It’s not too late to set intentions for the new year! I always start around mid-February, which coincides with my birthday. Don’t be pressured to set your goals and intentions for the year around the time society tells you that you should. I think working around the natural rhythms of the seasons or your own birthday is much more empowering, and sets you up to be more successful.
Whenever you decide to set your goals and intentions, always begin with what you already are grateful for. Use that as your springboard to what you want next.
My belief is that gratitude is the gateway to manifesting anything and everything you want.
I love the quote:
“imagine if you woke up tomorrow with just what you are grateful for today.”
It evokes two lessons for me:
1) You must not forget what you have now – if you are not grateful, it could slip away
2) You must appreciate what you want before you can have it
In manifesting – which in essence is achieving our goals and becoming what we were meant to become – we must begin with what we are grateful for in order raise our vibration. That’s the best way to receive and attract more of what we want.
On the other hand, if we set goals and intentions without connecting into gratitude, we start from a place of lack/desire/need/want/attachment. In other words, we start from a low vibration.
So, your vibration/frequency/energy matters when you manifest, because it can affect the outcome. As you put pen to paper in the exercise below, remember that you are manifesting in that moment, so takes some steps to ensure that you are at a high vibration.
It helps to create a ritual for yourself where you can connect into a higher vibration – and perhaps even call in powerfully that which you want to attract – by acting as if it has already happened.
If you want more abundance, wear your finest clothes and jewels. If you want romance, write by candlelight and set a place setting for two with your best china. If you want adventure, pull out a map and your passport and journal about your travels. You get the picture.
Let’s begin
So light a candle, meditate and connect in with your higher self, and start to reflect on all that you already have and all that you are grateful for. Then, follow these 5 steps, and write down your answers so that you can recall the same inspiration later on.
Exercise:
1) Start with gratitude
This is your foundation – what are you already grateful for?
2) Expand your gratitude
Now, extend gratitude to what you want to attract as if it’s already here… What are your grateful for attracting into your life?
Write it down as if it has already manifested in the present day, extending your gratitude and appreciation for its presence in your life.
3) Time to visualize
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths…
Picture yourself a year from now: you’ve had a great year. All that you hoped for has manifested and you are feeling excited about what’s next.
As you begin to reflect on the year, ask yourself: What has happened in your life? What opportunities and people have come your way? What’s shifted? What lessons have you learned? Where are you right now? And what you are looking forward to in the year ahead?
Sit with these insights and messages and visions, and feel the energy. Immerse yourself in this experience. How do you feel at the soul level? How would you express this?
Now ask your future self, how did we get here? What steps do I need to take to get here? What advice do you have for me on this journey?
4) Reflect on all you just saw and felt
Now, let’s expand on this. In this experience lies the truth of what you really want on a soul level.
Allow that to guide you in setting your intentions, commitments and goals for the year. Reflect and journal your experience by answering these questions:
What did you experience?
What was the outcome? How would you articulate this?
What actions do you need to take to achieve this outcome in the next year?
How do you need to be/show up to allow yourself to meet these goals? (this is the key) Name how you need to be. This is your intention: e.g. balanced, confident, loving, fearless.
5) Take your first step TODAY
Here’s the real work. Now that you have the clarity you MUST take action.
Visualizing is not enough.
Even though daydreaming is important, you will never achieve what you want just by daydreaming on the couch.
To achieve the big things you want, you must achieve the little things first. You can do this by creating a daily practice. Think about the one small thing you need to do every day to stay grounded in this new way of being.
NOW, what will you commit to doing DAILY to honor this way of being, and stay in the flow of manifesting what you want?
If you’re comfortable, please share with us in the comments below! It’s always inspiring to hear from women who are working toward their soul’s true purpose. Let us know what action you will take each day to work toward manifesting your vision.
Then, be sure to sign up for updates from my blog, so you don’t miss any tips for transforming your life and making your dreams a reality.
And, tune in next week for even more tips on manifesting!
