Remember those 18 Things To Focus on in 2018 I wrote about a few weeks ago? Well today my friends, on the day of the New Moon of 2018, I’m going to tell you exactly how I do all of that hippy dippy stuff I mentioned in that last post. It’s going to be weird and fun and I’m certain you’ll give me a few snorts and eye rolls but I don’t care because good vibes are in abundance today and I can feel them!
First things first, I start my morning in my kitchen with a cup of coffee and a notebook. It’s my happy place. It’s quite small and our patio overlooks a dirty old alley, but as silly as it sounds, I love our tiny kitchen with our “alley view.” It’s ours. In the winter I watch the snowfall over it and in the summer I can see the sunset over the skyline.
I set the tone for my day by practicing gratitude the second I get up. I literally thank my coffee machine for giving me coffee. And my slippers for keeping my feet warm and a whole bunch of other silly stuff that I started doing when I was in a bit of a funk, but I’ve continued doing it because it makes me feel good, so why not? Saying thank you to every little thing around you is the best way to ground yourself and keep that gratitude flowing.
And while I wait for my coffee I jump into my notebook. I try to write in it every single morning. Whether it’s one word, one sentence, or like today where I really went nuts writing down ten new intentions thanks to the new moon and the planets being in forward motion 🙂 If they’re in forward motion, my thoughts better be, as well.
The most important thing I’ve learned when writing morning thoughts, or morning intentions, is the feeling you have when writing them. It must come from a place of love and …. gratitude! You guessed it. The Instagram account @law_of_positivism has a great post about this today if you want to learn more.
When I’m writing my stuff down, I always write in the present tense. As in, “I’m so thankful for…” or “I will continue to,” or, “my business IS…” Writing “I need,” or “I want,” is coming from a place of lack and it’s best to come from a place of abundance.
And then I close my notebook, think about everything I just wrote, (I imagine it all coming true and how great that will feel) and then it’s time to start my day and get shit done.
If you’re wondering what exactly I write in the magic little Tj Maxx notebook of mine, well it all depends on the day. But I can tell you there’s a lot of one-liner mantras that appear every single day.
I live the life I want. (This is 100% my go-to, even on crappy days when the last thing I want to do is write in a notebook about how great I feel.)
I am my own boss and always will be.
The Universe is on my side.
Good things are coming my way.
What you think about you bring about.
Reach for higher thoughts.
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
The energy we put out is the energy we get back.
Our thoughts create our reality. Choose wisely.
I also play a little numbers game where I choose one number that corresponds to several things in my life I’d like to improve upon. This year I call it, “The Rule of 8s,” (because of 2018.)
I use the number 8 to set goals for my business, my writing habits, my financial goals, ext ext. It’s a quick way to constantly remind myself what I’m striving for. It’s also a quick way for someone to be really freaked out if they ever opened up my notebook and saw my 88 8000 800 8 88000 88000 80 8000 number sequences written everywhere.
Speaking of freaking someone out, I carry a small slip of paper in my purse with me at all times that contains my current intentions. As you can imagine, this paper gets a bit tattered after awhile and I’ve found myself thinking, I should really get this laminated.
And finally, when you really want to have some manifesting fun, play the “my ideal day,” game. I learned this practice many years ago when I was employed by a certain yoga retailer called Lululemon. Unfortunately, in writing down my ideal day I realized that working at Lulu was not part of it, so I thanked them for their time and walked out.
The key to this game is DETAIL! Detail, detail, detail. Start with where you wake up, what the room looks like, what it smells like, what’s on the walls, the furniture, the bedding, GO. DEEP. It may sound daunting at first, but it gets pretty fun. You’re writing out your dream life, after all. So if you don’t have the time or desire to write out the details of what you really want, why would the Universe have the time to give them back to you?
After you get up what do you do? What do you eat? What do you drink? Who do you talk to?
Write an entire play-by-play of the day you’d like to live. I do this about twice a year. When I go back and read from previous years, sometimes it’s spooky how close I’ve gotten to what I’ve written in the past. One of the first things I ever wrote in this practice was, “I get to hang out with Harlow all day long.” And now I get to do this! And yes, it’s just as wonderful as I always knew it would be.
I don’t have my “house by the water” yet (just an alley still) but I trust the process and know patience is key. I am exactly where I’m supposed to be right now. Every single thought and vibration I’ve had up until this point has lead me here, so if I want to keep building on it, I’ve got to keep putting out those good vibes of abundance 🙂
And now if you’ll excuse me, I have to take Harlow to swim class.
“What you think, you become.
What you feel, you attract.
What you imagine, you create.”
-Buddha.
I always write out what I’m grateful for, too, and have been doing it daily since 2013 without missing a day. I do it at the end of the day, though, and it helps me sleep better, wrapping up my thoughts. It’s really effective at banishing most of my negativity and putting things in perspective! ❤️
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I’ve also been more of a negative person… I think it’s mostly based in humor, but sometimes it’s probably more than that. I think this could be a really helpful post. Time to maybe start a new way of thinking… I mean, I’ve definitely never heard of a positive outlook hurting anyone or turning out badly!
I’ve always been* Oy what a time for typos lol
I needed this today! In my business, so much time is spent discussing the need for daily affirmations and vision boards and la la la but you explained the way you go about yours in such a practical manner. Thanks for the empowerment Totally sharing this with my team!
I’m working on being more intentional this year and writing in journals about what I’m grateful for in hopes to improve my life and turn negativity into positivity. On that note.. I always worry about the notion of “what you think about you bring about” I am a huge health worrier and think way too much about the “what ifs” of life… probably all I need to do is change my way of thinking BUT easier said than done :/
Thanks for sharing!
I love this! I’m saving it for later to help me think about my own mantras I can start. I love the piece about your mantras starting FROM a place of gratitude. That’s such a different mind shift and I LIKE IT.
This is so great!! Please keep writing/posting!!
Some people have to learn to be grateful for things
I think you’re onto something. Your mind is a powerful thing!!
This was the second time I read this post. I’ve been super negative lately – we’re moving from Florida to Wisconsin (my home state) and we’ve had the worst luck with buyers here…this has really reminded me to put more positive out than negative…good things will happen, you just have to put it out there 🙂 xo
I’m so happy you actually kept your word and started writing about “new age mumbo jumbo”. I love this post. My mom was super into this when I was in high school, and thanks to her, I learned a lot from those DVDs and books she recommended to me. I honestly believe in the power of manifestation. You did such a good job explaining it to people who might not know much about it yet. I can’t wait to read what you come up with next! xx
Melina | http://www.ivefoundwaldo.com
I read your blog posts and watch your instastories religiously. I never comment but I’m here. I’m in my early 40’s so I’m much older than you but I connect with your vibrations- mostly your sarcasm and wit but I also really love these posts from you! Not sure why I decided to comment today- I guess I just felt like showing you some love and let you know I’m grateful for your humor, positivity and also vulnerability. I was a bit behind on your posts and just read this a few minutes ago. It brought to mind a quote (not sure of author): “you are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time”.
Cheers!
Hi!
I’ve only recently found this post from a link somewhere.
Since then I’ve opened this page 5 times and even pinned it to my home screen so I have very easy access to it. I strongly believe in the power of the secret and I’ve tried to integrate it into my life for so long and I’ve succeeded but only for a short while. And then I just drop the practice and don’t even realize until months later. This time the realization came from you and your post! I believe that gratitude is so important to not only move forward in life but also really enjoy and appreciate your present. I’ve used the Secret subconsciously in my life so many times but recently a lot of events that have happened in my life have made me a very negative person for the last 3 or so years. I hadn’t even realized this until like August 2017.
So day before or so when I found this post that was oozing with such positivity and happiness, I knew it was a sign.
As I enter 2018, this post is what I’m going to use to ground myself, make myself and the people around me happier and realize my goals and take my life where I really want it to be.
Every time I read it (which is several times a day) i feel so much happier and lighter! I’m going to start with the gratitude journal tonight and try my best to do it everyday for the rest of the year.
Thank you SO much Taylor for sharing this post, for sharing such positivity and for helping people like me realize how much they need to change. The way you’ve outlined every step makes it sound very simple and undaunting. Like it’s a practice like brushing your teeth everyday. It takes barely 5-10 mins but makes a huge difference! 😉
Once again, a heartfelt thank you from my side for guiding me towards bettering myself, my life and showing me how to bring in the positivity with such ease.
You’re an angel!