As we head into the new year, I want to share with you some reflections on my journey since I set my intention for 2023 and why my intention for 2024 will be so different. I explore the one habit which many of us unconsciously fall into which can have a serious impact on our wellbeing. And the antidote to it which can restore a sense of peace and joy.
For me, 2023 has been a year of manifesting like no other. I moved into the house I had dreamt of and I launched my first book. These were precisely the two things I wrote on my Manifesting Pledge as part of my Reflections & Intentions Workbook on the 6th January. And yet, whilst I do have a sense of satisfaction as I look back on this past year, there is also a feeling of disquiet. My mind is already on to the next thing I want to manifest and has been since my book was launched in October.
As humans, I think many of us are hard-wired to be constantly angling for the next thing to create, the next goal to achieve, the next milestone to reach. This keeps us in a perpetual state of doing, sometimes (often) at the expense of our own wellbeing. And it means that we never truly acknowledge how far we have come or allow ourselves to truly bask in the afterglow of our achievements.
The desire to be doing and evolving does come with an upside. For me personally, it has given me the drive to create a thriving coaching business and to write and launch a book. However, I also know from experience that, if left unchecked, it can also have a detrimental impact on your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing and can lead to feelings of disconnection, burn out and even depression.
My intention for 2024
And so, as I look ahead to 2024, my intention will be very different to last year. Rather than wanting to manifest anything new or tangible, it will be much more about enjoying the things I have already manifested and aligning more with some of my most important values – peace and joy. In order to access those values, I know what I need to do. I need to get out of the habit of doing and cultivate a new habit of being.
The ‘being’ I am referring to is a state (just as there is the ‘doing’ state and the ‘having’ state). Being is a place we retreat to within ourselves. A place which doesn’t involve any outward doing (including thinking). It is also a place which can bring us deep fulfilment – as we free ourselves from dependency on outer circumstances.
When we are in a state of being, it also connects us with the higher realms and with feelings of peace, joy and calm. This then enables us to shift to a higher vibration which can impact everyone and everything around us. In this way, paradoxically, spending more time in the being state means we are more likely to manifest things on a tangible level.
8 practices to help access the being state
There are many ways in which you can access the being state and I cover many of these in my book You’re Here for a Reason. Here are some selected practices which I will be committing to in order to help me realise my new intention and make ‘being’ more of a habit:
1. Presence – the practice of presence is really the practice of being. It’s about putting more focus on the here and now rather than some future point when you’ve achieved this or that. It’s about accessing joy now rather than when certain conditions have been met. It is so simple and so profound and yet so easy to forget. If there was just one practice I had to focus on next year, this would be it. It doesn’t mean to say that the things I wish to manifest at some point in the future aren’t important, but it pulls me back to enjoying the steps along the way. And to take enjoyment from the journey as well as the destination. Because the present moment is all we ever have and it is where our true power lies.
2. Meditation – perhaps the most visceral way of experiencing the being state is through meditation. When you let go of doing (especially thinking) and connect with your senses and the conscious presence which surrounds you, you can tune into the feelings of deep peace and joy in that moment. This doesn’t have to just be time spent on the mat, it can be accessed through a walk in nature or taking a moment to look at the sky. I am committing to upping my daily practice and creating more space within the day for meditation.
3. Space – being trapped in doing mode often means that we are filling every moment with activities or thoughts. Creating space in our calendar and in our minds is crucial to be able to enter the being state more often and experience greater peace and joy. I must confess, amidst the house move and book launch, I have not carved out enough time to enter the being mode. Instead, this next year, I commit to having more regular time off, whether I go away or stay at home.
4. Gratitude – acknowledging and being grateful for what you have enjoyed or achieved in the year just gone will help you enter the state of being and raise your vibration in an instant. Instead of seeking peace or salvation in something which resides in the future, connect with it now. Consider what ways you are already prosperous? I will be giving thanks for my new house and my book (among many other things).
5. Acceptance – acceptance is a higher frequency emotion on the vibration chart I share in my book and also a practice you can use to connect more with the being state. When you look back on the year just gone, maybe there were some challenges, difficult people or things which didn’t quite work out as you had hoped. Instead of fighting against these things, see if you can accept them. This doesn’t mean you have to like them or that you can’t look to change them. But it allows you to release any inner turmoil or negativity which can keep you stuck. Call on your Higher Self to try and see the bigger picture and how certain things may have happened for a reason.
6. Letting go of outcomes – the attachment to certain outcomes, whether in your career or life, can weigh heavy and keep you in a state of stress and anxiety. Outcomes such as waiting for feedback or praise, getting a promotion or a new job or making a sale in your business. Instead, after you have taken action, try and surrender and trust in the Universe to bring you exactly what you need at exactly the right time for your highest good. I am choosing to continue to let go of what happens with my book and instead trusting that it will all unfold in its own perfect timing.
7. Patience – waiting for something to happen, whether it’s a promotion, getting our business to the next level or clarity on what our purpose is, can be hugely challenging and take us away from a place of presence and being. Often, we can want to rush the change process or give up when things don’t happen on our timescale. We can put pressure on ourselves to have things figured out as quickly as possible. I must admit that this is something I have struggled with these past few months. And so, in this new year, I am gifting myself some time to let things unfold more naturally, and without the heavy energy of grasping. And I am calling on my Higher Self to help me connect with the energy of patience.
8. Affirmation – as a daily reminder to keep me on track with my new intention, I will be creating an affirmation and repeating it during my morning practice and reminding myself of it whenever I am being pulled back into automatic doing mode. Affirmations can help us tune into a higher vibration as well as retrain our brain to take on a more positive thought pattern. Here is my new affirmation: “Today I choose to prioritise being over doing and allow things to unfold from a place of trust and ease.”
Set your intention for the new year with my free workbook
Whether or not, like me, you have been trapped in doing this past year, cultivating a new habit of being can create some powerful shifts for you to bring more peace and joy into your working life. If you want to spend some time reflecting on the year just gone and start setting your intention for the new year, then download your free Reflections & Intentions Workbook.
Wishing you peace and joy for 2024,
Hello, I'm Rebecca
Career Coach for people on a spiritual path
I support mid-career professionals who are ready to make a career change, launch into a more purpose-led career or business or simply enjoy a more fulfilling or balanced working life.
I believe that we all have a purpose here on earth and that life is too short to be stressed, unfulfilled and playing small.
