4 Tips From A Professional Life Coach On Manifesting Your Dream Career
I believe in the power of manifestation, where your thoughts and your energy can create your reality. I've seen how the law of attraction can positively influence your dreams, hopes, and wishes. Even more, the beauty of seeing things change by aligning yourself with the possibilities.
There have many moments in my life where I've manifested trips, gifts, and even love. However, I've experienced a profound transformation in my career in the last three years by understanding that I am worthy of receiving my "yes". Here's the thing, it wasn't easy at times, honestly, sometimes it was painful. Manifesting required me to trust the process of life, by being flexible, and less resistant to change. Sometimes those are the lessons we must learn to have a breakthrough.
- In 2017, I was laid off from my marketing job. There were signs, but I ignored them. I was too focused on pursuing my passions outside of work. This forced me to reconcile with my choices, including not being diligent about finding a permanent position. The harsh reality caused me to fall out ofgratitude. My fears slowly started to eat away at me, and I invited them to the dinner table when I didn't have the heart to keep them away.
- I applied to over 100 hundred jobs; I received only 10% of the interviews. All of the positions I thought were perfect for me did not work out. I took it personally.
- After months of searching for a job, I found a position in my field of communications. The salary was liveable with an hour-commute. Two months into the job, I was told I lacked integrity and common sense, because I wrote for a popular website offering women of color advice. Additionally, I had used my LinkedIn profile for my endeavors, and I didn't change my job title quickly enough. There was no first offense, just an ultimatum, and I quit under duress.
I continued to attract low-paying, low-vibrational positions because, at that time, I was only looking for positions that paid the bills.
That was my issue––putting money and feelings of a lack of abundance over finding meaningful work. Your dream career is the kind of work that makes your energy levels soar and gives you hope for great success. None of my previous positions made me feel this way. That's when I decided it was time to get clear on what I wanted.
By clearing the path to receive my blessings, I had finally landed my dream position at a prestigious university that came with a host of supportive colleagues. Just two years prior, I was Ubering in that same community, picking up researchers, professors, and students.
So, how did I do it?
Write Down Your Hopes, Dreams, and Wishes
I wrote down everything my heart desired, from a salary to the work environment. I had enough experience with incompetent supervisors, so I asked the universe to provide me with leaders that focused on the personal growth of their team.
Align Your Vision With Action
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Aligning with my goals included updating my resume, expanding my network, and telling people what I wanted. Yes, that's right; I asked for what I wanted. Because I was doing the work, my network showed up for me as references and as cheerleaders. When manifesting, you must take action and move towards your desire. Once you start tackling something, it becomes more manageable, and it's easier to know what the next action is to take.
Empower Yourself
As you move work towards your passions, you must continue to reaffirm positivity, because you are what you think. Staying in alignment with my goals required me to reframe my current situation with love, by giving myself grace, and taking stock of every opportunity, big or small. Focusing on what went right granted me peace, resilience, and the ability to fight and withstand adversity.
Visualize the Possibilities
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It's not enough to write your visions; you must visualize the possibilities too. Some people find vision boards helpful: a blank canvas to post images, quotes, affirmations, and drawings of anything you want to create in your life. Creating a vision board is a fun, tangible, and powerful way to say "yes please" to the abundance you'd like to receive (and deserve) in your life. Having a vision board next to my bed allowed me to come in contact with my dreams daily. The "perfect timing" was orchestrated to give me a boost of confidence when I needed it most.
Sometimes manifesting your dream career doesn't come neatly wrapped with a pretty bow. While it may take some time, the reward will pay in dividends. Trust the process.
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Ayana Iman is a certified life coach, professional speaker, and mama of one based in New Jersey. She's also known for her love of big hair, travel, and cooking. Find her across social @AyanaIman.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Listening To The Language Of The Body: Somatic Therapy's Approach To Healing
Over the last few years, there’s been a growing interest in individuals seeking support for mental health outside of their immediate circle. While traditional talk therapy is a common point of entry, allowing individuals to express their thoughts, emotions, and concerns verbally, some may find themselves seeking an alternative approach to therapy that goes beyond the surface.
And in this case, somatic therapy could be the answer.
What Is Somatic Therapy?
Somatic therapy recognizes the intricate connection between the mind and body, offering a holistic approach to healing that distinguishes it from traditional talk therapy. “It taps into the different sensations and physiological signs that your body sends you in order to determine whether it's processed your emotions, tough feelings, and reprocessed memories,” Simone Saunders, Managing Director, MSW, RSW, at The Cognitive Corner, tells xoNecole.
How Somatic Therapy Differs From Traditional Talk Therapy
@thecognitivecorner Replying to @Michelle #somatictherapy #nervoussystemregulation #therapytok
Although there are different forms of talk therapy, somatic therapy differs from traditional talk therapy because it is often centered around the narratives that we have inherited and taken on. On the other hand, somatic therapy is primarily focused on the subtle things that go unsaid. “Whether that's body language, your posture, the way that you're moving, the way that you're breathing, or the different sensations that come up,” Saunders explains, based on the experiences you share, your body is essentially doing the talking for you.
Rooted in the idea that the body and mind are interconnected, somatic therapy aims to address and release stored trauma and stress, promoting overall healing.
The thought of having your every move analyzed could make you uneasy, but as a therapist, Saunders ensures that her job is to notice and bring awareness to these sensations, as opposed to critique.
“If someone's talking about their experience and maybe they're holding their chest or I can see them ball up their fists, or tighten their shoulders, I'll call attention to that,” she explains. “We'll just notice what that feels like and sort of name if that's something that's positive, negative, neutral, and sort of play around with the idea of: what would it be like if we relax a little bit more? What does your body feel like it needs in this moment?”
Diving Deeper in Somatic Healing
@thecognitivecorner #somatichealing #somatiktok #traumarecovery
Understanding how your body is responding to a memory or sensitive topic is just as important as understanding why it’s responding that way. Somatic therapy places a strong emphasis on cultivating awareness of bodily sensations by focusing on the present moment, which allows individuals to gain insight into the connection between their emotions and bodily responses.
If you’re familiar with the term, “the body keeps the score,” it relates to how traumatic events can leave a lasting impact on the body, manifesting as both physical symptoms and emotional distress. Saunder says that somatic therapy is particularly effective in addressing trauma.
“Often when you've experienced trauma, you are used to being disconnected to your body because you've had to be for the purpose of survival,” she says. “Somatic therapy can be really helpful to get you connected again and understand what your body is saying to you, whether or not your body feels safe in different moments, and how you can cultivate a sense of safety.”
Our body is our home — and the need to feel and be safe in our bodies is tantamount to our ability to heal. Having tools outside of therapy to practice self-safety can help us restore a feeling of secureness and wholeness within oneself.
“If you're looking to feel more connected with yourself, a good place to start is with your daily bodily function,” Saunders suggests. “You can check in: Am I thirsty? How do I know when I'm thirsty? How do I know when I'm hungry? How do I know when I need to use the bathroom? Because for a lot of us, it's just automatic. We just do it when we do it, or we ignore those sensations. Starting from there is often a safer place to start — and from there, we can start to understand what it feels like to feel sensations.”
“As far as at-home somatic practices, simply doing things like rocking or cold or hot stimulation can help,” she continues. “There are a lot of things that we do on a day-to-day basis that would be considered somatic practices that we don't necessarily realize — it's just about getting in touch with yourself.”
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