The New Year is among us just like that. 2020 was a tough year and for some of us, we’re still reeling from the aftermath of a global pandemic and all the negative energy that it brought to our lives, souls and minds. But with a new year, comes new beginnings and a fresh start. It’s refreshing to the soul and revitalising to the mind which is why this year, I want to try something a little different.
At the end of every year, I take a few hours over a couple of days to do some reflections on all the good things, and perhaps not so good things that have happened in the year. I am that person who makes lists upon lists and I use this as the perfect opportunity to tick off anything I wanted to achieve and actually did, or carry over some things to my next list for the new year. At the end of 2020 I did my usual ritual of reflecting and list ticking but while scrolling through social media in the wee hours late a night (something I hope to stop in 2021!) I came across a manifestations page.
Funny how the universe sends you messages at the strangest of hours.
As I scrolled more and more, I realised that manifestations was something I had indirectly been doing all along over the past few years but I just hadn’t actually sat down and thought of my goals and lists as manifestations. In fact, I had being making lists upon lists upon lists without really guiding my energies and emotions into them. Don’t get me wrong, I had worked tirelessly throughout the years, working through the night and going to sleep in the wee hours of the morning writing and creating but I worked like a robot without putting my complete heart, soul and everything that formed my entire being into what my passions were.
This year, I want things to be different.
I want to consciously align my thoughts, emotions, habits and beliefs with the visions I see for myself (i.e.: my goals for 2021). I want to be willing to change any old habits that need changing and just open my universe to be more and achieve more… and really, just be the absolute best version of myself that I can be.
So how am I going to do it? Read on for simple steps on how to manifest.
Wrap up and let go of the past year
Towards the last few days of the year I spent some time reflecting – and I mean reflecting on everything that had happened that past year – the good, the bad and the challenging. I made a list of all the good things that had happened and the not so good things and at the back of my mind, I also made a mental list of the things I really wanted to stop doing for the new year.
Clarify your vision
To manifest what you want, you first need to know what you want. Most of us have a million thoughts, ideas and wishes floating around in our head but the reason we don’t achieve so many of them is because they haven’t been channelled and visualised. I started by writing down what I wanted to achieve in the new year – goals associated with health, personal life, career, blogging and so on. I started a bullet journal for 2021 so this is where I wrote down everything. I then spent some time clearing my mind and really visualising what I wanted. That helped to think of the detail around my goals. I then went back and added more detail to each goal / vision. Detail is so important because it really helps the visualisation process.
Create a vision board
This is the stage where I’m at now. I’ve written down all my goals and visions but I want to be able to constantly see them and be inspired by them. I’ve always wanted to try creating a vision board so what better time to start then now? Let me know if you’d like to come along on that journey too 🙂
Set monthly intentions
After creating my larger visions and goals, I like to break them down into smaller more achievable goals that I can work on month by month. Now here’s where I think manifestations can differ from person to person. Some people like to focus on one specific intention for a month but I’m a Gemini and… well… Gemini’s need variety in their everyday life. That being said, it usually means we don’t complete tasks or get bored and forget about things easily. This year, I want to take each vision and break them down into smaller visions that I will focus on every month. To this, I want to plan out my tasks at the start of every month so I don’t forget or devout more time to one goal or vision. At the same time, I don’t want to create such a rigid framework that I restrict the energies of the universe from guiding me, which is why I want to start doing more regular reflections and find ways to release any inner frustrations and tension I may be feeling. I also want to find better ways to balance my life.
Reflecting and Connecting
Finding different ways to reflect and regularly reminding myself that I should be reflecting is going to be important to truly staying connected to my goals and visions. I have a really bad habit of ending my nights with a goodnight call and then scrolling relentlessly though all my social media. This year I want to try something different where I spend the 30 minutes before bed connecting to my vision and realigning my thoughts and emotions for the next day.
Start using affirmations
To achieve something, you have to believe in yourself. Believe that you can. It’s only natural to downplay any positives that start happening but don’t. I do this often. This is going to take time to change but using affirmations is a great way to slowly start believing positive thoughts. Affirmations are powerful statements that can really encourage you and motivate you. Stick these affirmations around your house, change your screensaver and add them to your vision board if you have to.
Don’t be so rigid and have fun
One of my biggest downfalls is that I get into robotic mode and just work, work, work. It’s great in the office because I really get things done and that appeases the corporate Gods but with that means at times, I forget to take a step back, breathe and just have fun with the magic around me. I’ll never forget back in 2019 when I worked so hard before an audit that I ended up in the hospital from stress and chest pains. That was me putting pressure on myself to be perfect and just get everything on my list done.
Those are things I want to release and never let happen again. So with that comes surrendering to the pressures in my head and on my lists and learning to trust that I am being guided and that I are good enough, and most importantly, that I am doing the absolute best I can. It means learning to surrender to the universe and the magic she brings and trusting that she really does have my best intentions at heart.