Keeping the Faith
As we close out another year, it can be a good idea to do an inventory on our wins and our losses. What goals did we achieve? What eluded our grasp? What unbelievably good fortune came our way? What slipped past us?
If we’re not careful, however, this kind of thinking can lead us into a trap. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find it much easier to fixate on what didn’t happen instead of what did. And then before I know it, I feel a sense of time running out. The end of the month becomes a deadline for all of the goals I still haven’t met and for all of the good fortune that I haven’t received. I start ruminating on what 2018 might have looked like. On what I’m not holding in my hands this very second. And pretty soon, all the wonderful surprises and achievements and goodies of this year aren’t nearly as important as what I have yet to accomplish (ideally before December 31st.) Because down deep is this nagging thought: if it didn’t happen already, then how on earth can I expect to ever see it happen??
Whenever I start feeling like this, I remind myself to make room for faith. I don’t necessarily mean spiritual faith, though that is a big part of this time of year. What I’m referring to is the unshakeable conviction, despite all evidence to the contrary, that your highest good is on its way to you – even if you can’t see it yet.
One of the definitions of faith in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is a “firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” And proof, as we all know, is paramount. It certainly comes in handy when we’re at a holiday party, catching up with inquisitive friends and family. Did we finally get our novel published? Uh, no. Meet the love of our life? Not quite. Get that promotion? “Nope,” we may say, our spirits a little crushed.
Not yet, we must think.
Because the Universe hasn’t forgotten about you. It’s just on its own timetable. It’s still cooking up miracles, and the more faith we have in those miracles coming to us, the sooner they’re bound to arrive. In fact, it’s the very fact that you don’t have proof that makes having faith so powerful. Faith requires you to believe in your wants and desires more than in the reality you can actually see. It demands that you believe in yourself. It pushes you to take action. It calms the part of you that fears change. And it’s the mechanism by which we can actually attract our highest good into our lives.
But we also have to do our part to keep our faith strong. Here are some easy strategies to keep our faith strong and vibrant as we head into 2019:
- Meditation. Spending at least ten minutes a day focusing on our breath and clearing our mind not only helps us calm the chatter in our brain, it can connect us with the voice inside of us that knows good is coming.
- Gratitude. Every night before bed, write down ten things in your day that you feel grateful for. They can be as simple as “the roof over my head” or “the joke my coworker told over lunch.” Feeling grateful for all of the good in our lives helps us know that more good is being cooked up and sent our way. (Plus, it also helps attract more in our life to feel grateful for!)
- Affirmations. Every day write down what you want as if you already have it, know it, or embody it. Write it in a sentence five times in a row. Example: “I am a brilliant author with a published novel.” The act of creating affirmations tells you that something already exists. It takes it out of the unknown and plants it firmly in the here and now.
Having faith in the not-yet seen isn’t easy, but with practice it can become second nature. If you’d like to head into 2019 with more faith and less doubt, schedule your free thirty-minute consultation with me today! Or consider joining my 2019 World Changers Group. This group is open to 16 people who want to go deeper into their lives, uncover their passion, and figure out what they are meant to do. Each month I will lead a two-hour group coaching call over Zoom, you’ll be assigned an accountability partner, and you will get an individual one-hour coaching session monthly. If this opportunity feels right to you, click here to find out more.
You have all you need inside of you to make 2019 your best year yet.
