October Manifestations

Here we are, day 1 of the Blog Every Day in October Challenge! I decided to start the month with the prompt, October Manifestations. In recent years, I've become more aware of living intentionally and the power of our mindset and manifesting the life we want. I have a lot to learn, but I absolutely love and believe in the idea that we can create the life we want. I thought this was a perfect way to kick off this challenge. And to set the tone for the month ahead.  

One of my best friends has been helping me learn more about manifestation, and I've come to think these five principals are critical. I am working on incorporating them into my daily life. 

Visualization | Affirmations | Gratitude | Vision Boarding | Mindfulness/Meditation

When I sat down to write this post, I thought of the first words that came to mind when I thought about the month ahead, and what I wanted to focus on and prioritize. The from there I can work on the five practices above to manifest. The first words that came to mind were: gratitude, happiness, connection, slow, motherhood, health, mindfulness, passion, purpose and clarity. 

Gratitude - I want to focus on gratitude and keeping a gratitude journal. It's something I have thought about often, and tried to do in the past, but haven't been able to stick to it long term. I need to stack it with another habit, so that I can continue the practice long term. While reading a book recently, I had the idea of writing down just one sentence about each of the boys each night, so I thought that would be a fun way to start. 

Happiness - I just read a book on happiness that was transformative. I'm actually already listening to it again because I know there is more I can get out of it listening a second time. I'd like to dive deeper into this topic, and even do my own Happiness Project like she does in the book. I have a wonderful life, and I would like to discover ways to find more happiness is the life I'm already living.  

Slow - Slowing down, not adding so much to our endless to do list, and just enjoying this phase we're in in our family. We're always go go go, and I'd like to just hit pause sometimes and relish in the normal. The boring. The everyday. 

Motherhood - While I'm not working, I want to focus on Motherhood and being the version of the Mom I have always imagined myself as. I want to make time to volunteer in Graham's class, go to a PTC meeting, have fun crafts ready to go after school, plan fun outings on the weekend, bake together, watch movies, and play. Sometimes I'm so busy, but with what? Now I don't have an excuse. And in just over two weeks since I've been off work, I can feel a huge shift in how I show up as a mom, and it feels amazing. I think there is even more to discover where that came from. 

Health - Something I've always struggled with and has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. Now with extra time, I need to prioritize my health. Both with nutrition and movement. I want to live a long and healthy life, and to do that I need to take care of myself. 

Mindfulness - Truly focus on the things I want and values I've set out. Live intentionally towards those things. Try to stay fully present in the moment. 

Passion/Purpose/Clarity - These all tie together. Having lost my job last month, I am really focused on my next steps. It's becoming clear that I was not happy in my job, and I can feel substantial changes in myself in the just over two weeks since I haven't been working. While it feels like the "right" thing to do is hit the ground running looking for a new corporate job, and jump right back into the status quo, my gut tells me to run the other direction. Why is that what I am "supposed" to do? Yes, our family needs a second income, but isn't it worth taking the time to explore options that also bring me fulfillment and joy? That is my focus this month. To not ignore my intuition, but to listen more carefully. To trust in it, and follow it. That it is likely leading me to something wonderful.  

I'll let you know how I do throughout the month with practicing Visualization, Affirmations, Gratitude,  Vision Boarding and Mindfulness/Meditation as a method to manifesting. I'm excited to refer back to this at the start of November to see what changes I notice in the next 31 days. 

Thanks for following along, see you tomorrow for Day 2!