Hi friends,

Recently I started re-reading the book Ask and It Is Given, which was instrumental in my life when I first read it around 2004. It's essentially a manifestation book, and at the time, it completely shifted the way I saw myself and my life.

Before reading it, I think I carried around the belief that I didn't deserve to succeed. Maybe it was Catholic guilt, feminine conditioning, or just years of putting other people's feelings and needs above my own. But this book, along with several other tools I was introduced to at the time, helped me realize that I was allowed to want a joyful life too.

The main takeaways that stayed with me were:

• What we believe becomes our truth
• A belief is just a practiced thought, and thoughts can be changed
• We live in a vibrational world where the frequency we emit attracts more of the same
• You can raise your vibration by deliberately directing your attention
• We all deserve to live joyful, fulfilling lives

For the past few months, I'd been feeling kind of blue. Maybe you have too. Very plugged into a world that feels like a shaky roller coaster, waking up to headlines that make it seem like the world might end, endlessly hooked to my phone. And if you're looking for evidence of things to upset you, there is absolutely no shortage of it.

But re-reading this book has reminded me to look for evidence of good happening.

When I look for good, when I deliberately turn my attention to what pleases me, I start finding more evidence of it in my life. And I remember that this isn't just something that I can do, but something that I HAVE to do. To keep my sanity. To avoid becoming completely consumed by systems designed to keep me anxious, distracted, watched, and constantly buying. To remember that there is more than fear and outrage.

So I wanted to share this as a reminder to look for the good too, because sometimes the only way to release a thought that isn't serving you is to find one that does.

One of the things I love most about the book is that it ends with 22 different exercises for redirecting your thoughts and shifting your energy. If you're curious about any of them, let me know. I'd be happy to share.

xo,
Christen