Have you ever found yourself celebrating a friend’s big new opportunity and you couldn’t help but ask yourself, “what about me?”. Or maybe you saw a photo on social media of a friend in a happy relationship and heard your inner voice again, “when will it be my turn?”.
Feeling ‘left behind’ happens when you start comparing your own journey to the journeys of others and let go of belief. In those moments, you’re dwelling in a disconnect between the way you THINK your life should be going and the beautiful place you’re in now. It’s natural to ask those questions, but dwelling there isn’t healthy.
What is healthy is having dreams for your life. But one of the most important traits of being a dreamer is having patience, gratitude, willpower, and undeniable belief in achieving those things. In this state of mind, you are more open, able to receive, more creative and more resourceful. Even when feelings of jealousy or doubt arise, the power of gratitude can help you connect to a higher power and you can look beyond what’s immediately in front of you so that you can bring in or find the blessings.
Here’s how to maintain the hopeful mindset, gratitude, and authentic joy for others that will lead you to fulfillment and your true path!
Have goal-directed thinking:
Are you clear on exactly what it is YOU want? Being able to clearly communicate what you want will open up doors in the right direction. It is impossible to go after what you want if you don’t have a specific vision of exactly what that is. When you think with your clear goal in mind, it is much easier to have a plan.
For example, maybe you’re ‘always the bridesmaid’ and think to yourself “I’d like to get married one day. When will I find the right person?”. While you may go out on dates now and then, do you really know what you’re looking for in a partner? Have you written down the characteristics, lifestyle, maybe even envisioned what this person looks like? It’s much easier to “find” someone when you have a general picture of the person.
Another example – maybe you’d like to be wealthy. How much wealth is the goal? What do other people do who are in that range of wealth you desire? Can you model their path?
Be creative with how:
This type of ‘pathways thinking’ will allow you to imagine multiple ways to reach a goal, allow you to switch strategies instead of giving up, and help you break down the big picture into small steps. It can feel overwhelming to figure out “how you’re going to get there” once you know what you want. Let’s take some pressure off with creativity!
As you create your plan, know that some ways will fail and a couple will work. Think outside the box and come up with several different strategies to achieve your goal. Get inspired from the stories of others who have done what you want to do! This habit of learning from the journeys of others is both encouraging and expands your “box” of what is possible. Rather than, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” …think, “If at first you don’t succeed, try a different strategy.”
If there was only one way to become a health & wellness influencer, social media would be pretty boring these days. Just as I’ve had to get creative with my journey – meeting new people, pivoting when opportunities falls through, trying different mediums – you will have to stay positive and creative in the journey to your dreams.
Will-power & action:
Having a dream and a plan are important to achieving those things in life that you desire. Perhaps the most important element to it all is will-power and action. You have to take focused, determined, energetic actions towards your goal. Even when your actions don’t yield results you desire, those actions will get you further in finding out what doesn’t work, so that you can find the way that does!
It can be difficult to find the energy to continue taking steps towards your goal or dream when you’re not properly nurturing your body. So, another important element to this step is getting good sleep, eating a rainbow of whole foods, and reducing your stress levels. My program, Serena’s Ultimate Health Reset can support you in keeping your physical, spiritual, and energetic bodies balanced and ready to take on the day.
Have a gratitude practice:
Express gratitude daily for where you are, what you have, and thank the Universe or higher power for the exciting future you truly believe will be yours. Whether your habit is to write down a few things every day that you’re grateful for, repeating a mantra, prayer, or even serving people you love, be fully present and absorb those truths into your body.
One way I practice gratitude daily is through my method, Culinary Alchemy®. Fusing those feelings of love into the food you’re preparing or eating is a powerful exercise in getting the full nutritional benefits from your meals. It is also a good mindfulness practice to help you choose healthier foods and avoid overeating.
Here is a meditation practice that can help you with embracing your vulnerability and fears.
Celebrate others:
Celebrate the accomplishments, life-steps, or blessings of people in your life – do it wholeheartedly. Negative energy towards others or yourself will only hinder your path. When you have those negative, unuseful feelings, you undermine the efforts you’re making to achieve your desires. You are manifesting the opposite of belief and projecting doubt into your future.
Think of celebrating the victories and special moments in others’ lives as a source of hope and inspiration. They may even be able to help you in getting where it is you want to be! That positive energy will come back around to you in beautiful ways.
Final Thoughts:
It would be amazing if we could wish for our lives to be a certain way, and then we wake up in the morning with all of our dreams having come true. The truth is that all of our paths will be different. It doesn’t mean that you won’t get to where you want to be, but your timeline and story will be unique to you. Comparison will only distract you from your own true path. Those feelings of jealousy and frustration that can arise are negative energies that will not open your eyes to the opportunity and blessings around you.
