Thank You, Next

After returning from vacation this week, Himself and I discussed the anticipation of having the next thing (trip, event, etc) planned. It creates excitement to carry us during long work weeks and stress.  In stark contrast to this conversation, Facebook gave me all the memories of the COVID shutdown anniversary.  [SHIVERS]

As I looked over those memories, I remembered how challenging it was to have NOTHING to look forward to FOR MONTHS–no vacations, no parties, nada.  Yet in that liminal space between the promise of 2020 and the grief we collectively endured was beauty and joy in the small stuff.

My Enneagram 7 struggled with having #nothingsplanned and it kicked off my educational journey.  My boys were home for dinner every single night, a luxury we had not enjoyed for years with sports and activities.  Tbone built legos, we cooked together and played games, we even built a fire pit in our backyard.  One particularly BORING day, I styled both my sons’ hair–a thing that never would have happened but for the lockdown (and it provided a ton of laughs).  There was much to be grateful for despite the loss we shared.

As an aficionado of manifestation concepts, I know that gratitude is critical.  When something beautiful is achieved, even when a lesson is learned, acknowledging the gift matters…it keeps our energy and our attitude in growth mode which attracts more growth.

As important is looking to that NEXT thing!  Get into details–how will you feel on that vacation or what will you wear when you achieve that goal? Visualizing mentally, or even with a full vision board keeps us focused on that goal or dream. Does this sound silly to you?  Let me ask you this, if you were to remodel a room of your home, would you keep a file of color swatches and styles?  If you work with marketing or any sort of designer, she will ALWAYS create color stories or storyboards to keep focused on the end result.  Why should our lives be any different?

None of this happens without sweat factor.  I will NEVER suggest success is easy.  In fact, this image hits me hard each time I see it.

The piece we often overlook, however, is the mindset.  The Law of Attraction is clear that we can change the energy around us to receive.  Self-doubt, lack of clarity around goals, and imposter syndrome are just some of the challenges we can change in OURSELVES to support the work and more tangible challenges we may face.

Learning to visualize the RIGHT way matters.  Using gratitude as part of imagining the thing has already been achieved exemplifies just how important that acknowledgment is.

Ariana Grande was talking about relationships in her catchy song, “Thank You, Next.”  Ultimately, I think it’s a lesson to us all to be grateful for all parts of our story so we may look forward to the next fun thing, blessing, and goal.