By Alison
Every intention sets energy into motion, whether you are conscious of it or not.
-Gary Zukav, The seat of the Soul
The Year I Chose to Change
At the beginning of 2025, I knew something had to shift.
I wasn’t happy with myself. I felt purposeless, lost in the everyday responsibilities of life, working a job that brought me no joy, and numbing my loneliness instead of healing it. I was simply existing—going through the motions with no clear direction. Deep down, I knew there had to be more to life than what I was living.
I would watch people online and in real life who seemed to be living their best lives—laughing freely, enjoying meaningful work, dressing how they wanted, savoring great food and drinks, and genuinely happy. I knew some of them weren’t being honest with themselves, but that life felt like a dream I once had – I envied them. I kept asking myself: Why can’t that be me? Why can’t I enjoy what I do? Why do I feel so disconnected from joy? What is wrong with me?
I decided then that 2025 was going to be my year.
When the clock struck midnight on December 31, 2024 and we moved into the New Year of 2025, I was under a table eating 12 grapes in one minute—a tradition meant to bring luck and prosperity in the new year. I was trying to chew fast enough without choking, thinking how wild the headline would be: Girl Dies by Grapes Under a Table While Hoping to Change Her Life.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
But something else did.
What Manifestation Really Means
Before going any further, let’s talk about manifestation—because it’s often misunderstood.
Manifestation is the practice of intentionally focusing your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and actions toward a desired outcome, with the understanding that what you consistently think about and work toward influences what you experience in your life.
It’s not wishful thinking or hoping something magically falls into your lap. Manifestation requires clarity, self-awareness, emotional honesty, visualization, and—most importantly—aligned action. You don’t just dream; you participate in making the dream real. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is take the first step, then the following step. Sometimes you feel like you are going in the wrong direction or have a block, but that only means you are going in the right direction, and you have to keep going.
That distinction changed everything for me.
Learning to Look Inward
In the weeks that followed the new year, I found several tools that helped me take a deep, honest look at how I wanted my life—and my future—to unfold.
The first book I committed to was How to Manifest: Make Your Dreams a Reality in 40 Days by Laura Chung. When I saw “40 days,” I thought, That sounds doable.
Each day offered a new exercise or reflection. Sometimes I stayed consistent; other times I took two- or three-day breaks between sections to work more in depth in the activity. But every chapter brought closure to old stories I had been telling myself—old beliefs, lingering shame, and long-held judgments.
The book encouraged me to acknowledge my wounds, to say thank you, I forgive you, and I’m sorry—not only to others, but to myself. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that self-forgiveness is essential. That was one of the hardest things for me, especially after carrying the emotional weight and unresolved pain from losing my husband.
But healing began there.
The Power of a Vision Board
One of the activities within the book was creating a vision board. At first, I was skeptical. I thought it was pointless and didn’t understand how pictures on a board could possibly change my life.
Yet, a year later, my vision board had doubled in size. Some of the dreams on my board are to travel to more exotic places, have a house on the water, summer in Europe, find a long lasting, loving relationship, find my passion, develop my intuitive abilities, take the kids to Disney, lose 15 pounds and tone my body, travel to Norway to see the Northern Lights, take an art class, find my passion, make an extra $20,000 this year, and have more family time.
You might be wondering why I kept adding to it when some of my original dreams hadn’t yet come true. The answer is simple: my vision grew as I grew. As I became clearer about what I wanted, my goals expanded instead of shrinking. Plus, vision boards don’t have to be just for this year – remember we are taking purposeful steps in creating our reality, so some of them are 5 years, 10 years or even 20 years away. All I know, at this point in my life this is where I see my future.
For example, on how a vision takes shape: one of the goals on my board was to lose 15 pounds and tone up—to feel strong and confident again, like I did at 26. I gave myself the deadline by the end of January 2026 and as this month comes to an end, I can honestly say that goal didn’t fully happen.
At the beginning of the year, I worked out three to four times a week, watched what I ate, lost five pounds—and then gained it back. I lived the classic yo-yo cycle of dieting and exercise, quitting when I didn’t see the results I wanted fast enough.
But here’s what did happen.
In November 2025, I won a scholarship to the MomFit Lifestyle program, which focuses on inspiring, educating, and motivating busy women to live healthier lives through both fitness and nutrition. While I didn’t reach my 15-pound goal by the end of the year, I planted the seed. I took aligned actions toward the version of myself I wanted to become. I did manage to lose 6 pounds, plus now I’m starting to see the muscle definition back in my legs. And that matters.
The best part about this entire vision is that I never thought I would be in a program with a 1:1 coach. Plus, receive nutritional recipes that work for my body and a customized workout created for me, but it aligns perfectly with my goal! Sometimes what is meant to happen is greater than your vision, but you have to take the steps to start your goal.
Tracking Progress, Not Perfection
Another tool that supported me throughout 2025 was the Dream Life Workbook. Each month, I set five goals and tracked my progress daily and weekly—what steps I took, what I completed, and what stood out that week.
The workbook also encouraged emotional and physical check-ins, helping me identify what needed to change in the following month to make space for progress.
At the beginning, I’ll be honest—I carried over two or three goals month after month without taking real action. But as the year went on, consistency changed everything. The daily and weekly reminders kept my goals visible and top of mind.
Every small step mattered. Every action—even imperfect ones—moved me closer to the life I was building. This book allowed me to hold myself accountable to making my dream a reality.
What Manifestation Taught Me
Throughout this entire journey, I realized something important: I used to believe manifestation only worked for certain people—those who were lucky or well-connected.
That belief was wrong.
When you focus on what you truly want, commit time and energy to it, and take consistent action, your dreams become possible too. Manifestation doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, repetition, and constant visualization.
You have to remember why you’re doing the work. What are you trying to achieve? How will it feel when you get there? Who will you become along the way?
Taking a hard, honest look at your life is one of the most difficult things you can do. But once you decide you want change—and you’re willing to put in the effort—that change becomes routine. It becomes easier. And eventually, it becomes your new normal.
2025 didn’t magically fix everything. But it did something far more powerful.
It showed me that I am capable of choosing myself—and that choice changed the direction of my life.
Channeled message from Spirit and Love Ones through the Akashic Records:
As you start this upcoming year - What do you want to achieve? What do you want to feel? What do you want to embrace? Who do you want to become? These are all questions you should as yourself. Everyone is able to achieve what they dream. All it takes is one step in that direction. You choose your path - the path doesn't choose you.
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