Shift and imagine.

This is what I do every time I wake up tired or feel less than grateful for my current life situation.

Once I become conscious of the bad feelings, I shake them off and I ask myself:

What do I want?

I focus on the answer and let my imagination roll.

That is what Shakti Gawain teaches in the first few chapters of Creative Visualization.

It’s all about using your imagination to create what you want in your life.

She presents a simple exercise to begin creative visualization. Simply close your eyes, relax and imagine what you want to happen or to achieve.

I tried this after I woke up and I visualized a couple of things:

• working from home in my pink home office
• living in our very own dream home
• having financial freedom

Sometimes I would have very clear images but there were also times when my doubt and worry thoughts interfered. When that happens, I would just let them pass and get back to visualizing.

That’s one important thing I learned about dealing with negative feelings. Yes, it’s okay to get them, but the important thing is to recognize them then let them go.

Feeling good

Imagining what you want seems pretty easy enough. But doing it first thing in the morning requires a bit more focus. Honestly, I fell asleep a few minutes after beginning my visualization. But it felt good to do it.

That’s another important thing. Feeling good and being relaxed is always key to manifesting.

What I’m trying to learn now is how to consciously adopt this attitude every moment of my waking day.

I’ve experienced all too many times before how to drift through the day, to go through the motions and to succumb to negative feelings.

What I’m learning to do now is to deliberately create every moment as I want it. I constantly ask myself, ‘What do I want?’ ‘What feels good to do now?’ And I do it.

As what Shakti says in the book, creative visualization becomes “a continuous awareness, a state of consciousness in which you know you are the constant creator of your life.”

And that’s a very empowering thought. It might seem too overwhelming at first but it’s true. We create our own life. We make our own choices.

We simply have to choose to live our best lives.

Up next: The four steps to effective creative visualization.

Small is good. Start small.

I etched this reminder in my mind. I know I am on the right track.

Since setting my goal for this year, I’ve been working on little projects to accomplish it.

It can get quite challenging since I’ve got a real job to attend to and a family to take care of. Sometimes I get frustrated with the little progress I am making. I have to admit I tend to spend more time studying than doing which I’ve been trying to change.

The thing about frustration is it can snowball into an excuse just to give up the whole thing altogether. But no one ever succeeded by giving up.

Last Sunday, I was feeling this kind of frustration bordering on surrender. I was thinking of giving up until a realization hit me during the church service.

At one point during the sermon, the pastor stopped and told ushers to distribute mini ziplocs containing mustard seeds.

I’ve read the parable of the mustard seed over and over. But I haven’t seen a mustard seed, not even in photos. So when I finally held the bag of seeds in my palm, I was amazed. I never realized it was that tiny.

The church started small. Every big dream started small.

I knew then that the only way I can reach my goal is if I hold on to it and to take steps toward it, no matter how small.

It’s okay to start small as long as you keep going, you keep building, and you keep doing things to make it big.

Suddenly, I felt relieved and encouraged. I felt grateful for the little progress I’d been making. I saw significance in the little breakthroughs I’ve been having.

All these little things will add up and be big one day.

In time, this small mustard seed of a dream will grow into a lush tree.

Big dreams seem impossible. But if you break them down into small goals, the dream becomes something doable.

Everything becomes possible.

What’s your big dream?

Her story kept ringing in my head.

She had just come from an operation and her doctor made her promise one thing: “Promise me, you’ll avoid stress.”

Her doctor went on to say that she has a number of patients who are now suffering from stress-induced cancer. Some of them are 27 – 28 years old.

I can’t imagine women the same age as I am going through cancer. Doesn’t cancer only happen to older people? Apparently, it doesn’t. And stress could be a cancer trigger.

I suddenly examined my lifestyle for the past months. Have I been under a lot of stress?

Thankfully, life is wonderful. God is always good. I am so happy, grateful and content.

I’ve got the most loving husband and the most wonderful kids who make my life so blessed beyond words.

I have an awesome job where I can hone my creativity. I’ve got a great boss who appreciates my abilities. We earn enough to live a comfortable life.

Life is not always sunshine and rainbows but I always look for that crack in the clouds that lets out a ray of light. And there always is.

Sometimes I still get antsy. There are so many ideas bursting in my head. There are so many things I want to do. I’ve got so many dreams I want to fulfill both for me and my family. Sometimes, time doesn’t seem enough.

But I refuse to let worry and pressure ruin my head. I choose to avoid stress. I’ve got a lifetime commitment to love my husband and my kids. And stress might make me break that promise.

Whoever believed that stressful equals successful might be unknowingly committing suicide. Killing himself slowly but surely with all those toxins that debilitate both the mind and body.

So I will take this one at a time.

At a peaceful and relaxed pace.

I love myself too much to be stressed.

I’ve got an amazing life ahead of me and I intend to enjoy every moment of it.

8 o’ clock.

I glanced at the time and silently computed how fast I needed to move if I wanted to make it to work at 9 a.m. Not very much, I thought.

Until I suddenly realized, it’s a Sunday today. I sighed in relief and relaxed a little bit.

“It’s okay, you can go back to sleep. The bed looks so inviting…” That’s the lazy part of me talking.

“This is just the right time to get up. Church starts at 11 and you need at least two hours to get the kids ready.” Of course, that’s the more sensible me.

I was tempted for a moment to justify my laziness thinking weekends are the only days I get to sleep in. I even thought I could skip Church today. One day wouldn’t hurt, right?

But then I remembered how I’ve been waking up tired and sluggish for the past days, always dragging myself from place to place.

When I look back, I can always trace those blah and tired days to mornings like this: giving in to laziness and gobbling on more sleep.

“You can make this day different, you know. You can make it great!”

I got up from the bed and scooped my pink journal out of my bag.

Then I started writing…

“Thank you, God….”

I filled up three whole pages for my gratitude journal and I felt energized instantly.

I took out my vision journal and reviewed my life goals and dreams. I felt on track immediately.

I read my abundance affirmations out loud and finished with a prayer. I felt blessed simultaneously.

Two hours later, I was at the church service with Jamaine and Kalia thanking and praising God for blessing me with motivation and inspiration to start my day right.

Just imagine how much of a difference it would make if I started every single day like this? I would go from blah to good to great.

Do you want to have a great day?

Say thank you the moment you wake up. The fact that you opened your eyes and you’re alive means God is blessing you today.

Take time to remember the things you are grateful for and thank God for all of them. I assure you, it would instantly make you feel better about your life and blessed beyond words.

Review your dreams and goals. Imagine them, write them down or say them out loud. Doing this will help you to act on purpose, remembering that everything you do should be aligned with your goals and every step you take should help make your dreams come true.

Days pass by so swiftly. Years end before we even know it. Every day that passes is a valuable part of your life, you owe it to yourself to make it great.

Photo: ifatma

What is you dream life?

This is mine.

Traveling to different beaches with my laptop in tow. Just logging in every now and then on the internet to see how much millions I’ve earned for the day. Then going back to leisure traveling with my family.

But of course, that’s just for certain months of the year.

Other months, I’d be managing my self-development business, traveling all over the country to conduct seminars and workshops and shooting for my own TV show.

Dream on, the skeptics would say.

Yes, I will dream on.

And I will continue building my dream life too.

After all, we can only go as far as our mind and ambition reaches.

It’s better to dream big and aim our efforts on big things rather than settling for small dreams that seem easier and less risky to fulfill.

What would your dream life be like?

If I were given the chance to live my dream life, I would want a life that:

• allows me to pursue my passions anytime I want to.
• gives me not just financial stability but absolute abundance to satisfy both my needs and my wants.
• enables me to give away millions to help other people.
• empowers me to achieve anything I dream of.

Is it possible to live your dream life?

I believe so.

But dreaming is only the first part.

You’ve got to be doing something about it too.

And I guess that’s the hard part that often scares us away from fulfilling our dream lives and makes us stay safe and sheltered in our comfort zones.

Doing something means we would have to take risks.

And more often than not, a little voice inside us whispers: “You can’t do it. Do you want to fail? Just stick with your life/job now, that’s the practical thing to do.”

And the sad thing is, we often believe that little voice more than we believe ourselves. And it becomes harder for us to see that the dream life is indeed possible.

So how do you silence that discouraging voice?

Do something!

1. Think about what your dream life is like.
2. List down the steps you need to take to achieve your dream life.
3. Tackle the steps, one at a time.
4. When you encounter obstacles, just keep going.
5. Be willing to learn and expand your self.
6. When something doesn’t go your way, be flexible and open yourself up to the numerous possibilities.

Sounds easy to say but seems hard to do?

It all depends on your attitude toward it.

If you begin with an attitude that says “This is so hard, I don’t think I will make it.” I’ll bet you won’t.

But if your attitude says, “This seems a bit challenging, but I sure would do my best and try.” Chances are you’re on your way to success.

Now, I’m throwing the questions back at you:

• What is your dream life?
• How are you achieving / going to achieve it?

I’d sure love to learn from your experiences.