5 Ways to Invoke Magic Now!
I believe in magic! For a long time now, I have had this little hand-crafted sign over my desk that says exactly that. It keeps me on the path, it keeps me feeling positive and uplifted, it’s a ray of sunshine even on the dreariest of days and it reminds me to have heart even in the midst of life’s most difficult challenges. Without magic, life would get pretty dull and tedious. Without a bit of magic to our days, we might find ourselves wondering if the whole thing is worth it. But magic is available to all of us and I have five ideas to help put some magic in your life and your days. I just finished a walk in the gorgeous Colorado outdoors and saw much to make me smile. The fall colors, the sun and blue skies - this is indeed a day to celebrate the magic of life because magic is everywhere we look. It’s also inside us when we think positive and uplifting thoughts and then take action based on those thoughts. Magic also comes when we reach out to others and give a helping hand or simply act as a change agent by expressing and modeling optimism and faith.
By the way, I am not talking about the magic of a Las Vegas type magic show, although that can be fun and exciting to watch. Nor am I referring to magical thinking that relies on fantasy to keep it going. That kind of thinking is based on denial of reality, not the changing of reality by your thoughts, deeds and beliefs. That kind of magic may work in the short run, for a while, but is rarely, if ever a lasting and successful way to engage with life. The kind of magic I speak of is made out of the ordinary by seeing magic in who you are, what you see outside your window, what you do with your time and energy and what you choose to believe about life. In that regard, I have developed five simple ways to help you to invoke some magic into your every day life.
1. The magic of self worth – Self worth is an inside job. If I believe/think I am worth something, then I am. That is the magic of it. One way to get to this magical place, if you are not there already, is to think about the idea that we are all born worthy – it is our birthright. What I know is we are all worthy of love, happiness and life success. If you are not successful, whether this is financial or relationship success, then simply begin with the idea; the magical idea; that you too are worthy and go from there.
I believe in magic! For a long time now, I have had this little hand-crafted sign over my desk that says exactly that. It keeps me on the path, it keeps me feeling positive and uplifted, it’s a ray of sunshine even on the dreariest of days and it reminds me to have heart even in the midst of life’s most difficult challenges. Without magic, life would get pretty dull and tedious. Without a bit of magic to our days, we might find ourselves wondering if the whole thing is worth it. But magic is available to all of us and I have five ideas to help put some magic in your life and your days. I just finished a walk in the gorgeous Colorado outdoors and saw much to make me smile. The fall colors, the sun and blue skies - this is indeed a day to celebrate the magic of life because magic is everywhere we look. It’s also inside us when we think positive and uplifting thoughts and then take action based on those thoughts. Magic also comes when we reach out to others and give a helping hand or simply act as a change agent by expressing and modeling optimism and faith.
By the way, I am not talking about the magic of a Las Vegas type magic show, although that can be fun and exciting to watch. Nor am I referring to magical thinking that relies on fantasy to keep it going. That kind of thinking is based on denial of reality, not the changing of reality by your thoughts, deeds and beliefs. That kind of magic may work in the short run, for a while, but is rarely, if ever a lasting and successful way to engage with life. The kind of magic I speak of is made out of the ordinary by seeing magic in who you are, what you see outside your window, what you do with your time and energy and what you choose to believe about life. In that regard, I have developed five simple ways to help you to invoke some magic into your every day life.
1. The magic of self worth – Self worth is an inside job. If I believe/think I am worth something, then I am. That is the magic of it. One way to get to this magical place, if you are not there already, is to think about the idea that we are all born worthy – it is our birthright. What I know is we are all worthy of love, happiness and life success. If you are not successful, whether this is financial or relationship success, then simply begin with the idea; the magical idea; that you too are worthy and go from there.
2. The magic of taking action – Life rewards action – that’s another little sign I have in my writing studio. If I want magic in my life, then I have to do something to make it happen. Magic can come from others of course, but if I want a change in my life then it’s going to be up to me to do something. Waiting and expecting others to do it for us has a low success rate – it happens but I would not count on it. Let’s say you have had trouble in the past with the idea of being worthy. In spite of the fact that we are all born worthy, if you truly want to feel that on a daily basis, then you need to do something of value and contribute it to the world. We are born worthy, that’s for sure, but it will be hard to maintain that thought about ourselves if we sit on our butts all day waiting for the world to pronounce us so. The less we do, the less we will feel worthy, that is a psychological fact of life. Therefore, if you want to increase your sense of self worth then take action to increase it. That’s all there is to it, except now give yourself credit for what action you took and then tomorrow take some more action. See what magic shows up in your life.
3. The magic of doing what you love – When we do what we love, life feels magical – it just does. I love to write, and when I do, I feel the magic of the right words simply flowing out of me. I know people who love to edit other people’s words, and when they find a little mistake, or misplaced comma or other grammatical problem, they fix it with glee. I know people who love to sing, to dance, to sew, to cook, to play a musical instrument, to organize things, to do analysis, to keep things in order, to do bookkeeping, to teach a child or an adult something, to help people with problems, to garden, design things, to use a computer – you name it and there is someone who loves to do that very thing. So find the thing you love to do and begin doing it today, even if you have to do it after work, or when all your other obligations are finished for the day, but just find the time to do what you love and watch the magic flow into your life.
4. The magic of setting your own price – This is an interesting one as it is related to self worth but is further along the way. You may feel like you have lots of self worth, but still be selling yourself short in lots of different ways. When I say set your own price, I mean that you need to decide how you will use your time and energy. Let’s begin with your work. I read one time that the marketplace will not set your price higher than you set it for yourself. Before I got my master's I worked for a big corporation where my job was to supervise a department. On the other side of the hall was another department. This was a bigger department than mine, but the work was simpler. The manager of the other department and I would often go to lunch together. One day he happened to mention his salary in an off hand way. My mouth fell open. He was making a good 20% more than I was. In spite of the fact that my department did more complex work, I was ten years older and had years more experience, I was making less money than him. I asked him how this happened and he said, “That’s what I asked for.” He set his price higher than I did and he got it! I accepted what they offered me. Big lesson – now I figure out in advance what my price is and I ask for it. But you can also sell yourself short in relationships as well by doing more and accommodating more – this, then, is the price you set for your participation in a relationship. If you want to bring some magic in your work life and in your relationships, then set a higher price and ask for it! If the job or the relationship won’t pay your price, then look around, and you will find those who will – Ask and ye shall receive, as the Bible says. Ask for what you want and don’t accept less – that in itself will bring some magic into your life.
5. The magic of savoring and appreciation – Savoring is when we take in the world around us in a focused and appreciative way, and just let it sink in and flow around us. The beauty of a colorful fall day, like today, reminds me to pause in appreciation and savor what is readily available to me right outside my window. When you have dinner tonight, savor the delicious morsels of food and don’t rush through it. If you decide to have a little dish of ice cream, then let each bite linger just a little on your tongue and in your mouth. Savoring has a bit of Zen in it because it’s about the simplicity of everyday things but it's also about the awe and wonder of it all. By being mindful and in tune with the small as well as big things around you, life will take on a magical quality for you and what could be more magical then that?
Send Me Your Magical Ideas
These are just a few ideas I had while contemplating the wonder of my own life and work, but of course there are many other ways of invoking magic in your life – what about you? Do you have ideas or things you have tried that felt like magic to you - one’s that have changed either the circumstances of your life or your felt experience of it? Let me know. I will publish the best ones here on my blog. Email your ideas to me at lorrainebanfield@msn.com .
Blessings, Lorraine
3. The magic of doing what you love – When we do what we love, life feels magical – it just does. I love to write, and when I do, I feel the magic of the right words simply flowing out of me. I know people who love to edit other people’s words, and when they find a little mistake, or misplaced comma or other grammatical problem, they fix it with glee. I know people who love to sing, to dance, to sew, to cook, to play a musical instrument, to organize things, to do analysis, to keep things in order, to do bookkeeping, to teach a child or an adult something, to help people with problems, to garden, design things, to use a computer – you name it and there is someone who loves to do that very thing. So find the thing you love to do and begin doing it today, even if you have to do it after work, or when all your other obligations are finished for the day, but just find the time to do what you love and watch the magic flow into your life.
4. The magic of setting your own price – This is an interesting one as it is related to self worth but is further along the way. You may feel like you have lots of self worth, but still be selling yourself short in lots of different ways. When I say set your own price, I mean that you need to decide how you will use your time and energy. Let’s begin with your work. I read one time that the marketplace will not set your price higher than you set it for yourself. Before I got my master's I worked for a big corporation where my job was to supervise a department. On the other side of the hall was another department. This was a bigger department than mine, but the work was simpler. The manager of the other department and I would often go to lunch together. One day he happened to mention his salary in an off hand way. My mouth fell open. He was making a good 20% more than I was. In spite of the fact that my department did more complex work, I was ten years older and had years more experience, I was making less money than him. I asked him how this happened and he said, “That’s what I asked for.” He set his price higher than I did and he got it! I accepted what they offered me. Big lesson – now I figure out in advance what my price is and I ask for it. But you can also sell yourself short in relationships as well by doing more and accommodating more – this, then, is the price you set for your participation in a relationship. If you want to bring some magic in your work life and in your relationships, then set a higher price and ask for it! If the job or the relationship won’t pay your price, then look around, and you will find those who will – Ask and ye shall receive, as the Bible says. Ask for what you want and don’t accept less – that in itself will bring some magic into your life.
5. The magic of savoring and appreciation – Savoring is when we take in the world around us in a focused and appreciative way, and just let it sink in and flow around us. The beauty of a colorful fall day, like today, reminds me to pause in appreciation and savor what is readily available to me right outside my window. When you have dinner tonight, savor the delicious morsels of food and don’t rush through it. If you decide to have a little dish of ice cream, then let each bite linger just a little on your tongue and in your mouth. Savoring has a bit of Zen in it because it’s about the simplicity of everyday things but it's also about the awe and wonder of it all. By being mindful and in tune with the small as well as big things around you, life will take on a magical quality for you and what could be more magical then that?
Send Me Your Magical Ideas
These are just a few ideas I had while contemplating the wonder of my own life and work, but of course there are many other ways of invoking magic in your life – what about you? Do you have ideas or things you have tried that felt like magic to you - one’s that have changed either the circumstances of your life or your felt experience of it? Let me know. I will publish the best ones here on my blog. Email your ideas to me at lorrainebanfield@msn.com .
Blessings, Lorraine
No comments:
Post a Comment