by Nikola | Nov 18, 2018 | Law of Attraction
When you think about your heart’s desires, do you feel delighted that they are on their way to you? Or do you get sad and depressed that they haven’t manifested themselves yet? Does life keep you so busy that you feel there is no time for you to give attention to what fills your bucket?
Have you read “The Secret” or other books about the Law of Attraction, but just don’t get it right? You are not alone. I have been there, and sometimes it comes more natural than others. Along my way I have found a few things that might help you as well. These real life tips will get the Law of Attraction finally working for you.
According to many Law of Attraction Experts and The Secret, there are many techniques that are at your disposal to work the Law of Attraction to your advantage. However, every technique always informs the simple process of “Ask, Believe, Receive”. I like to call it “Ask, Believe, Achieve and Receive”. We will get to that.
Real-life story
I clearly remember the time in my life before I had heard of the Law of Attraction and The Secret. My life was lacking a sense of direction and a nagging voice told me constantly that I should have had this figured out already.
But after reading “The Secret”, things started to fall into place. I gained a sense of direction, and within two years, I had moved onto another continent and started my life from scratch.
The Secret was a great eye-opener for me and I love it dearly, but sometimes I found it a bit hard to grasp exactly what I was supposed to do.
Only until much later, became I aware that I was using the Law of Attraction to help me with this seemingly gargantuan task of leaving my hometown, security, friends and family. I just knew deep within myself, that this was what I wanted, what I wholeheartedly believed in and therefore I took action and received it. Feeling deep down in my heart that things would work out beautifully, I never questioned the how, I just felt it.
Within 2.5 weeks of arriving in Canada, I had landed a job in an amazing company, and we moved into our first rental apartment after only two months. It is important to note here, that we only viewed ONE apartment. Our new home was within our price range, almost brand new, beautiful and in a neighbourhood we liked. And we got it, even though we had no rental history and barely any references. We still got it. Law of Attraction in action.
So let’s break down the steps:
Ask
According to the Law of Attraction and Quantum Physics, everything in our universe has a frequency. When our frequencies are aligned with the frequency of our desires, manifestation happens.
Clarity
Making an ask to the universe, you need to be crystal clear in your mind what it is you really want. Would you tell Amazon to send you “something you like” and then wait for it to show up? If you are vague about your ask, you will send conflicting frequency out to the universe and all you will receive back are conflicting messages and circumstances.
Words Matter
Choose your words wisely, your words are powerful tools that express your emotions and convictions. Negative words like no, not or never, don’t, are non-existent for the Law of Attraction. And it makes total sense. If you say, “I don’t want to struggle for money any longer.” your thoughts and emotions center on the fact that you struggle. You will receive more reasons to struggle. Work on shifting your words to the positive. It might feel awkward at first, but it will come naturally with time.
Funny side-note: I sing the song “You are my sunshine” to my daughter quite frequently. I reworded the last line from “Please don’t take my sunshine away from me” to “With you, my sun will always shine every day”. First, she contradicted me and told me that those where not the lyrics, but I got her used to this line now. So much more positive. *chuckle*
The How
It is not your job to concern you with the how. Your job is to be clear in your ask, believe wholeheartedly and to receive with open arms.
Once you have asked for it, trust that the universe will take care of it for you. Let’s use the same analogy again: If you placed an order on Amazon, would you order it over and over again, because it hasn’t arrived yet? Silly, right? It is the same with the Law of Attraction. Ask for it, clearly, in your mind or out loud and then move on to the next part.
Believe
After you have made the ask, believe that your dream is on its way to you. Believe, believe and believe a little bit harder. When we made the decision to move to Canada, everything I could think about was Canada. It was all I wanted to talk about. I believed that we would make it. There was no guarantee that we would be able to become permanent residents, but I believed in it.
Words Matter: Yes, they still do.
Do not contradict yourself with your thoughts, words and actions:
“I want this new job, but how am I going to be able to compete with 160 applicants?” Try to phrase it in the positive and repeat the statement over and over when doubts creep in: This is my job! My employer just doesn’t know it yet!” I said this to myself and friends over and over when I applied for my current job, which I absolutely love, love, love!
When in doubt
If you feel that doubt is rearing its ugly head, shift your energy, thoughts and feeling to something positive. Anything. Don’t allow doubt to settle in. You could try a few affirmations to shift your focus and notice the positive way these are worded:
- I can do this!
- My dream is on it’s way to me.
- I am so grateful for what I have in my life.
Receive/Achieve
See how I tagged on the word Achieve to the holy trinity of Ask-Believe-Receive? It is because I strongly believe we need to take inspired action in order to achieve our dreams. As far as I have experienced, you will be so excited for your dream to become a reality that you will not want to sit still and wait for it to manifest. You will want to take action.
Feel it
The Secret talks in great detail about feeling it. This was hard for me to understand. Use everything that is available to you to make you feel and believe that you have your dream already. Utilize as many props as you need to help you feel it. Mix and match until it feels right for you.
For me, there are a few areas that I cannot imagine how I could feel like having them. For example, I tried shifting my mind to losing weight. I could never convince myself that I already had the body that I wanted when the opposite stared me right in the face every time I looked in the mirror. That does not mean it will not work for you. If you feel it, you can do it. I just take my inability to believe in it as a sign of my intuition that other areas deserve more of my attention than my weight.
When I now get the “I simply know it” feeling, I will do everything in my power to move into the direction of this feeling. I really believe that your feelings guide you to where you are meant to be. Things will fall into place.
Try these:
- Buy a piece of gear that you will need when your dream manifests. For example, if you want to travel, make sure you have a good suitcase and your passport is up to date and valid.
- Write a cheque to yourself with the exact amount you are asking the universe for and put it into your wallet.
- Good vibrations: If you are stuck in the car commute to and from work, turn on your absolute favourite music, think of your dream and listen to your songs until you feel tingly all over. You’ll not only come home with a big grin on your face, but you are also shifting your energy and frequency to align it with what you wish for.
Vision Board
Create a vision board with one or all your dreams. Use cut-outs from magazines, newspapers or whatever you can glue, tape or pin somewhere. You can use a cork board or poster board and hang it at a wall you look at often, or you use a journal *winkwink*. Pinterest is also a good system for your vision board. 🙂 Just make sure you look at it often. I love doing this. It is so much fun.
Visualize, visualize and visualize some more. Seriously.
If you have your eyes set on a specific house, envision how you would decorate it, where you would put your things and how you invite your friends to your housewarming party.
Did you read the article about me landing my dream job? I visualized every morning where I would take a turn from the main road into town to drive out to my new job! I even saw my name above the email signature.
Gratitude
There are probably more gratitude exercises for me to list than you would like to sit through here. These are my favourite:
- Monthly gratitude challenge
- List all the things you are grateful for
- Gratitude rock: select a rock that you like, put it in your pocket and every time you touch it, give gratitude for whatever comes to your mind.
- Evening Gratitude – give gratitude for the day that has come to a close and express gratitude for the day ahead as if it already happened. So fun!
As I said, play around with what works for you. If you had an idea about something and it feels just right in your gut, go and follow this feeling.
And what does this have to do with Bullet Journaling?
Glad you asked. I have found that my bullet journal — that, by the way, I did not intend to start, it simply happened or fell into my lap — helps me with all three steps of this process.
In the beginning, I write my Ask as a statement into my journal. I get really clear on what I want and phrase it somewhat along those lines:
I visualize, desire and manifest for (insert here), to be/have (insert here). Describe your dream as vividly as you can mentioning different aspects of it to round it up.
I am so grateful for (insert reasons here).
I can do this!
Signature, date
Then, as I plan my months and weeks, I include the steps that I need to take as to-do’s in my journal. Break them down so they won’t overwhelm you. Just go one step at a time. I’ll also make sure to either include a gratitude challenge or little spaces for weekly gratitude notes into my spreads.
Taking my notes daily and watching my dream come true is incredibly inspiring.
What are your favourite ways to use your bullet journal to achieve your dreams? I’d love to hear your stories.
by Nikola | Nov 12, 2018 | Bullet Journaling, Happiness
Are you overwhelmed by your daily to-do list and could use a break? Do you feel guilty about not feeling happy despite all that goes well in your life? You are not alone and you might not schedule enough “me-time” into your daily and weekly routine. Here are 12 monthly pages about self-care that you can include in your bullet journal. You can also download these FREE printables.
Spending time with yourself is one of the most important things you can do for your mental and physical well being. Studies have shown that self-care or “me-time” not only reduces stress and depression, it also boosts creativity, productivity, happiness, gratitude, and empathy.
Even though you might feel you are taking time “out” of your schedule, you are actually putting energy back “into” your life.
Chances are, if you are using a bullet journal, you are already dedicating time to yourself. Great job. Keep at it.
Include these 12 pages ideas in your Bullet Journal as a “Me-Time” challenge:
Simple pleasures
- What songs do you turn on to boost your mood?
- What movies never fail to put a smile on your face?
- What friends always know how to make you feel better?
- What items such as blankets or cozy socks can you always turn to?
- What never fails to brighten your spirits?
Loving the age you are right now
List all the reasons why you are happy to be the age you are right now.
Unexpected Beauty
List all the times when you discovered unexpected beauty in a seemingly ordinary moment.
Empowered
Write “I am” statements that make you feel empowered.
- I am enough.
- I am creative.
- I am a strong.
- I am full of ideas and vision for my life.
Anything is possible
If anything was possible, what would your life look like?
Happiness list
List all the things that make you happy, or smile:
- Smelling flowers
- Seeing the sun breaking through the clouds
- Watching my child sleep
- A home-made meal that I receive praises for
- Sipping tea with my best friend and discussing love, life and Bollywood movies
Practicing Gratitude
There are probably very few of us who enjoy waiting in line for something. Think of all the lines you wait in and write about why you are happy to be waiting in them.
Thank You
Thank your body for all it is capable of.
What makes you feel strong?
List everything that makes you feel strong. If negative thoughts pop-into your mind, push them away and tell them they have no power over you.
This is so me!
What items & rituals make you feel most uniquely you? Here are a few ideas:
- Wearing scarves
- Your favourite belt
- Your favourite jewelry
Adventures await me
What adventures would you like to someday embark on?
For this page I used Japanese Keyboard-memos and layered them on the bottom of the page. Aren’t those cute?
What colour captures who you are?
Fill this page with cut-outs, colours, and tapes of that colour.
Wow, that was a blast. By including these self-care practice pages into your bullet journal you will have gone onto a self-discovery journey by the end of the year. Each month, it might not seem like you put anything into your journal that you don’t already know, but putting words to your thoughts and feelings will let you get to know yourself even better, giving you inspirational prompts throughout the year and for the year ahead.
by Nikola | Sep 4, 2018 | Happiness, Dreaming
How to Listen to Your Gut?
You have probably heard that advice one too many times before. This is obviously one of the many things easier said than done. What I often ask myself is something along the lines: “What the heck does that mean?” or “My gut is not talking to me at all”! But all in all, there is something so fundamentally true to that statement that we should not overlook it, just because our “gut” is sometimes confused.
The more you check in with Mr. or Mrs. Gut, the easier it will become to listen to them. If it is dead silent (not necessarily a bad sign) it could be translated to “Not too sure about this one, please come again”. Eventually, if you will keep trying to listen and to follow your dreams, it will talk to you. Loud and clear.
Here are three signs how your gut might try to tell you that you are onto something:
1. The idea keeps percolating in your head
Your idea stays with you for a long period of time and you will get back to it over and over again. You will probably start feeling very excited when thinking about your idea and you will start reading about it, researching, daydreaming and talking to other people about it.
2. You see ways to achieve your goal
Another dead-on sign that you are onto something would be that you can see how you can achieve your dream. Or, you see yourself taking the necessary steps towards it.
In the case of landing one of my jobs, I did not hesitate to write my application. I was that excited about this opportunity, it almost wrote itself. I thought of easy ways to keep myself in the mind of my future employer, following up with them at the right moments, without being afraid of being cumbersome.
When I had the idea about starting this blog, I had mentally made a list of things that would need to happen for this dream to become a reality. I knew I was able to create a website and maintain it, I had an idea what to write about, I knew what I needed to learn more about and I had a pretty good idea how to find all that information.
So after percolating this idea for about six weeks, researching the topic and the technical side of things and seeing myself doing each individual task, I took the leap of faith and purchased a domain and started setting it up. I am still freaked out about it. In a very good kind of way, believe me.
3. You start telling people
You might find yourself telling people about your plan. Maybe in parts or maybe the whole idea, but you might find yourself telling your friends and/or family about bits and pieces of it just to test out your idea and hear what they might think about it. Will they be supportive of your idea? Or will they share their experience of having gone through something similar? Will they give you good ideas on how to tweak things?
Whatever you do, whatever your signs will be, your gut will tell you when you are onto something. Just trust it.
One more thing:
Don’t underestimate the power of talking about your dream.
You might be shy about it, not sure if you ready to share it with the “world”. I certainly was. What I just recently learned is the following: You need to tell people about your big dream. Or the one you are currently working on. You might be surprised on who shares in your dream, who can help you get started and who can connect you with people who are already living the dream.
If I had not opened up about wanting to get back horseback riding, I would not have had the opportunity to go with my daughter’s daycare provider. I would not have learned about the co-worker whose family owns horses might be interested in leasing one out. I would not have connected with a woman who used to train horses while both of us enjoyed a Zumba class and I would not have been told by a stranger I met walking to hold onto my dream and fulfill it.
Granted this stranger turned out to be a woman who walked her two Icelandic Horses *love* on a local trail while I was out walking the baby in the stroller. Nevertheless, I think of her often and she is an inspiration to me. So go out and talk in whatever form feels comfortable to you. Good luck.
by Nikola | Aug 15, 2018 | Dreaming
When you think about your dream, what are the main challenges you are facing? Is it time, money or health?
Health
This would be the biggest item I would say. If you have the time, skill and money to live your dream, but are not healthy enough to do so, those assets become meaningless.
Your situation is as unique as you are. Evaluate your personal situation and see where you can find help. Some health-related challenges you might be able to overcome yourself, but many others you might not be able to do so.
For example, I was struggling with a very bad back, with arthritis pain so severe that sometimes I would not be able to get out of bed. It was debilitating. I spoke to many people, doctors and practitioners about it. What helped me, in the end, was strengthening my core by doing Pilates, changing my diet and adding supplements to my daily regime. When I was at my worst, I could not even begin to imagine that I would feel that much better as I do now. Often there is a way.
However, just as often, you need to seek help. I sought help as long as I needed to find the way that worked for me. Believe you can get better, seek help and listen to your gut.
Money
The second biggest obstacle to fulfilling your dreams is probably money because if you had enough money, you probably would also have enough money to make time for your dream.
So, yes, this is also a tricky one. Just because you want it, money will probably not rain down on you. Try to find avenues that are available to you:
- How much money does it actually cost to make your dream a reality?
- Can you earn more in the job you are currently in? Will this be enough?
- Could you find a new job that pays more?
- Can you learn more skills to get a higher-paid position?
- Can you find an additional way to make more money?
- If you have said no to all of those, can you tweak your dream to get even a little closer?
Let’s say your dream is to sing professionally. Could you join a choir or a band? Can you connect to someone who shares your dream and you could practice together? Or in my case, does it have to be your own horse? Could you start saving money for lessons and then find out if you could help out with chores in the barn to get the lessons cheaper? Once you have come to a step or even a few steps closer to your dream, you will connect with people that might help you along the way.
Time
Time challenge can also be a huge obstacle in your path to success.
For many parents, their day might look like this:
- Get up and ready to go
- Get the children fed, dressed and ready to go
- Drop them off at daycare or school, drive to work.
- WORK.
- Drive home (prime time to figuring out what’s for dinner),
- Ppick up kids from daycare or school,
- Come home, make dinner,
- Spend time as a family,
- Help with homework,
- Get them changed, bathed, teeth and hair brushed,
- Read stories, say goodnight,
- Clean up kitchen, make lunch and breakfast.
By that time, a lot of parents (like me) are so exhausted that they happily turn to their couches, without any energy to work out, learn, spend time with your hobby or even realize your dream. Dun, dun, Dunn.
Does this sound familiar?
I know, and I only have one. How other parents handle more than one is beyond me.
However, even with a tightly packed day, I am certain there are some things that could be tweaked to bring you more flow.
Time management, getting organized and prepared in advance are your friends.
Record where you spend your time for a few days and see how you can find room to improve.
- Can you cook in batches
- Get groceries delivered?
- Could you get children more involved in daily chores and routines?
Get organized and prepared for the day ahead in the evening to de-stress your morning routine. The possibilities are endless.
Good luck and have fun tweaking.
These were my 10 winter themes for my bullet journal. Which ones have you tried before and which one is your favourite? Yes, I know, I am from Canada so I continuously spell “favourite” with a U. As you might have noticed, I budged for two of the spreads though. Thanks for reading.
Haven’t we all been there? Do you have lots of dreams, but don’t have a moment to spare to even think about making them come true? Or you are so overwhelmed by life and your tasks that you have come to believe that you don’t have any dreams? With these time management tips for busy moms or simply busy people, you can get ahead of the game and carve out more time for what is really important to you!
1. Assess your time
Aren’t we all guilty of doing this? Just one more scroll on your social media, just one more episode of the latest show or not being able to stop playing games into the wee hours of the night.
1. Get the right amount of sleep
