Interview with Raana Zia

As life experience guides us from one synchronicity to another, it is a delight to connect with Raana Zia and have the privilege of reading her book, Your Hidden Light:  A Practical Guide to Creating Your Desired Life.

After reading it, I felt I could relate to so much she had written that I intuitively asked her to participate in this interview to share it with Dreambuilders Australia readers. I am absolutely delighted to share this exchange with her which I honestly feel raises the vibration of those who vicariously share parts of her journey.

Thanks Raana for making yourself available for this interview and for contributing in your own way to lighting up the world. 

Being a person who loves joining the dots and empowering others to do the same, I am curious how you heard about me and why you so recently chose to offer me your book.  

I discovered your blog through The Clearing blog in an article written by Kris de Leon.  I read more about you and felt very connected to your messages.  I too have recently experienced similar awareness and understanding of the power of following your heart, intuition, inner guidance.  From what I read in your blogs, much of what you say resonates as truth to me and is aligned with what I talk about in my book.  I so appreciate that you took the time to read my book.

Contrary to what many believe, like attracts like.  That is, everything and everyone is a mirror inviting us to get a message we are not yet consciously seeing and integrating. Please share a bit about yourself and your process. What prompted you to write this book?

I am a corporate executive/CFO turned spiritual self-help author of the book Your Hidden Light:  A Personal Guide to Creating Your Desired Life.  I had been in corporate finance for 20+ years successfully climbing the corporate ladder.  In 2012, while I achieved my goal of becoming a CFO of a billion-dollar company, I felt a strong internal pull in my heart telling me I needed to be doing something else in my life.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but the feeling was so strong that I knew I needed to find out.  I spent the next five years reading self-help books, going to seminars, talking to personal coaches, etc., searching for my purpose and building a belief I could do something different.  The more I searched, the more curious I became on how the world worked and how I was able to manifest the good things in my life (career, family, home, vacations, etc).  I was drawn to this subject matter of “manifesting your desires”, and I was determined to make sense of it all in a way that I could easily understand and apply. 

In 2015, I thought that maybe I needed to write a book to synthesize all that I was discovering.  I was getting pieces of wisdom that were life changing and profound from many different sources, but there wasn’t one book that brought it all together in a way that was direct and easy to understand. However, the thought of writing a book was surprising to me since I was never a writer, nor did I ever dream to write a book.  I built my career on finance and analytics, so this new creative urge to write was unfamiliar to me.  Despite my initial uncertainty, I knew I needed to follow my inner guidance, but I needed the right moment of courage to begin. 

In October of 2016, I lost my CFO job due to a corporate restructuring, and at that moment I knew it was time to follow my heart.  I was given the opportunity of time to do what I really desired to do.  However, I was scared because I did not know what I was doing or how to write a book.  My family assumed I would immediately start looking for another job since they had no idea what I was thinking and feeling on the inside.  I remained paralyzed in fear for about six weeks until I finally had the courage to believe that I was a writer and I was supposed to write this book despite what people close to me thought.  The moment I finally believed in myself, was the moment the words started to flow out of me.  The chapter titles and page count came into my head immediately.  I then began writing the content, and I did not stop until the book was completed.  It took me two months to write this book.

The writing process was incredible.  I loved writing the book because I felt a powerful energy with me throughout the process. I felt supported and aligned with what I was supposed to be doing for the first time in my life.  The words I was writing helped me through my own uncertainty of losing my high-level job and all the fears associated with that.  Writing the book helped me through a major transition in my life and career because I was constantly reminded by the words I was writing to stay disciplined and focused on what I really wanted in my heart, and to not let fear (fear of poverty, failure, etc.) or doubt stop me. 

All this feels like something beyond you took over.  Over and above what you share already, how has your outer life prompted and directed your attention to an inner shift?  

In the one year, it took to write and publish the book, I went through my own personal transformation.  I went from being in a state of fear and depression (from losing my job) to a place of happiness, peace, and fulfilment for the first time in as long as I can remember.  By taking the guidance of Your Hidden Light seriously and developing a disciplined practice of consciously aligning my inner thoughts, feelings, and beliefs daily, I became more relaxed, confident in my creative abilities, and truly happy.  This new way of being, improved my family life dramatically, and allowed me to achieve all my milestones to getting the book published easily and without stress or strain.  I have become an even stronger believer that it is only though changing your own inner thoughts, feeling, and beliefs, that you can most easily and effectively change the world around you.

After the book was published in November 2017, a professor at the business school at Suffolk University in Boston told me he was adding Your Hidden Light to his syllabus for his course – Happiness:  How to Get It for the Spring 2018 semester.    I am looking forward to the concepts of this book being taught to our future business leaders.

You incorporate quotes from a number of people and books in this work.  Let us know why you are drawn to these particular references?                                                                                          

I quote several people in the book from ancient philosophers, scientists, spiritual teachers, religious/spiritual texts, business people, entertainers, etc. who have all inspired me by their view of the world and the messages they gave to remind us that we are more powerful than we think we are.  All the quotes I use are inspirational, empowering, and relay powerful wisdom.  Your Hidden Light makes this wisdom easily understood and applicable in people’s everyday life.

Very cool.  Many people are unaware that anyone who inspires you is actually a mirror inviting you to allow qualities you admire in others to shine from inside you more consciously in a similar way. As part of your transformation process, are you noticing any shifts in sensory perception?                         

Since 2012,I have become more aware of the energy around me and more attune to my own inner guidance.  Prior to 2012, I never noticed or felt the energy of people or places, the way I do now.  I also feel very connected to the world around me and much more aware that my external reality is a reflection of what is inside of me.  Through my greater awareness, I regularly notice when I am receiving signs or guidance from the Universe. 

Your Hidden Light is meant to awaken you to your most powerful self, what I call your soul self or spiritual self, in order to most effectively create the life you desire.  When I became more in tune to this part of myself, I began to see the world in a different way.  I realized that everything I desired in the physical world came from the unseen spiritual world, which I could only access by going within myself.  The more I regularly turned inward through meditation, the stronger my intuition became.  In addition, I became a more powerful creator of my reality because I learned how to more effectively direct my energy.

Why would readers of Dreambuilders Australia like your book? How could they benefit from it?

Your Hidden Light is a go-to handbook for how you can reclaim the greatest power that has been lost to you – the power to create your own reality.  The purpose of the book is to awaken you to your spiritual nature and the powers you already possess to fulfill what is in your heart.  Your Hidden Light easily synthesizes ancient spiritual wisdom into practical application today.  You will learn the 4-step process to create your desired life with practical tips to help you along the way. You will walk away feeling empowered to live the life you want, and create the world you want to live in.  In addition, you will feel inspired to take at least one step towards making a positive change in your life. 

You offer man ymeaningful insights in your book. What advice would you offer people who feel stuck?

Regardless of the situation, feeling stuck does not feel good.  You feel frustrated, disappointed, dissatisfied, etc.  However, realize the “feeling” of being stuck is telling you what you don’t want.  You don’t want to be in that situation.  The most important step to take when you are feeling stuck is to consciously decide what it is you really want.  This is the first step in the 4-step process to creating what you desire. 

1)      Create your positive thought, desire, or intention. Write it down.  Get it clear in your head as to what you truly want.  Most people feel stuck because they don’t yet know what they want.  Take the time to create the vision for your life.  Some strategies to help you:         

•          Create a vision board – pull images from internet or magazines re: what you want to experience
•          Take a trip for inspiration
•          Talk to a friend, coach, mentor
•          Meditate – go inward and ask yourself what would make you happy

Once you have done the work of creating a strong, heartfelt, positive desire that you believe in then you are ready for change!

2)      Feel gratitude as if you have already received it

3)      Detach from your desire – know it’s coming

4)      Take actions that are aligned with your desire – you will know what actions to take by going inward and following your inner guidance.  When your actions are aligned with your inner guidance, it will not feel like work.

This is the 4-step process to creating your desires.  I found this to be the shortest and most effective route for getting unstuck.  You will find more details and strategies for each step in Your Hidden Light to help you master this process in your life.

What a gem! Short, concise steps or tips often trigger our own inner light bulbs and remind us we have to illuminate (or en-lighten) from within. Speaking of which, how does your view of time, love and money change as part of this book project?     

The process of writing this book and practicing the disciplines presented in the book, has opened me to the spiritual nature of the world I live in and my connection to the energy that connects everything.  As a result, my view and understanding on love has expanded beyond what I thought I knew was love, to an awareness of the unconditional nature of love.  I am finally beginning to understand what people mean when they say that “love is all there is”.  I now believe that love is how the Universe works – it is unconditional and gives you whatever is a match to what you are thinking and feeling.  I also view love as a frequency that is balanced, accepting, unconditional, and empowering.

I view money as energy like everything else now.  In order to attract money, you cannot feel   fear or a lack of money.  You need to align your inner being to the positive energy of what you want to attract.  This is something I consciously had to do when I decided to leave my high paying career to pursue what was in my heart.

I also have a relaxed sense of time now.  By understanding and practicing the 4-step creation process presented in the book, I began to realize that the Universe supports me, and things always happen at the right time, when I am ready.

Funny, its common for me to be in book stores, libraries or other places and have books literallly fall off the shelf in front me.  The universe has a fabulous sense of humor! Books also end up in my lap or cross my radar in a variety of ways to capture my attention. To me, this is always a sign from the universe the answer to some pending question or, something I need is to be found in or between the lines of the book. I would love to know your view on coincidence and synchronicity? 

I believe that the world we live in is intelligent, and there is a logic and process by which everything happens.  I believe that we are connected to everyone and everything including the Ultimate Creator (also referred to as God, Source Energy, Cosmic Consciousness, the Universe, etc) at a deeper unseen level.  As a result, what we call coincidence and synchronicity are actually connections.  For example, have you ever thought of anyone you haven’t seen or talked to in a while, and then a short time later, that person either calls or texts you?  That was not a coincidence, it was a connection.  Your thoughts get directed to that person, and through our connected energetic nature, the other personal receives the signal and connects with you unknowingly.  Coincidence and synchronicities, because they grab our attention, are reminders that we are all connected at a deeper level.

Everything you discuss is pointing to the humor in the shared experience of selective awareness.  How many times do we overlook what is always right here? It can seem so obvious from another vantage point. How is your sense of purpose during this lifetime shifting? 

My sense of purpose in this lifetime has shifted dramatically in the last year.  I was never clear on what I was supposed to be doing, until I went in search of it.  By writing this book, living and sharing its principles, and experiencing a new sense of happiness and freedom, I know my purpose is to inspire others to find their own power, truth, and joy.   

Another sticking point for many people is fear and how to manage it. Gaining insight into the experience of others can offer valuable insight or inspiration. What is your greatest fear before writing the book and what is your greatest fear? 

My greatest fear was what people would think, especially those who knew me.  Everyone knew me as a corporate finance business woman, not a spiritual self-help author. Now, I can honestly say, I have moved through my biggest fears.  I do not feel fear right now.  However, when I do feel fear, I know it is a barrier I need to move though in order to achieve what I really desire.

Share anything else you feel would benefit Dreambuilder Australia readers.

I realized that before I wrote this book, while I was a successful finance professional, I was hiding who I truly was.  I was hiding my light.  Why do we feel like we have to hide?  I wanted to find what truly lit me up.  Your Hidden Light reflects my journey and understanding and is helping me to shine my light.  My desire for you is that you find what lights you up in your life.  Your Hidden Light:  A Practical Guide to Creating Your Desired Life will provide you with the wisdom, tools, and tips you need to make the change you desire in your life in order for you to become the person you are meant to be.

Thanks Raana for being so genuine and offering the world a glimpse into the nature and details of your personal journey. I invite visitors here to include your book in their own path to deeper fulfillment. 

Your Hidden Light:  A Practical Guide to Creating Your Desired Life is available on Amazon.com and iBooks.  To learn more please visit www.yourhiddenlight.com I especially love how you list such inspirational resources.  I'm familliar with many but not all. Appreciate your guidance. Reading offers subtle or not-so-subtle reminders of what we are ready for right now. Love the revelations we trigger within ourselves when we are open and receptive. Much love and joy to you in your endeavours! May your life continue to be enriched and worries be few.