5 Strategies to Manifest Your Best Year Yet

Welcoming the new year

As we usher in the new year, let’s take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days and set the stage for an amazing year ahead. In this blog post, I’ll delve into five essential strategies to help you manifest your best year.

wHAT IS MANIFESTATION?

Before we dive into the strategies, let’s demystify the concept of manifestation. Manifestation involves transforming intentions, desires, and dreams into reality through thoughts and beliefs. It is often linked to the law of attraction, which states that positive thoughts bring positive outcomes into your life. To put it differently, you just need to believe that what you want is possible, and it will come to you.

While there is no scientific evidence that the law of attraction actually works, research suggests that adopting a growth mindset is a more effective approach to realizing aspirations. Unlike the law of attraction, it emphasizes the importance of combining positive thoughts with proactive efforts, including learning new things. It also acknowledges setbacks as part of the learning process.

Let’s now discover my favorite strategies to manifest your best year.

1. Setting clear Intentions instead of goals

To manifest your desires, it’s crucial to be clear about what you want. This year, instead of setting traditional resolutions or goals, try setting intentions. While goals are future-oriented, specific, and concrete, intentions are more abstract and focus on not being attached to any results. If goals target specific measurable outcomes, intentions are centered on how you want to be in the present, regardless of whether you’re experiencing success or facing challenges.

Working towards goals can boost motivation, but it might also make you feel like what you have now isn’t quite cutting it. If you’re too focused on future goals, you could miss out on appreciating the good things happening in the present.

In yogic philosophy, setting an intention is often referred to as Sankalpa. Sankalpa combines the words “san,” signifying a connection with one’s highest truth, and “kalpa,” denoting a solemn vow. Dr. Richard Miller explains Sankalpa as a “heartfelt desire,” i.e., a statement that mirrors one’s authentic nature. Sankalpa implies that you already possess what you need inside you. You just need to focus your attention to discover your true nature and the higher life purpose within yourself. Examples could be: “I am happy and healthy” or “My body and mind are strong.”

Dedicate some time to reflect on your aspirations. Think about what really matters to you and how it could positively impact your life. Consider the following strategies to assist you in setting clear intentions:

Brainstorming

Take pen and paper and generate ideas by jotting down anything that comes to mind. Then, eliminate those that don’t strongly resonate with you.

Verbalizing

Discuss your thoughts with friends and family to gain clarity.

Mindful meditation

One of the most effective tools is mindful meditation. It helps bring attention to the present moment, often through focusing on breathing and awareness exercises. Mindful meditation encourages self-reflection and awareness of thoughts and emotions. It can also improve your concentration, allowing you to focus more effectively on your goals and intentions.

This year, instead of setting traditional resolutions or goals you can practice creating a Sankalpa. The Sanskrit word “Sankalpa” refers in yogic philosophy to a vow or commitment to fulfill a higher purpose. It can take two forms:

The first one implies that you already possess what you need inside you. You just need to focus our attention to discover your true nature and the higher life purpose within yourself. The examples could be: “I am happy and healthy,” or “My body and mind are strong.

The second form of a Sankalpa is a specific goal or intention you set to reach the higher purpose. It’s like a milestone on the way to your true nature that can guide you through. This form of a Sankalpa is similar to a New Year’s resolution. However, a New Year’s resolution implies that you don’t have what you are striving for, so it is typically formulated in the future tense. For instance: “I will stop smoking,” “I will begin exercising 5 times a week,” etc. Sankalpa, on the contrary, uses the present tense: “I am calm and compassionate,” “I have harmony in my life,” etc. Don’t you think that these sentences sound more powerful and inspiring?

Yoga Nidra

If discovering your Sankalpa proves challenging, try Yoga Nidra. This practice, known as “yogic sleep,” facilitates a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep. Apart from its physical and mental benefits, Yoga Nidra provides a space where you can become aware of your needs, long-held emotions and even find out who you are, i.e. define your Sankalpa.

Three essential questions

While determining what to manifest this year, consider three essential questions:

– Will this bring happiness and fulfillment to my life?

– Does it align with my beliefs and values or is it some external influence shaping my decision?

– Can it potentially harm myself or others?

This mindful selection process enhances the likelihood of successful manifestation.

2. Vision Board

Visualization is a potent tool for manifestation, especially if you are manifesting in the new year. Compile images, quotes, and symbols that mirror your aspirations and create a vision board. Place it where you’ll see it daily to reinforce your commitment to the exciting journey ahead. For several years, a cherished tradition in my family involves gathering on New Year’s Eve with a stack of old magazines and newspapers. Together we cut out images, words, or sentences that align with our goals, dreams, and desires for the upcoming year. Next, we compile these elements onto a board, which we then hang in the kitchen. This way, each of us can literally have our goals and dreams right before our eyes.

3. Gratitude Journaling

Once you’ve clarified your intentions, it’s time to start working towards your goals and turning your dreams into reality. A regular gratitude journaling practice is an excellent tool to help you keep a record of your achievements and learn to appreciate positive aspects of your life. This practice contributes to cultivating a more positive attitude. Studies suggest that individuals with an optimistic outlook are better at recognizing the ways in which they’ve successfully manifested aspects of their desires. Moreover, expressing gratitude for things in our lives that bring joy generates positive emotions, contributing to an overall sense of happiness. According to Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, people who are happy tend to interpret life events and everyday situations in a manner that perpetuates their happiness. On the contrary, those who are unhappy tend to interpret experiences in ways that reinforce their sense of unhappiness (Liberman, Boehm, Lyubomirsky, & Ross, 2009; Lyubomirsky, Layous, Chancellor, & Nelson, 2015; Lyubomirsky & Ross, 1997, 1999; Boehm, Ruberton, & Lyubomirsky, 2021). In simpler terms, happiness can pave the way for success.

4. Releasing Limiting Beliefs

The start of a new year is a great opportunity to liberate your mind from negative thought patterns and self-limiting beliefs. These are false statements you keep telling yourself that hinder you from certain actions and constraining your personal growth, success, and overall well-being. Identifying and overcoming these beliefs is crucial to unlocking your potential and achieving your goals. Although it might be a lengthy and challenging process, the rewards are well worth it!

To begin, pay close attention to recurring negative self-talk or thought patterns about yourself and your abilities. Write them down. Next, challenge these beliefs by questioning their validity and attempt to reframe them. For example, if you find yourself saying, “I have no time for self-care as I work 9 to 5 and have two kids,” consider its accuracy. Is it genuinely true, or is there room to enhance your time-management skills to balance family and work? Instead of accepting the initial thought, reframe it by saying, “I can find time for self-care by reorganizing my daily routine.” This shift in perspective is vital to train your brain to recognize positive aspects in every situation. As mentioned earlier, cultivating a positive attitude will eventually pave the way to success.

5. Celebrate Your Achievements

As you embark on the new year, celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Establish rituals of success to honor your progress, motivating you to stay committed to your goals and reinforcing a positive mindset.

Conclusion

Armed with these essential strategies and yoga tools, manifest the new year with confidence. Embrace the journey, cultivate mindfulness, and prioritize your well-being as you navigate parenthood, professional success, and personal development. May the coming year be filled with growth, balance, and the realization of your deepest dreams.

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Are you interested in yoga, fitness, and personal development? So am I! Are you trying to juggle parenthood and work? Me too! In my blog, I write about all these topics (and more!) as I want to help working parents find energy, strength, and balance in life.