibility—rather than following someone else’s words or philosophy, we are to find our own path and to live up to it. By doing so, we can be authentic.
Often what Nicole describes is that difficult-to-describe place that we want to be in that we can’t quite describe. We are caught up in definitions of what we are in relation to our careers, but a career need not define us. At one point, Nicole says:
“When I was growing up, most people thought I wanted to be an artist. But what I wanted to be was more than that—it just was not something I could explain to others. It was simply white light. I knew I was meant to be white light. How do you explain that? And maybe I wanted to be an artist or builder of white light? But who does that? It would take me years to understand what this really meant.”
This passage reveals that life is complicated. There are no easy answers. We often can’t put into words what we want or who we are, but all that is a good thing. It encourages us to take the journey and keep searching. Why can’t a child say he wants to be white light, or a saint, or create a new kind of art, or do something that hasn’t been done before?
We all need to own our own truths. We can’t let other people’s opinions of us or their expectations for us hold us back from sharing our special gifts with the world.
If you are struggling because you feel you don’t quite fit into this world or that no one understands you—if you feel you have gifts to offer the world that others don’t understand or you can’t even quite explain yet, then take comfort in knowing that Nicole Gabriel has been there and she has had the courage to publish this book as part of stepping into her own becoming. If she can find her own truth and own it, you can do the same.
For more information about Nicole Gabriel and Stepping into Your Becoming, visit www.SteppingintoYourBecoming.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., and award-winning author of The Children of Arthur series
