A couple of years ago, I was introduced to a 49-day intention exercise that was life changing. An intention exercise requires that you set a goal and then consistently focus and meditate on that goal until it comes to fruition. But the most important requirement is BELIEVING. At the time, I was experiencing one of the worst heartbreaks of my life after becoming prematurely attached to someone who suffered from severe commitment anxiety. I took his rejection personally and it sent me into a downward spiral emotionally. I had completely lost myself. Though I’d always believed in the power of prayer, I knew that in addition to prayer, I needed to begin to do some serious introspective work to not only come out of the funk that I was in, but to reclaim my power.
Needless to say, my first intention exercise was about self-love. Learning to love myself so that I could attract what was good for me. I was specific about petitioning the universe. I wrote down my intentions as if they had already manifested. I stayed away from phrases like ‘I hope’, ‘I’ll try’ and ‘I’m going to’. These are all low-vibrational, stagnant phrases that don’t project the same power as ‘I am’, I manifest’, and ‘I attract’. Once I mapped out everything under the “love of self” umbrella, I would meditate on what I’d written everyday…write out the same intention the following day and meditate again…for 49 days. If I forgot to do the exercise, I would start all over and go back to day one. The goal was to stay as focused as possible.
After years of feeding myself negative messages, I began to consistently work on changing my thoughts. It took some time. There were days when I struggled believing that I was fearfully and wonderfully made or simply enough. But the trick was to identify when I was falling back into negative patterns and shift my thinking to positive ones. Eventually, I began to see small changes and feel better about the person that I saw in the mirror. Then larger blessings began to manifest. I worked up the courage to launch my food and travel blog (a dream that I sat on for nearly two years). The flood gates opened with opportunities. Free trips, collaborations, having my work featured in national publications and personal relationships that were in alignment with my divine purpose all presented themselves.
The more I mapped out my goals, meditated on what I wanted and made a conscious decision to remain focused, the more I became clear on what (and who) I did not what in my life. I learned to speak up for myself and create healthy boundaries. My anxiety subsided. I let go of what I couldn’t control and stopped blaming myself for others’ projected messes. Like they say, your thoughts become your reality. And although my life isn’t perfect, (I still have bad days), at least now I have some tools to keep me on track. All of my life, I’d been wishing that people would see the God in me. Today, I can confidently say that thanks to a lot of self work, I now see the God in myself. And that’s worth its weight in gold.
Featured in Thought Catalog