Five steps to create your new year!

Happy New Year 2018...

I looked back on my 2017 Blog posts, and discovered that I only posted seven times! I guess that is acceptable for my first year of blogging, since the number seven signifies "completeness" in biblical terms, lol. I hope to write more in 2018... I won't say how much more, in case you hold me to it!

What can we learn from 2017? I guess I can say that, whatever happened in 2017 (good or bad), I may or may not allow those experiences to define who I am. How can I not, you might ask? Doesn't each experience we go through add to our identity, whether we want it to or not? The answer is YES, unless we choose otherwise, but it takes a conscious effort.

Here is a story of a friend who chose not to let a horrible experience define her. She moved to Vancouver (from small town Alberta) to take on a professional sales role last year. Two months ago, a cab dropped her off on her city street late one evening. Before she even got to her front door, she was jumped from behind, beaten, and left unconscious in a pool of her own blood. She did not see her attacker... the police are still working on the case. Today, her face is scarred and will probably never be the same again. This experience could have left her feeling vulnerable, fearful, insecure, and unlovable with her scarring. However, she is choosing not to let this experience define her, but rather, is learning to re-create who she is from within her instead of from her external circumstances. This process does not happen overnight.

How do we consciously define our own reality or set a goal? Here are 5 simple steps, inspired by Dr. Joe Dispenza, to start this process...

1. Disconnect from the external world for at least 10 minutes a day. Close your eyes, turn off your cell phone and all external stimulation.

2. Observe your breath - Observe yourself breathing deeply, which will bring you into the present moment where you are the most creative. Uninvited thoughts may come into your head... don't fight them. Let them come, but bring yourself back to the present moment by observing your breath again. Repeat as many times as necessary until your thoughts hold less power over you. Now you are ready to create your future.

3. What do I want to create or become? Think about your goals... physical, mental, and spiritual. However, just work on one at a time. Visualize yourself obtaining the goal. Rehearse in your mind what you will be doing differently, the choices and steps you will take, moving forward.

4. Attach the elevated emotion of gratitude you would feel, as if you have already attained this goal. The more you practice this and feel this emotion, the quicker the experience will be drawn to you, or something better. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" Proverbs 23:7. We are who and what we think we are. Jesus adds, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24. We must believe in order to receive.

5. Let go of the unprofitable behaviors, habits, thoughts, and words, that keep you tied to your past. If you wish to create more love in your life, then you must first feel love. If you wish to create more abundance in your life, then you must first feel abundant. As long as you feel lack, then that is what you will continue to create. We must let go of feelings of lack, sadness, loneliness, hatred, misunderstandings, envy, unforgiveness in order to attract abundance, joy, friendships, love, understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness.

How do we let go of old habits? By observing them. When we observe our habits or thoughts, we bring them from the subconscious (autopilot) into the conscious mind, where we can then mindfully choose to behave differently.

As you practice the above goal setting faithfully, you may find that you no longer allow others and circumstances to define your reality. Rather, you are guided and defined from a higher level of consciousness within.

Here's to a prosperous and amazing 2018! May we be bold enough to create new opportunities this year, as well as be strong enough to not let unexpected tough experiences define us. Let me know how this works for you! I would love to hear some of your success stories.