Manifesting success
In this Edition:
NOTE: THIS post was supposed to go out on July 4th.
Quote (with bonus quote)
Update
Motivate: Manifesting success
Book discussion: Review of ALL YOUR PERFECTS
Medical Moment: The power of berries
Final thoughts
Update:
Happy 4th of July!
I hope you’re doing well today. My week has been filled with stories, my own, but mostly other’s.
This past week JW of Onyx Publications and I did four author podcast interviews for the upcoming summer issue of the magazine. This is always a fun time, but it’s also very busy.
To prepare for these interviews, we not only read/reread the short stories and/or poetry, but we list questions for the authors, educate ourselves on their background materials, and then execute the interviews. I’ve met so many interesting people through Onyx. Next week, I’ll likely announce the posting of the last podcast of the spring edition of the magazine, which I also recorded this week.
Also exciting is Onyx’s fall contest. Details below.
In addition to reading, narrating, and podcasting, I read the first chapter of my new novel aloud to my larger Wednesday evening writing group for feedback. Progress on my own novel slowed this week because of the podcasting, but I’d polished my first chapter, and I wanted to see what people thought.
I received good feedback, most of it very positive, which was encouraging, and great to hear because the day before I had one of those negative moments that most, if not all, authors (and people for that matter) experience from time to time…doubt.
I hit a snag in my book’s timeline. I was tired, and when I was struggling to figure out time-frame and sequence of book events, I started thinking I was writing garbage, that this book wasn’t going to work out. I went to bed feeling uncomfortable with my abilities as an author.
I woke up the next morning feeling better, my “can do” attitude back in place. Those feelings typically don’t last, but I think we all experience them from time to time, in one aspect of life or another. Sometimes those feelings of inadequacy linger for much longer than a day.
Which brings me to something I’ve also been thinking a lot about this week…
Motivate:
Have you heard of the term “manifesting?”
The idea of “manifesting” is that if you focus on something you want, imagine it, feel it, experience it before it even happens, then you will create that outcome in your life. Essentially, you make your dreams your reality by the power of your own thoughts and positive action.
Over the past few weeks, this concept has been prevalent in my life, through me incidentally reading about it, friends mentioning the word, etc.
I’ve been throwing the word around myself, but I decided to actually look it up and really think about what it means. I have a friend who’s waiting to see if something great is going to happen to her, and we’ve been discussing being positive. I told her to “manifest success,” something she was already trying to do, but I didn’t really think about the implications of that phrase, so I pondered it.
If you google “manifesting,” you’ll be hit with a ton of information; some of it sounds a little woo woo, but ultimately, the concept is fantastic. To an extent.
In the articles I read, I found it interesting that God was never mentioned. For me, the idea of “manifesting” is tied directly to my belief in God. But you likely already know this about me. It’s also possible “manifesting” will mean something else to you than it does to me.
You’ve probably heard of the laws of attraction. These concepts go hand in hand with manifesting. You attract what you are. If you’re positive, you attract more positivity. If you’re negative, you attract negativity.
I love this, but I think I have a slightly different approach.
In list format, manifesting/the laws of attraction (from what I’ve read on the internet) essentially looks like this:
Decide what you want and why.
Visualize yourself having already accomplished what you want. Feel it. Taste it. Hear it. Let your imagination make it your reality.
Write it down. Think about it. Be positive. No negative thoughts should surround your “manifesting" because then you’re giving the universe “mixed signals.”
Be thankful when you get it.
For the most part, this sounds great. I don’t believe in giving “the universe mixed signals”, but I think this comes down to truly believing in yourself.
When you ask either God or the universe for what you want, I don’t necessarily believe that you can think it into being by your own mental powers. I mean there are unexplained abilities out there, so I don’t discount this idea. Anything is possible. And I think there’s a lot we simply don’t understand.
But I think one has to be careful not to look at this concept like magic, which discounts the power of your own internal perspective. I believe in answered prayers. Sometimes un-explainable or illogical things occur, right? The world we live in is filled with untapped nooks and crannies. Fascinating.
But your “asking and believing” isn’t magically giving you the desires of your heart, it’s changing you as a person—inside—putting yourself in the right mindset to achieve success.
The toughest part of achieving isn’t convincing other people that you can do it, it’s convincing yourself. That you’re capable. That you’re worthy. Other people can believe it about you all day long, but if you don’t believe it yourself, then the likelihood of you achieving your goals and dreams goes down dramatically.
My value comes from God. He tells me I can, so I believe it.
Sometimes we confuse self-confidence with arrogance, and there’s a huge difference. Finding yourself worthy doesn’t mean you aren’t humble. It’s the exact opposite. If you love and treasure yourself, if you believe in your own ability to achieve (even the smallest thing), you are much more effective, not only in your life, but in other people’s lives as well.
Before I go off on a tangent, let’s get back to manifesting success.
Once you decide what you want, believe in yourself enough to go after it, stay positive about it. I firmly believe that what you surround yourself with creates your environment and fosters or hinders your ability to move forward. The universe (or God, for that matter) isn’t granting your wishes like a genie. Your mindset is key, in my opinion.
One thing you’re around all the time, without escape, is your thoughts. So make them positive.
If you’re always self-deprecating or self-doubting, you will begin to believe you aren’t worthy. If you always see the negative in your situation or expect a negative outcome or say “I can’t, they won’t, it’ll never happen,” then don’t expect it to because you’re building the house you live in. If you fill that house with negativity, don’t be surprised to look around and see negativity, all the things you don’t have, all the things life is not.
When you’re strong enough to believe you can, even if you get a “no,” you’ll be strong enough to keep going. See that “no” as a stepping stone, not the end. When you fill your house (your self) with positivity, you will look around and see what you have, what life is, what life could be. And more will follow because you’re in the “success mindset.” And that is the nature of attraction.
I know from personal experience that I am drawn to people who are positive (and genuinely so). Why? They lift me up. They give me courage. They clear the obstacles somehow.
But positivity doesn’t mean you have a smile on your face all the time. It doesn’t even mean you aren’t realistic. Sometimes life sucks. Bad, sad, unfortunate things happen and no amount of “manifesting” changes that. But your foundation inside can make recovery so much faster, if it’s built with the proper tools and materials.
Final thoughts below.
Book review:
All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
Category: Romance
After that whole erotica debacle, (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it was in a previous newsletter.) I said I’d never read another book without reading the book jacket first. Well, I did it again. I didn’t read the summary for this book. I just listened to the audio, found myself interested enough to continue and read it.
Thankfully it wasn’t erotica.
Is this book good? Yes.
Should you read it? Well that depends on your state of mind.
If you’re looking for a light romance, this ain’t it. This book tackles infertility and the destruction and rebuilding of a relationship. It’s real and realistic (for the most part) and raw. Lots of sweet moments, but also devastating ones.
If you like real-life stories with common human struggles that end well, then yeah, check this out. If you’re depressed or want a light get-away read, I’d suggest saving this one for another time.
Goodreads summary:
Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.
Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.
All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?
Medical Moment:
I try not to eat much sugar. I was better at this before I discovered how delicious iced coffee can be. But berries, some of which are in season right now—June-August, are a sweet treat you can enjoy with benefits.
Berries are an incredible source of phytonutrients (natural chemicals that help you stay healthy) that act as antioxidants, which helps prevent damage in the body.
They’re high in fiber, so, when not over-eaten, they don’t cause a spike in your blood sugar, as some fruit does.
Blueberries are rich in myo-inositol, a nutrient that plays an important regulatory role in thyroid health, reproductive health, hormone regulation, glucose uptake regulation and may be involved in serotonin uptake (our happy and calming hormone).
Blueberry buying and storing tips: Buy blueberries now since they’re in season and freeze leftovers for later. Store berries in the fridge, but don’t rinse them until you’re ready to use to prevent molding.
Blackberries are not only antioxidants, they contain fiber, potassium, and vit. C, and studies have shown that they help boost brainpower and may act as an anti-inflammatory.
Store blackberries in the fridge and eat within a few days of buying. They mold pretty fast.
Final thoughts:
You are worthy.
You are capable.
Hold your worth in your mind. Go after what you want, believing you can achieve what you set your mind to.
You can, but you won’t unless you believe you can.
Possessing self worth is not arrogance.
Don’t put yourself down because when you do, you give others permission to put you down and you give others permission to put themselves down. You set the tone for how others see you.
I never encourage being fake, but if you’re struggling to believe in your own abilities and project positivity, try that old “fake it ‘til you make it.” idea. Attempt to live the life you want to have until you have it, which brings us full circle because that’s manifesting. :-)
This may help too: Write down/actively think of all the positive things in your life. List your strengths. Actively reject the negative thoughts when they come. You don’t necessarily have to be more positive, just attempt to be less negative and slowly you’ll change.
I hope this week you see your worth, focus on what you can do, and manifest yourself one of the best weeks out there, no matter what the week actually holds.
Until next time, much glitter,
Melissa
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