"Not sure what an “abundance coach” is? I grilled one for deets, and (spoiler) her tips might just be the key to actually changing your life. Let me explain: Every January, we all say, “This will be my year,” as if changing the calendar magically brings us healthier habits, a more successful career, or our dream relationship. But then we make it to the end of the year without much changing, and we swear that the following year will be the one that will change our lives. Sure, we’re consistently growing and changing, but most of us never reach our best selves or dream lives like we swear we will on January 1. I’m over the pointless New Year’s resolution cycle, so I asked Jocelyn Kelly Reid, an intuitive abundance coach and feminine energy healer, how to make this year different from any year before.
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Reid is an expert on using energy to attract abundance and manifest success, which means her strategy is way different from the typical “Get a promotion” or “Work out five times a week” goal-setting that only points out what we haven’t achieved yet. Scroll down to read Reid’s best tips you can implement today in order to make 2024 your most successful, abundant, and joyful year ever (actually).
1. Practice intentions over resolutions
Instead of worrying about a New Year’s resolution, claim an intention. When we set resolutions, we tend to set them 10 steps ahead of our current reality and then quickly feel defeated when we can’t manage this new way of living because we haven’t allowed ourselves to take the proper steps first. I have found that intentions have a much higher success rate than resolutions, which typically make us feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and unaccomplished. Write down your intention on a piece of paper or put it on a Post-it somewhere that you look on a regular basis like the fridge, bathroom mirror, or on your desk.
For example, my intention a couple years ago was to be more intentional with each decision that I made, and it truly changed my life. I was more intentional about who I was spending time with and how I was spending my time (even down to the smallest moments). It made me live more “on purpose” rather than continuously operating on cruise control. Even the basics like fun and rest (which are major priorities for me!) were amplified. By making this simple adjustment, I created what is now nearly a seven-figure business—when I had no plans of starting a brand the previous year. Because of this intention, I was able to be extremely proactive with how I lived my life and in turn created a business with a hell of a lot more ease and flow. Setting an intention is life changing!
2. Get present with yourself
Rather than rushing out of bed in the morning, take 15 minutes to sit in complete stillness and allow your thoughts, feelings, and scattered energy to drop out of your body and into the floor, seat, or surface beneath you. This practice supports you in emptying your energetic body of anxiety-inducing thoughts and helps you stay calm and centered throughout the day. Life happens in the “now,” so the more anchored you are into the present moment, the more capacity you have to create magic.
3. Practice gratitude
Every day, write a list of 10 things that you are grateful for. The list can be truly anything on your heart: people, experiences, pets, or the gratitude that you have for simply living another day. A regular gratitude practice sounds simple, but when practiced consistently, it increases your baseline for feeling good, in tune, and in flow with life. Over time, it also reduces the occurrence of your brain dropping into a negative thought pattern. The better you feel, the more abundance will be drawn into your life.
4. Make your body your priority
…and not for the sake of looking good but to feel good. While fatigue, anxiety, sleep deprivation, or bloat seems common, it isn’t meant to be your natural state. The human body is intended to thrive. Make it a practice to check in with your body throughout the day to see what you need. Some easy adjustments include drinking lemon water in the morning, taking naps, getting regular massages, or taking supplements that are right for you. Also, walking more helps get our bodies and lymphatic system moving (especially if you’re sitting at a desk all day).
Remember this is not about losing 20 pounds (unless you are doing that from a place of love for yourself); it is about creating a peaceful, nourishing atmosphere within. The calmer you feel, the more you’ll be able to receive your manifestations and the more capacity you will have to walk through life powerfully.
5. Expand your mind
We often look to others to show us what’s possible, but I’m a big believer in showing yourself what’s possible. The biggest mistake that people make in manifestation is staying in their current energy, actions, and environment and waiting for big things to drop out of the sky. This is not how manifestation works: You have to start moving toward what you desire, sometimes in non-linear ways. Book the trip that you’ve been dying to take or spend a weekend at a hotel that you love to really shake things up. Buy that fancy perfume you’ve always wanted or redecorate your home into the palace of your dreams (of course, all within—I’m not telling you to spend your entire paycheck! You can start small and build up). The moral is to do whatever feels luxurious and expansive for you to inspire growth toward your desires. The more expansive you allow your life to get, the more you will see that you are stepping into an entirely new reality.
6. Forgive yourself
We spend far too much time in the space of regret. When you actually forgive yourself, you create more energetic space for good things to come in. I recommend laying down and putting your hand on the part of your body that feels full of emotion (whether it’s a metaphorical association like your heart or where you physically feel tension like raised shoulders). Then, allow those emotions to melt away. While you’re doing this, reaffirm that you love and forgive yourself. This can be very powerful for situations that feel deeply regretful—we are humans and are allowed to make mistakes. Let yourself feel those emotions and finally move on to the better things in life.
7. Do something today that your future self would thank you for
You will become the highest version of yourself that “has it all” by consistently taking mini action steps toward your dream life. Your dream life is laid brick by brick, so the more you “build,” the more you invite magical moments into your reality that you wouldn’t have anticipated otherwise. IMO, “waiting on life” is a fool’s game. Instead, reframe this to “Life is waiting on you.” Start acting like whoever your highest self is. What is their morning routine like? What do they eat? How do they approach meetings or dinner plans with friends? Start acting in those ways now rather than waiting for a dream job, dream group of friends, dream bank account, etc.
8. Have fun
No, seriously! Having fun acts like a magnet when it comes to attracting your desires. Often, when we feel stalled or stuck, we simply aren’t having enough fun. Sure, we’re meant to learn a lot of lessons and work hard for what we want, but the best part about being human is getting to enjoy the things that only humans can experience (like going on trips, eating delicious food, hosting parties, meeting new friends, laughing hard, being spontaneous, and planning adventures). I encourage you to make the decision to live. Learning to create joy, no matter what is happening in the world, is why we’re all here. Take advantage of your human existence (without feeling guilty)—I promise, it feels good.
9. Get out of your comfort zone
Get out of your comfort zone, and better yet, do something that scares you. It’s hard to receive more if you’re only doing what you already know. If you stay the way that you have always lived, how do you expect your life to change? Remember that living a bold, glorious life is also full of taking bold, glorious risks. The most successful people in the world are big risk takers. Believe in yourself and go for the gold.
10. Don’t take life too seriously
We tend to take life far more seriously than we need to, and it creates a lot of stress and overthinking and less sound decision-making. For example, we often slip into being more offended than is needed by something someone said or did or judgmental about someone else’s life choices. Remember that people are just doing their best with the tools that they have and that their best may not be your version of their best. We’re all doing this thing called life together. Keep everything in perspective and it will feel far easier.