Meet Cindy Atwood, Mindset Mastery graduate.

Cindy's journey through the Mindset Mastery course shows how persistence, clarity, and faith can turn our goals into tangible results. When Cindy set out to accomplish something that felt impossible, she unlocked uncommon trust in herself and the process.

I asked Cindy to describe her experience with the Phase 1 “inconsequential goal” assignment. She set a few. In this program we start with something simple, something that really doesn't matter if it happens or not. Because oftentimes we can miss our most important goals by being too attached to the outcome, and this Phase 1 exercise helps students learn what it feels like to approach a goal with just the right balance of expectation and surrender to truly invite miracles.

Goal One: The Pale-Yellow Butterly

Cindy wrote:

The first goal I set was to see a pale-yellow butterfly flying outside my home office window. That never happened quite the way I envisioned it. Looking back, I should have included in my goal the details, “while sitting at my desk and looking out my window.” During the course, instead of seeing a yellow butterfly outside my window--probably because it was the wrong time of year--I instead repeatedly saw multiple butterflies, including a yellow one on the screen of my Amazon Echo Show device in my kitchen which was near a window.

I never figured out why that butterfly screen started to randomly show up on that device since it had no rhyme or reason. It was not anything I had programmed, nor was it tied to any notifications. It may have been a screen saver, but it was not one I had selected--I had selected outdoor scenes, and this butterfly screen was not one of them. Nor had I ever seen that screen prior to setting this goal. So, the only explanation I can offer is this Rare Faith Goal being fulfilled. I see it as a tender mercy for me--like I was being told "it is not the right season for a live butterfly, but I hear you and will send you something similar anyway."

Fast forward nearly 6 months after completing this course, and I still have not submitted my graduation application, but had been working on it while staying in a hotel in Kansas City, Kansas which is next to a field. As my husband and I were getting into our rental car that was parked near the field, I see TWO pale yellow butterflies—just like the ones I had envisioned for my goal! They were not in the location I had envisioned, but still, they were there.

A few months later, I decided to “resurrect” this inconsequential goal just to see what would happen, especially since I never truly felt I had achieved my goal the way I had envisioned. One morning I was out in my backyard, and I heard a “tapping” sound. I looked toward the backdoor of my house and saw the biggest moth I have ever seen in my entire life trying to fly into the house through the backdoor that was very slightly ajar. The sound was the moth hitting the window of the door... The moth was so large I initially thought it was a Monarch butterfly. After recovering from the shock and watching it fly around to the side of the house, I thought “I should have gotten a picture of that! It was possibly my goal being achieved.”

On a whim, I decided to go inside and get my phone and return outside to see if there was any chance the moth was still somewhere on the side of the house so I could get a picture. I thought there was no way it could be there, but I left room for the possibility, just in case. And guess what?! It was there!!!! I managed to snap a couple of pictures and even a video. Wow!

But that was not the end of this goal’s story. As if to say “See? I did give you your goal” one more tender mercy arrived that finally allowed me to truly claim the goal had been fulfilled. Again, I was outside, but this time on the side of my house near my office window, and—yep, you guessed it--I finally saw a butterfly flying outside my office window! Nope, it was not a pale-yellow butterfly, but by this point, that did not matter. I had seen screen after screen butterflies for months, not feeling like that was my goal realized. Then I saw two pale yellow butterflies halfway across the country, still not accepting my goal as realized. Then I saw the largest almost-butterfly my family had ever seen, and I started to believe my goal had been achieved. Then finally, seeing that one butterfly truly flying outside my office window--I can now fully accept that my goal WAS achieved. It just took a very long time for me to recognize, accept it, and be grateful for its fulfillment.

Acceptance Opens Doors

What I love about Cindy's realization, is how she discovered on a whole new level how belief is a choice. There will always be an opportunity to feel uncertain, but how we feel is less about things happening TO us, and more about how we choose to feel. And from THAT place, we can participate in miracles. Let's take a look at her second experiment:

Goal Two: A Bouquet of Fresh Flowers

In her words:

Goal number two was not as dramatic, but it nearly made me cry when it was finally fulfilled. This was actually my first “inconsequential” goal I set. I envisioned it, gave it a due date, and could even smell the scent of the goal in my arms--but it never came. It was discouraging, but in true “me” fashion, I moved onto a new goal: the butterfly goal above.

So, just what was goal number two? It was to receive a bouquet of fresh flowers. I did not care who they came from, I just wanted to receive them, and I gave them a due date of the end of that week. It was shocking how clearly I could actually smell those flowers in my arms, so it was pretty sad when they never came during the course.

The surprise came when this goal was recently realized. I took a picture and messaged my facilitator, stating “I finally got them!”

 

When she responded, I mentioned how crazy it was that it took over a year to receive, she asked “Did it come right when you needed it?” And the answer was a very resounding YES!!!!!

Clearly, some goals are all about timing.

The Goal That Once Felt Impossible

Next, I asked about her “bite-sized piece” of a meaningful short-term goal. In short, it was paying off the mortgage on their current house.

"My experience with the bite-sized piece of my short-term goal was actually not as dramatic as the inconsequential goals. Strangely enough, the harder goal turned out to be easier to accomplish--but in a very surprising way. Well . . . I say it was not as dramatic, but in truth, there was so much to the story that, let’s just say, it would take more time to explain than a simple answer would allow. Let me try to share the gist in a succinct way.

Initially, I had a different bite-sized goal tied to my long-term life’s goal. I had just completed another Mindset Mastery course with a goal that completely fell apart. Yep! It followed very similarly, almost eerily, the situation described in the Sweet Surrender lesson. But to avoid writing a “novel,” I will skip the details of that experience and jump ahead to what happened next.

During one of my group sessions in the current Mindset Mastery course, another participant shared part of her goal--and it was strikingly similar to what I truly wanted. It even aligned with the deeper “why” behind my previous Mindset Mastery course’s goal. I thought “Why not?” If she has that kind of faith, why not me? The truth is, this goal had been quietly “baking” through several Rare Faith courses, just waiting for me to muster enough faith to actually take the action to do it!

So . . . I did it! I finally put it to paper, found a way, and did it! The hard part was believing. The miraculous part was finding the way. I am still stunned by the reality of its completion--even now--but I actually DID IT!!!!!!

This goal unlocked a flood of pent-up emotions, realizations, and insights that had been blocked by years of difficult experiences. Those challenges had caused me to forget that I do have faith and have been blessed abundantly throughout my life. This has been a deeply healing experience. I am now focused on the next part of my life’s goal, with more learning and more growth.

True to form, the steps towards my next goal/goals are shifting and evolving as my vision for my life’s goal becomes more clear. What a beautiful experience life is. What a tremendous blessing to accomplish a goal that once felt so large and so scary and originally thought, by me, to be “impossible!” With Rare Faith, nothing is impossible. We are our only roadblocks."

She ranked the difficulty a 10 at the beginning and says it would still be a 9–10 stretch today — but now with confidence instead of doubt. Yes, she accomplished it.

I asked…

Q. Did you face any fears from assignment/lesson 18? How effective were you at being able to think truth in spite of appearances?

There is still much work for me to do in the arena of facing my fears; however, I did it! And that is a first step forward which represents progress… When in a difficult situation, my body tends to completely forget to breathe, and then I panic. Now I remind myself to breathe and to believe and then I say ‘What if it all works out?’ and ‘I am safe.’ It is surprising how much calmer I am afterwards.

I also asked whether she broke through a Terror Barrier.

Yes! I broke through many Terror Barriers… But the most amazing breakthrough was discovering I had been misaligned with myself for years. Listing my top three Values, Skills, and Hobbies really put into perspective what was truly important to me… Once I finally figured out the proper alignment, everything else started to fall into place.

Her Advice for Anyone Facing Fear Right Now

Breathe! Believe! Learn these Rare Faith principles. Then DO them! It will change your life. Trust the process and keep practicing.

Final Reflections

Cindy, thank you for your openness and for sharing your journey so thoughtfully. Your reflections are a gift!

Cindy is now in training to become a Rare Faith Programs Facilitator, so she can help others experience greater success, too.

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If you’re feeling even the slightest nudge while reading this — curiosity, hope, or even skepticism — you're invited to test these principles for yourself. Mindset Mastery isn’t about perfection. It’s about stretching just a little bit beyond where you are, and witnessing the power of Rare Faith for helping us grow and reach our highest potential.

Watch my FREE 1-hour training on HOW to do it, and then join Mindset Mastery to go deeper and receive help carrying out your own guided experiments.

My next group starts Wednesday, Feb 4. Choose a session here!