When I moved to Edmonton six years ago I found myself in a difficult headspace because I had been bullied. One day, I just found myself in a yoga class. Every morning, I would show up. Every day, for an hour, I found a safe space to just focus on myself and not think about anything else. After each class, I spend a couple of minutes to pray, meditate and set intentions. That year, I started an Instagram account which became my vision board and my journal and mindful goal setting.
Give yourself the chance to start fresh, on a clean slate. Rather than setting a year-long goal, treat this as a life long journey towards promoting optimal health and overall sense of wellbeing.
Here are a few simple steps that have worked for me. Hopefully some of it resonates with you. These steps will serve as a template to mindfully motivate you and help you find your why and guide you to live your purpose.
It’s time to take control and make your goals all about you. I know some of us would make excuses like “oh, maybe when my kids are older; I’m not ready yet; I’m too tired, too busy, too stressed.” You can’t always control what happens around you, but there are things you can do to be in control of your life. Make that choice to change for the better, to feel the way you want to feel. This is about you taking responsibility for your own self, your own physical, mental, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. It’s time to stop being lost in thought about what others may think or say. It’s time to make a commitment to recognize the power within you.
Journal and manifest. Every day set a time to write in your journal. I do recommend doing it every morning. Try to wake up five minutes before your alarm. It’s not that hard. I promise!
Use this time to write down your affirmations and intentions. What do you desire to happen in your life? What do you want to achieve? Collect vibrant beautiful images and keep them in your journal or you can create your own vision board.
Envision yourself completing your life goals. Do you like what you see? Every single step you take, can you say, “I am loving what I am becoming”?
Take action. Work hard for it! Keep yourself accountable at the end of the day by writing an action plan in your journal. Chart your progress, your thoughts, and anything that you would like to change. Do you want to feel and live differently?
Self Love. Learn how to compliment and reward yourself when you deserve it instead of constantly criticizing yourself. So, set a time each day to love and pamper yourself.
Some ideas ideas include, lighting a candle, sage or a Palo Santo to cleanse the energy in your space, meditate and say a short prayer. Or listening to serene music or binaural beats on your headphones; closing your eyes to feel each vibration in your mind and body. Or you could draw a warm bath with essential oils and sprinkled with dried rose petals.
Goal setting is the easiest part. Actually showing up and being consistent is the hardest. We have all set goals in the past and those goals just may have been abandoned or forgotten. So, the big question is, how to motivate yourself to work towards mindful goals and practice sustainability.
This process is called retraining your brain. Do this in order to give attention to manifesting your intentions and setting a direction to focus on reaching your goals. Retrain your brain because for a goal to be truly motivating it has to appeal to both your conscious and unconscious mind. Remember, do not beat yourself up when your intentions have not manifested just yet, every day is a new day, breathe deep and reset. Listen to your body, listen to what your heart says.
It is your life, your choice.
Happy New Year and Blessed be!
By: Sherry Nic
