When I first got into manifesting it was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of being what you want to attract. The concept is that you want to put yourself in the mindset of already having what you desire. Already doing the work you want, having the clients you want to serve, making the income you desire. It’s all about the mindset right? While quantum leaping into a whole different lifestyle is completely possible and available to us, it was hard for me to embody something so far beyond what I could imagine.
When I first started this I was making around $30k/year, living in a run-down apartment, stressing over getting gas and groceries in the same week. So of course, the concept of even being where I am right now, running my own company, living in the condo I bought in the ritzy area of town, shopping at Trader Joes -- was a stretch. That previous life was my reality a year and a half ago, but I couldn’t imagine anything different.
I know that this experience isn’t unique, which is why I wanted to speak on the importance of small, incremental changes in your life. Raising your standards bit by bit, to help you manifest and step into the life you’ve always wanted.
Feeling Abundant With Your Current Circumstances
When I first started, I practiced feeling abundant with what I could already afford. I figured that I was already spending the money, so it would be good to practice gratitude with every action. For example, when I had to get new tires, I could feel stressed and anxious over having to drop $400, OR I could feel high vibe about it.
I thought to myself, “Oh my gosh, I feel so grateful that I can pay for new tires right now. Wow, it is so nice knowing that I am going to be safe on the road and I can drive any distance in peace. I feel so responsible for getting this done, I feel really awesome about myself.”
Thinking about it this way put me in a completely different mindset and ever since I always seemed to have the money to take care of my car. I set a new standard internally that I don’t stress over car repairs. I feel grateful that I can conduct maintenance on the vehicle that allows me to see my friends, family, run errands, etc.
For you, I want you to try this week feeling abundance around the things you already pay for. Practice feeling gratitude when:
Paying your rent or mortgage
Gasing up your car
Paying taxes
Paying the gas, water, electricity bill
Enjoy What You Have
I can guarantee that 99.9% of us barter and compromise with ourselves all the time. What I mean by this, is not enjoying the things we already have, because we personally don’t think we are worthy. For example, if I know that I’m going to work out, I won’t wear my nice underwear. Weird right? For some reason, I have convinced myself that since I’ll be getting sweaty, there’s no point in wearing nice underwear…
Or when my mom got me Chanel perfume for Christmas one year. I kept it in the box in the back of my closet and would *only* use it for special occasions. Problem was, there weren't very many special occasions going on at the time. I didn’t feel worthy of wearing it, so I just let it sit there.
You see what I’m getting at right? There is so much in our lives that we already have, that already makes us feel abundant, and yet we barter and compromise with our worthiness. I think it’s really important to acknowledge these moments and to understand where and why this is a rule in your mind.
To break myself from these habits, I challenged myself to use all of the nice things I had and see how it felt.
When I took a bath, I used my fancy Lush bath bomb.
I got rid of all my “everyday” underwear and decided to only wear “nice” underwear, even for workouts.
I wore that Chanel perfume every day.
I generously used my nice lotions, scrubs, and soaps.
I used my favorite coffee cup (I literally would tell myself that it had to be a special day to use my special cups)
I realized that there were so many things in my life that I already had, and I was holding myself back from it because I told myself that I wouldn't be able to afford it again. But when I made these changes I started feeling so much better about myself, and I started attracting more of that feeling.
People started getting me those fancy lotions and soaps as gifts because they knew I loved them. I felt so good in my nicer clothes that I decided I didn’t want to wear my worn-out stuff anymore. My previous “best” became my baseline standard, and with these changes, I energetically raised the bar on what I get to have.
Elevating Everyday Purchases
The next step was to slowly raise my personal standards in subtle ways that made me feel abundant. For example, during my weekly grocery visit, I chose to get cage-free brown-shelled eggs instead of the cheapest option available. I got the coffee that looked the tastiest instead of automatically limiting myself to the off-brand option. I splurged on a wine I really like instead of automatically reaching for the bottom shelf. When it comes to making these changes we’re talking about a $2-$5 difference. It’s not like I was going crazy with the spending, I was simply adjusting my standards of what I get to have. That being said, the important part is to make sure that these choices are actually significant to you. Don’t just go buying things because they cost more.
Personally, I like organic, cage-free eggs with brown shells. I think they taste better, I like that the yolk is darker and richer. It matters to me. Milk, however, doesn’t and I’m still going to get the cheaper, store-brand milk. The whole point is to be mindful and think about what every purchase means to you.
Try elevating your standards with the small purchases of your life.
Get the latte instead of the coffee
Get the shampoo you like
Get the name-brand cleaning supplies you know works
See how it feels and practice feeling abundant around spending.
Take The Leap
Lastly, you want to practice raising your vibe in a bigger way than you have before. I’m not saying to go crazy or max out your credit card, but if you have the means, make a purchase that’s larger than what you’re normally used to. For me, this was the first time I made a large purchase on an online course.
It was Amanda Frances’ Elevate into Overflow bundle. I had been following her for a few months, I was really interested in what she had to say about money and business. I wanted to learn more. She put the bundle on sale at $333 and there was only the pay-in-full option. I had never spent this kind of money on myself before and for “no reason”, but I had the money in my account, and I felt really called.
I chose to bite the bullet and purchase the course, and that automatically changed everything. Before that purchase $300 was a FUCK ton of money. It hugely triggered me, but after? I realized that $300 wasn’t going to make or break me. I realized that I could trust myself and I decided that I was going to be supported in my decisions.
This one is kind of a jump, which is why I call it “taking the leap”. Remember that everything about this process is about being intentional, assessing how you feel, and designing a life YOU desire. At that point in my life, buying a $3000 Gucci bag would have done nothing for me other than stress me out. I didn’t care about a Gucci bag, I didn’t feel called to the Gucci bag. This isn’t about spending money to spend money. It’s about actively raising the standards of your life from the inside out.
I know this was a lot to take in, but it’s also just the beginning. We truly have the power within ourselves to have everything we want. Money, love, success is all available.
This is the kind of work we do in the Shine Fucking Bright coaching program. While together we start and scale your online business, and bring your vision to life with graphics, design, and copy -- we also do some heavy mindset work. It’s a beautiful combination of practical skills and personal development to create massive, long-lasting results.
Click here to learn more about The Shine Fucking Bright coaching program and what I have available!
