As spring has entered (or so the calendar says), I have added some new commitments to work on with hopes that come summer, those that resonate will be a new part of life that I truly embrace and enjoy. But before we get back to the now, I wanted to wrap up my winter commitments and exploration that have led me here.
I shared that my focus was on gratitude and I put a practice in place that I follow each and every morning, It took shape over those winter months and led to what I do every single day now. This is how my morning goes once I step out of bed:
- I first open the shades, look out and take in the view and say “Good morning, world” followed by “thank you for another wonderful day”
- My next step is generally to put on some music that fits what I feel I need – happy songs, songs that make you want to dance, calming tunes, etc. And I let that play as I do the things – brush my teeth, shower, etc. Many folks do their ritual first thing, but what I have found works for me is that I listen to music, get in the right mood, and “get ready for what is next.” What is next is what comes after my gratitude practice. This could be putting pajamas back on and enjoying a relaxing weekend morning with a big cup of coffee; getting ready for work, heading to my basement for a workout, going for a walk, heading out to run errands….whatever is next is what I am getting mostly ready for.
- Next, I turn on some calming/focusing music and I go back to my window. I thank the Universe and God for the abundance they send my way and for this life journey on this beautiful earth. I then go into my morning breaths. The way I have been doing this over the last month or so have been a series of breaths, coupled up for different focuses:
- First two breaths have been for healing power (or whatever I feel I need the most that day). I’ll use healing as an example, and for that, as I inhale, I try to feel or visual healing washing over me and flowing to areas I may have pain. As I exhale, I visualize roadblocks being washed away.
- Next two are taking in light and positivity. I tend to visualize the beams of the sun hitting me (even if the sun is hiding or not out yet) as I inhale, bringing the feeling of joy and positivity into focus. As I exhale, I let out the negativity (that I am both aware of and unaware of) and I picture that being released. For me, the visualization that works is picturing cartoon-like dustballs or dirtballs leaving me. (Think Pig Pen from Peanuts cartoons)
- Lastly, I take in two breaths of love. Breathing in love, picturing my heart growing, glowing, etc., as I try to truly feel love or an embrace. This time, though, I’m not looking to release, but looking to share. So as I exhale, I’m sending love back into the world and many times I visualization hearts going out…you know like a Care Bear might send out.
- After the breaths, I move on to morning affirmations. At the beginning of this, I made myself a ring of affirmations to read daily and I do. These can be whatever you need to remind yourself of…but the one that chokes me up often is I am grateful for everything I have.
- Once I’ve completed those, I go to my chair in my Manifestation Station for some journaling. During the months of practice, I had some pain in my elbow that made writing a bit difficult, so I switched to speaking my journal instead of writing. I now alternate based on how I feel (most days I speak it). I follow the layout of a manifestation journey I purchased from Amazon, but the approach is easy:
- Three things off the top of my head I am grateful for
- Three things I am asking for/open to receiving
- A check in – How did I sleep? How do I feel? What do I want to focus on and celebrate today?
- More detailed gratitude expressing what I am happy and grateful for
And that’s a wrap on the daily routine. It’s been incredible. I often find myself overwhelmed with emotion as I express gratitude for the detailed items. I generally cry tears of gratitude at least once a week as I go through this. And it’s been truly interesting. There are days where I am tired and don’t “feel like” doing it, but I do it anyway. I even acknowledge it in my practice that I’m grateful to do it even if I don’t feel like it, or feel blocked, or am keeping the list light. And within a day or two, that block is gone and I have a stronger list that is bringing me to tears!
For me, the consistency has been key. It’s what has helped me stay grounded, stay focused, be open to further exploration in many areas (like making moon water!), and led to true self-love that I’ve never experienced before.
I also have some additional items I do on a regular basis, but not daily. Once a week, I put a note into a jar of something I am grateful for or that sparked joy over the past week. At the end of the year, I will read them all back and be reminded of how blessed I am as I look forward to the new year. I also draw affirmation/manifestation cards (three) once a week, asking the universe what I need to be reminded of…I put those up for me to see throughout the week to keep me focused on this journey. And on days, I feel like I need more, I draw a card for that day. Once a month, I think about people in my life that I’m grateful for or that have helped me on this journey in some way and I send out a few cards where I thank them and remind them of how amazing they are. And randomly, I’ll fill out cards with a kind note that I’ll hide around a store for others to find in hopes it will brighten their day.
Soooo…that was the winter! This journey has been amazing so far and I’m excited to keep it up and explore many other things. It’s not always easy and as I find myself exploring, getting deeper into gratitude, kindness and positivity, I feel how negativity affects me differently and how to work through that can be a challenge. But it’s one that I’m ready to take on as I learn more, as I work through the negativity, trauma, or whatever you want to call it that still hides inside me from the past, and as I find balance.
Don’t get me wrong, every situation can not be all unicorns and rainbows, but when it’s not, taking a step back and finding something I’m grateful for and focusing on that…along with grounding myself and going into a space to figure out how to handle the tough stuff sure helps! (More to come!!).
I hope you can take some time to find something you are grateful for today and I hope it helps lighten any weight or worry you may be carrying, even if just for a bit.
