Part XIII: There Is a Season

The publicity manifestations came speedily but settling into my new “entrepreneurship” role came slowly. I still have a letter in my files that was addressed to me personally at my residence and not to Marilyn Jenett Locations. It was dated August of 1984, so I know that even months after the articles came out in the newspapers, I still hadn’t chosen my business name. Eventually I did, however, and eventually I knew that I did not want to continue working from home. It was time to get an office – the first office I would ever have of my own for my own business. If I were going to own a business, I would go all the way.

I used to drive down Olympic Boulevard through Beverly Hills and the view of the Twin Towers as I approached Century City was a site to behold (yes, we call them the Twin Towers here, but they are formally the Century Plaza Towers). It would be late afternoon and the sun would be at a certain angle and ahead would be these tall slick angular triangles glistening with the reflection from the sun’s rays. The towers appeared flat and two dimensional from a distance and for some reason they reminded of those flat square disks that were hurled into space containing the “bad guys” in the first Superman film. I vividly recall one day marveling at these architectural wonders while driving, and suddenly the tiniest plane appeared to be flying right in between the two skyscrapers - it was an amazing illusion. I loved it. I said at that moment, “That’s where I want my office to be.”

As I write this, I ask you not to relate the airplane and the towers to the deeply profound event that would take place 15 years later in New York City. There was no connection at all. At that time I was just mesmerized by the beauty of the scene before me and awakened to an appreciation of the beauty and lines of modern architecture.

I meant what I said. I wanted my office in those Towers. The Century Plaza Towers is one of the most prestigious addresses in the entire world. The towers were occupied by the attorneys of the TV show, LA Law, as well as that elegant hunk of a private detective, Remington Steele (who later reincarnated as James Bond). From a website about the show:

"The tall buildings used for the establishing outdoor views of the Steele offices are the Century Plaza Towers located at 2029 & 2049 Century Park East, Century City, California."

Yes, I wanted the most prestigious office I could find. I wanted Remington Steele to be my neighbor :-). I wanted that famous Century Park East address. And I wanted it all on a sane and reasonable budding entrepreneur’s budget. Do you hear me, Universe?

I was heard. I found out that a large executive suite landlord occupied three full floors in the two towers. Executive suites are a perfect situation for entrepreneurs, sole practitioners, small firms and satellite offices of large companies. Each tenant company has its own office(s) but everyone shares the common amenities – reception area, switchboard, conference rooms, kitchen, copy room, etc. In an executive suite, it costs a fraction of what it would cost to set up your own offices, equipment, staff, etc. What a gift from the Universe for the sole entrepreneur.

I selected an office on the 12th floor of 2049. I moved from one side of the suite to the other a few years later, but Barrister Executive Suites in that 44-story highrise in Century City – the prestigious business community next door to Beverly Hills - was the home of Marilyn Jenett Locations for the next 16 years. I dreamt of having an office in the Twin Towers and I found one. I wanted this credibility for my corporate clientele and it was great for my business ego. I liked dressing well, going to the tower and enjoying the camaraderie with neighboring tenants in the suite.

So how many clients do you think came to my office in 16 years? Take a guess. Well, I remember two clients who did. When the clients flew in from out of state, I or my sraff would pick them up for a “site inspection”. Since I was the vendor, I was the one who visited the offices of local clients if needed or we would meet on location. So the office wasn’t for my clients. It was for me and for my credibility. Image was important to me and I wanted to be regarded as a professional. I wanted to attract the biggest corporate clients and I created the image to attract them. I may have been small but I didn’t look home grown. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered to clients if I had a home office, but it mattered to me. It mattered in my thoughts and feelings. And that is the secret to manifestation – thought and feeling.

I was there until just a few years ago, when Barrister’s master lease with the building expired and was not renewed. The other entrepreneurs and the attorneys all looked for alternate space. I had really not been using the office that much in the later years. As time went by, I spent less and less time there. I decided to bring everything home and give it a try. Little did I know that my life would again undergo a very dramatic change. But that’s a story for another time.

Over the years, I never did bump into Remington Steele. :-) But I did pass John Travolta, Richard Dreyfuss and many other stars who were probably in the tower to see their attorneys or financial advisors.

I’m aware that I have probably given you the impression of this perfectly manifesting entrepreneur who by that time was in complete control of her dreams and destiny.

Well, in a cosmic sense, I believe I was. For the growth of my soul, for the life lessons that needed to be learned, I was writing the script and producing the play.

I had come so far. I had with my heart and soul and undaunted determination applied myself to peel away layers of fear and conditioned lack thinking to create something from nothing – to connect with my source, find a place for myself and make sense of my existence. I had accomplished results that seemed remarkable to me at the time, and yet so natural at the same time.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that with all the seemingly glorious accomplishments and my obvious ability to tap into my source of supply to manifest my desires, there were times when I was knocked down with great intensity. Several times in fact.

I could not understand how, with my ever evolving faith in the laws and my ability to apply them, how I could be so profoundly affected by the winds of “fate”. I was a metaphysician, I knew spiritual law, I understood. How could I falter and be caught up in appearances and mass mind thinking? What was I doing wrong?

It seemed that as I was becoming “seasoned” as a businesswoman, I was also being seasoned on another level when every disaster that could possibly happen and affect a business such as mine – well…happened. There were the Los Angeles riots, the major Northridge Earthquake, a recession or two. And much later on, the tide changed from local to global with 9/11 and anthrax. And of all the industries in the world, the hospitality industry and the special event industry are probably among the hardest to be impacted from these events.

I won’t get into more detail just now, but I do need to tell you that there was much more than meets the eye, there were times when all I could do was cry to the Universe and ask “why?” I didn’t understand but I knew that no matter what happened, no matter how difficult things were at those times, that I would do whatever it took to save what I had created. And with even more determination, I threw myself into and sought refuge in the teachings, applied my knowledge and sought an even greater connection to my source.

Through the psychic pain of those situations, I did not realize what I have come to realize today...

That had I not gone through those intense experiences, I would not have been "forced" to learn the lessons, I would not have learned with complete conviction what works and what doesn’t work, and I would never be the teacher of these principles that I am today. I had no awareness of it back then, but I was being initiated, seasoned and refined for the purpose of my life

To be continued…

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