Visualize....

The funny thing about all my research on minimalism, decluttering, morning rituals – all the articles I’ve found have led me to other topics for self-care/improvement. I feel like I’m becoming a new age, granoley person (which is not a bad thing at all.) I love granola….and Pinterest…but I digress.

One of the ideas that popped up frequently was that of positive thinking, which in turn leads to the idea of visualizing. Visualizing the life I would like to have, the positive outcomes I am hoping for, and generally believing that the universe wants nothing more than to give me everything I’m wishing for. There are a TON of articles out there on the subject and I’ve only read a small amount, but the idea is very intriguing. My best friend’s mother loved telling us to visualize. “You have to picture what you want and then you send it out to the universe,” she would say. She was also a fan of driving around packed parking lots saying “who’s saving my spot?” And every time a spot would open, and not just any spot. A spot right up front, prime real estate. So what? It was a parking spot, not the lottery. The point is she believed completely in the idea that the universe was going to provide her what she needed in that moment, and dam if that isn’t a powerful idea. 

I’ve decided in this, my unintentional quest to (really) improve my life, I’m going to have to keep branching out in my way of thinking. If that means visualizing things I want for my life, then so be it. But, I think this has to be a two part process. It’s one thing to think about what I want in my life, but I need to also change my overall outlook on life in general. I can’t just say I would like to have a, b, & c, I also need to believe it can happen. That means striving to be more positive, removing as much negativity as I can. I should be hopeful about what could be, while at the same time being thankful for what already is. Instead of having my first thought be “Ugh, I hope they don’t hate what I’ve written,” it should be “Oh, I can’t wait to hear what they like about it!” Instead of thinking “I wish I was making money off of my writing,” I should be saying “I’m so thankful we have the jobs we do and are able to pay all of our bills.” This idea makes so much sense to me in the visualization process. Why would God/the Universe want to give me anything more, if I can’t be grateful for all that I have now?

A goal of each day is to find at least 5 things to be thankful for and write them down – concrete proof of all that is right. A new goal is to say thank you throughout the day, and not just for the easy things. The electric bill is a reminder that we have the wonderful conveniences of the modern world. A pile of laundry means I have clothes to wear, while dirty dishes point to all the food we have to eat. So many people in the world would love to have these “problems.” 

My hope it that eventually saying “thank you” will become as natural as breathing. I know in this day and age commiserating with someone over bad stuff is such an easy habit to fall into. It’s more common for some reason to bemoan when we’re having a bad day as opposed to sharing enthusiasm for all the good in our day. I am so guilty of this – I don’t know why it’s such an easy trap, but I sincerely want to be better about it. 

So I’ll start with this….. Thank you for reading and I hope you have an amazing day!

~Adrienne