If I were to drop the ‘M’ word most of you would probably roll your eyes right into the backs of your heads - to be perfectly honest I often do the same. But what if instead of overusing a diluted word, we actually TALK about how we get from where we are to where we want to be in our lives? What if instead of using wishy-washy, ill-defined terminology and simply moving on we really focused on what it truly means to create our more deliciously aligned futures?

Recently I’ve gone from living in a nightmare – creepy landlord, mould poisoning, barely making rent each month, a mental breakdown… the lot! – to completely flipping my world upside-down and living my dream life.

I could tell you it was easy and that all I needed to do was think positively and ✨MANIFEST✨ (queue spirit fingers), but in all honesty it took work, it took dedication, and it took grit. It wasn’t an easy ride and I regularly struggled to be positive or even get out of bed for that matter. What I did do each and every day was visualise my life outside of the life I was living at that time. Sometimes because it was fun but often out of pure desperation. The more I saw where I wanted to go, however faint and unspecific, the more I began seeing ways of getting there.

And that’s where it all began.

I’ll say it again… that’s where it BEGAN. Seeing yourself out of your situation, whether it’s in a job you don’t like, in a relationship that doesn’t feel right, or a slump you’re in, is the very first step. What comes next is following that trail of crumbs that comes from tunnel-visioning your future. How do you want your life to be different? Where do you want to be? Who do you want to be around? What do you want to surround yourself with? What do you want your days to be filled with? How do you want to feel? Answer these questions in as much detail as you possibly can and see where they lead you… even if you have a clear image in your mind, simply writing these things down may surprise you.

As humans living in the world we do we’re predispositioned / taught to look out for hidden landmines and so our focus is often settled on what we want to avoid. The truth about manifesting is that it leads you towards the possibilities of life instead of always thinking about the worst case scenarios. This is why so many of us completely lose interest when we hear the word “manifest” – afterall, how naive must we be to blindly look in the direction of lala land without taking into account all of the possible pitfalls? And you’re right, this is naive and totally irresponsible. So bare with me for a minute while I ask you to go there… be completely naive and totally irresponsible just for 5 minutes…

If you knew you would succeed, what different life choices would you make? - actually think on this for a few minutes and write down what you come up with.

That’s the absolutely absurd part over and done with, and most of you have probably only heard people talk about this part, but now is the most important step to changing your life. Now is the part where you find that it is possible. Truly, grounded in reality, actually possible. Is it possible to quit your job, end a harmful relationship, start a new passion project, go travelling, move into a new neighbourhood, stop a bad habit? Now before your mind starts looking for all of the ways it’s not possible, bring yourself back to your vision and ask yourself again… how is this possible?

This is the hard part because most of us will have our internal fearmongerer on automation by this point and it will probably take a little while to put them on mute while we do the work of looking for glimmers along the path. It’s possible that I could find another job, I started this one. it’s possible to say goodbye to and move on from a relationship, I’ve lived without them before. it’s possible to find even just 30 minutes in my day to start a new project, I could do it on Sundays. it’s possible to travel the world, I’ve seen others do it. It’s possible to move to a more desirable location, people move all the time. It’s possible to stop that bad habit, I know there are people who would support me in that…

When we begin looking, we start seeing small cracks in the darkness where there is possibility. The key is to keep your eyes on where you want to go and figure out the steps along the way to get you there. It might be more straightforward than you thoughts or it may take a little creative thinking and research – it certainly did for me! The more you look at the possibilities with openness and determination, the more will appear and soon you’ll find yourself half way down a path you never before thought possible. Each “what if” will take you further down the path until you look around and see that you’re where you once only dreamed you could be. But this takes more than imagination. To live your dream life – whatever that looks like for you – you must act upon your findings, not just imagine them. If asking the ‘dream life questions’ is the first step, and following the ‘path of possibilities’ is the second, then the next step is always to take action. Apply for that new job that gets you excited, do an online search for a new home in a neighborhood you like, book that pottery class on Sundays, send a message about a work-away project or sign up to Trusted Housesitters to travel on a budget, ask a friend or family member to be an accountability partner to help kick that bad habit… whatever the next step is, take it. And then tomorrow take the next step. Sometimes they’re small steps, like signing up to a website or making my TH profile was for me, and sometimes they’re bigger steps, like selling most of my things or booking my first ticket abroad was for me. But if you take each step as it comes and you’ll find yourself living an extraordinary life.

Two months ago I was living in an overpriced, damp, mould-riddled apartment in a cold city where I hardly knew anyone with construction noise keeping me from building my business and a landlord who peered through my bedroom window. Today I’m rent-free, in the sunny Spanish mountains, booking my next destination as a full-time traveler, and waking up each day to songbirds and pinching myself.

I BUILT THIS LIFE. Positive thinking, vision boards, and manifesting were tools to get me started and they totally have a place on this journey, but all the heavy-lifting was done by yours truly. And it was all so deliciously worth it. It always is.