The ARTchitect Winter 2014 | Page 4

Letter from the Editor

Greetings Earthlings!

As 2014 comes to a close, I feel this is a good time to share my trials, tribulations, and dreams for the future. This year has been filled with challenges and opportunities, and there is much that I have come to learn about life and my Self. This year brought me challenges in the realm of the heart as well as challenges in the world of my career. This year taught me many valuable lessons and exposed me to the reality of the people that I have in my life. 2014 was a year for learning and growth, and 2015 is looking bright already.

My transition into 2014 was an uneasy one. 2013 left me with some deep scars that left me extremely disillusioned. I was in a dark place, healing from the aftermath of a love ffair gone horribly wrong. I was torn and utterly destroyed. felt as if there was no hope for me or my romantic

I felt that there was no hope for my romantic life. I was covered in total and complete darkness, wondering if my finanical future had any hope. I couldn't discern what my purpose in life was anymore. I was virtually lost.

Toward the summer I gained some glimpses of what could be the light at the end of the tunnel. I found myself embracing a new day in the realm of love, just to find that door was also just an illusion. I was faced with owning up to a long-herld crush, that ended up not going so well. So this year wasn't the most fruitful in the love department, but that does not mean that I didn't learn anything about love. My greatest love lesson was that I needed to learn stillnss and receptivity. The answer is right in front of my face, if only I would allow myself to see it. True love can be found in any place, if only I allow myself to feel it. Scared love finds no love, and thus, I must conquer my fear of opening up to another.

Moving on to career lessons. I learned that making a career is all about seeing the end goal and pushing forward no matter what. We can be dangerously distracted by irrelevant ways to make money simply because we are focused on the money as opposed to a career of choice. It often takes much longer to succeed following your true passion, but patience and perseverance yield the greatest results, not fast money doing things you don't like. 2014 career experiences taught me the value of believing in myself. I faced much opposition from close sources who I hoped would think more highly of my endeavors. Because my results aren't big enough quick enough, that means that my dream will never come true. This sentiment is absolutley false, for the greatest success stories are those of persons who never gave up in the face of adversity and hatred.

In the realms of love and money, my 2014 was pretty rough, but it was also enlightening. I became a renewed person via the lessons learned from my experiences. I embraced the phoenix within that had been waiting to be reborn. 2014 was a year of renewal, and 2015 holds manifestation and prosperity in its grasp! I am so excited for what is to come in my life and yours! Make 2015 your true year of harvest and bliss!

Blessed be!

Felicia S. C. Gooden