Dont Manifest Shit.

Such a catchy title huh? Also, a pretty basic concept- don’t manifest shit in your life. Have you ever dreaded going somewhere because traffic was going to be so terrible, and then when you went, you weren’t surprised because traffic was terrible? Have you dreaded going into work because you knew that it was going to be a terrible day and then, your prophecy was fulfilled and it was, in fact, a terrible day? This is what I refer to as manifesting shit. There are a few ways to overcome this and instead of manifesting shit, manifesting “the shit.” I do love a good double entendre (yes, I also embrace the corny).    

Let’s start with the law of attraction, you will attract what you think about and focus on. You have the power to speak things into existence. It’s a truly remarkable concept and one that can be difficult to believe, but it is also truly true (is that a real phrase?). If you determine that something will hurt, be terrible, or shitty in any way, you are using the amazing power you hold to command the universe to make it so. Try controlling these thoughts and words and refraining from them. I’ve read and been taught about this philosophy many times from many sources. Somewhere along the way I picked up “cancel command” as my “go-to” to stop this train from leaving the station. For example, I might say, “today I’m probably going to cheat on my diet” or “the lines at the grocery store are going to be sooooo long that I should make sure my phone has a full charge to keep me entertained.” I have practiced catching myself in the act or shortly after the fact of manifesting some shit like that and I say, “cancel command.” Something about these words resonate with the Star Trek fan in me, but you find what phrase works for you. You could try “scratch that” or “I put my thing down, flip it, and reverse it.” Whatever works, you do you.

The next part that helps with this, is plain old positive thinking. We do have the ability to fool ourselves into happiness. The perspective you put on a situation absolutely controls the way you feel about it. Instead of “this medical procedure is going to hurt” you could say “I’m so fortunate to have medical care!” Or maybe instead of “the line at the store is going to be so long” you could try “YESSS! I’ll have at least 60 minutes of mind-numbing boredom to catch up on listening to podcasts.” Okay, that last one could use some work, but you get the drift. Slowly shifting your mindset to one of gratitude, appreciation, and looking for the “silver-lining-glass-half-full-instead-of-empty-kind-of-thing” (please someone make that a hashtag) pays off big time in your overall outlook on life, stress levels, anxiety, relationships, damn near every aspect of your life.

But, but, but, what if something bad really DOES happen, I can’t be a mother f&$%ing Pollyanna my whole damn life. So true. You can’t get fired and act like it’s the greatest day of your life and shove your feelings down deep to only cause you to eat a pack of Oreos or have some really weird emotional problems later. Sometimes, you need to feel what you feel and process it. This is okay. You don’t need my permission to lose your shit, but you have it anyway. Negative things in our lives teach us lessons to get to our greater path. They have just as much value as the positive things, if not more. Don’t dwell in that dark place for too long. Feel it, process it, talk about it, and then start to let it go. Don’t perpetuate it over and over or intentionally focus on it. If it comes into your mind and you feel like you haven’t thought out all of the parts of it, then think on it some more, otherwise, don’t let it haunt you. It is also helpful to put things to rest, like “that line at the store sucked, next week it will be better – THE END.”

Starting with small steps and leaning in is a good way to go about anything. Start by “cancel commanding” any of your normal negative thoughts. You’ll be surprised how much of a change this alone has. For those spots that just won’t wash out, try changing your mindset to be grateful for that shitty thing and change how you feel about it. And then of course, you are a real human, not a vegetable. Sometimes you just have negative experiences, but don’t let them control your life or be the boss of you. Wanting to make sure your life is “the shit” and not shit takes practice.

Here’s the challenge for the next seven days. Set a reminder at the end of the day to review how your thinking may have been manifesting poop or positivity. Make notes (either mental or journal) about something you started off anticipating negatively that you turned around by being thankful or changing how you looked at it. Select your own phrase to “cancel command” those negative thoughts and use it. Finally, resolve and let go of negative or unpleasant things that have been haunting you. Let me know how you did!