How to Manifest Positivity for the Best Year Yet

You’ve probably heard about manifestation or the law of attraction before, but does positive thinking and asking the universe for something actually make it come true? Some say that if you put the desire out into the universe with positive thinking techniques, it will appear. Unfortunately, this won’t happen out of thin air. Learning how to manifest positivity and discover the benefits of gratitude in the new year takes a combination of characteristics including imagination, motivation, problem-solving, goal setting, patience, mindfulness, determination, emotional attunement, and action.

How to Have a Better Mindset & Positive Vibes in Your Life

Manifestation starts with awareness of our own thoughts, feelings, emotions, beliefs, and values, and how each impacts our experiences and actions. Becoming a grateful and thankful person takes time, but you can overcome some challenges with the tips below.

Alter Negative Self-Talk

Try to have a grateful attitude each day. Sometimes, you might have days where you constantly talk down to yourself or pick apart your flaws. That’s okay—we’re all human, and it happens. It’s when negative self-talk becomes a pattern that it can start affecting your general attitude and outlook on life. 

For example, say you’re nervous about going on a first date. If you say to yourself, “They won’t like me” or “They will think I’m weird,” you are criticizing yourself before the date even happens. The benefits of positive thinking come in very handy here.

You might wonder, “How do I change my attitude?” First, look at why you might be feeling this way and acknowledge it. Think of your inner critic as a separate being and challenge it. Ask yourself if the lies it feeds you are true (most likely false!). Overcoming negative thoughts requires you to reframe your thoughts into more positive ones. In this case, you could say to yourself, “I’m an amazing and fun person. This date will go great.” Remember, at the end of the day, our thoughts hold the key to personal success and growth. These thought-challenging techniques can help if you practice them regularly.

Create a Vision Board

Gratitude practices involve envisioning the future as well. You must truly believe for anything positive to happen. If you are stumped on how to manifest positivity or don’t feel confident enough yet, make space for those optimistic thoughts by using visualization tools like a vision board. Mindfulness and gratitude go hand in hand.

Vision boards are powerful tools that are a daily reminder to focus on being happy and reaching your goals. Think about who you want to be in the new year or the qualities and skills you want to pick up. 

First, you’ll need a sturdy piece of cardboard or poster board. Flip through magazines and cut out images, colors, self-growth goals, or phrases that speak to you and arrange them on your board. If you are working on a creative project such as a book or art piece, choose shades of red and purple which are calming colors. Blue can be a sign of optimism. 

Once you’re happy with how you arranged the different pictures, glue them down. Then look at your board each morning, recite your goals to yourself, and start taking action. Gratitude is not just a feeling—it’s an action. If you’re wondering how to be happier, it will take some work, but it’s well worth it.

Practice Gratitude

Although you may hear the word gratitude a lot around Thanksgiving time, it’s not something we should practice just once a year. We should ponder on the things to be thankful for every day. Gratitude is the state of satisfaction and acknowledgment of all that you have and all that you are. How to maintain a positive attitude begins with affirmations for change and a grateful heart.

Of course, it is possible to be satisfied with your life but still want to manifest more. If you feel that you’re lacking it, a good tip for gratitude is to write down everything you’re thankful for and the positive things in life. 

How can you be positive when everything is negative? Rather than dwell on your mistakes or shortcomings, focus on your achievements no matter how big or small. When you are proud of the small wins in your life, you gain more self-confidence and patience. Gratitude teaches you that you are enough and you don’t need to rush success.

Recite Daily Affirmations

How does a positive mindset lead to better health? Research has shown that reciting positive affirmations can give you the strength needed to pull yourself out of hard situations and move forward. Affirmations are different for everyone. You might resonate most with a statement that celebrates a positive trait or choice you’ve made recently. Some examples could be “I choose peace,” “I am enough,” or “This situation is difficult, but I have the skills and abilities to get through it.” Write down such phrases on post-it notes and stick them on your bathroom mirror to give you a boost of self-confidence as you get ready in the morning and before you go to sleep.

Positivity can become a problem when you start denying the difficulties in your life and ignoring your negative feelings. Also known as toxic positivity, this can create false “happy emotions.” The mindset of always “looking on the bright side” can make you feel ashamed and lonely for having any troubling emotions. Always being optimistic about hardships can make you invalidate your own feelings and experiences and harm you in the long run. Toxic positivity can put a dent in your future goals.

Have a Morning Routine

Your morning can set the tone for how the rest of the day will go. From the moment our alarm goes off in the morning, we rush around trying to complete tasks before we head out the door. Carve out a few extra minutes each day and do something that helps you relax. Perhaps it’s sitting outside or in a quiet room reading a book and drinking tea. Maybe you’d rather do a quick guided breathing exercise. You can also buy an adult coloring book and color for five minutes. Making a goal chart for the day the night before is also a big help.

Of course, these small rituals may change and that’s okay – as long as you are doing something that makes you happy. Before you go to sleep, think about what you want to accomplish when you wake up and start the day off with a positive attitude.

The Importance of Setting SMART Goals

Learning how to manifest positivity in the new year is great, but to really see a change, you should consider setting personal goals as well. To achieve these goals, you’ll need a starting point to use SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. How does goal setting lead to success? It is a process of breaking an idea into smaller steps that can lead to its achievement. Achieving SMART goals is accomplished in smaller “chunks” to reach the desired goal.

S = Specific

Success and motivation demand being specific about your goal. Being specific about a goal means being able to answer the who, what, where, and why of what you want. Who does this include? What is it exactly? Where do you have to be to achieve it? Why do you want it? SMART goal examples that are specific will read, “I would like to be able to run a 5K in two months’ time.” This gives you a specific goal, rather than “I want to run” or “I want to lose weight.” Remember, it’s hard to manifest what you want when the vision isn’t clear in the first place.

M = Measurable

Being able to measure a goal means you will know how you are going to achieve it and when you’ve accomplished it. Staying with the example of a healthier you, making it measurable means answering the question, “How will I know that I’m healthier?” Is it by weighing in at certain intervals? Building your stamina? Regular checkups with the doctor? Being able to measure progress helps us stay in an action-oriented state and motivates us to keep going.

A = Achievable/Attainable

Your goal-setting worksheet must ensure the goal is achievable. For example, setting a goal for running a 5K is reasonable, but perhaps running a marathon in two months’ time may not be. Examining whether your goal is achievable is an important part of making it personal and answering the question, “How will I achieve this goal?” It outlines and specifies the actions, steps, and milestones necessary to reach your goal, increasing the likelihood of success.

R = Relevant

Characteristics of a strategic plan include relevant goals. Making sure your goal or desire is relevant means considering your environment, opportunities, and constraints. If we want to be physically healthy, and our vision includes dropping 50 lbs. Is that really attainable in a month? If the goal isn’t relevant, it’s unfortunately a recipe for disaster. 

T = Time-Bound

Giving yourself a timeline to achieve a goal may increase the likelihood that you will act. Even if you don’t manifest your desire in the time allotted for yourself, if you’ve been following this process, you’re likely to be closer to achieving it than you would be if your timeline was open-ended.

Manifesting positivity will look different for everyone. However, by being self-aware, regulating your emotions, and setting SMART goals, you’re on the way to achieving the goals you set for yourself.