9 Simple Strategies That Are Better than New Year's Resolutions

A busy day here, a spat with a friend or lover there, or days of not seeing the sun can make anyone feel a little gray, a little dull, a little blah. And while you can’t control the weather or your bae’s bad mood or the crushing demands of work, you can control yourself. And one of the best ways to stand a little taller, feel a little better, and truly embrace the wild, weird, magical, wonderful world we all live in. Here, Shereen Campbell shares 9 ways she found magic in her life. Forget about New Year’s resolutions—these strategies are a lot more doable, and so much more fun. Here, New Year’s resolution substitutes to make your 2018 the best ever.

Make 2018 your year! Here’s how! 

Turn a Bad Situation Into Action 
I started studying Astrology seriously about 10 years ago. A boy I dated ghosted me. This was my first heartbreak and it thoroughly plummeted me into the depths of shadows. As I searched for meaning in life through pondering the great questions, I started studying Kabbalah with a teacher. Although I am no longer a practitioner of Kabbalah, I think these teachings were the definite shifting point. They opened me to being open, open to Astrology, open to anything metaphysical and esoteric, to be open to things in which others cast away as magic. Throughout the years following that trying time period, I read everything I could on self development, ancient, esoteric and metaphysical practices. I started practicing Astrology, using crystals, exploring candle magic, seeing shamans and healers, learning and adopting techniques, integrating them into my everyday life.

Know that Little Rituals Make a Big Difference
Today, I sleep with crystals by my bed, cleanse my home with sage, drink teas with all sorts of herbs, use candles to manifest goals. I have a candle for a new apartment that I have sitting by my bed, waiting for the New Moon to be lit right now. I make vision boards, and manifestation lists. I use salt soaks for cleansing and attraction. I burn special oils when I want an extra special connection with my love. I am absolutely the weird friend that’s always sharing some ancient practice you should absolutely try to make the most of your life.

Get to Know Your Local (or Virtual) Magic Shop 
If you’re just beginning to try to live a more magical life, stepping into the store that sells Tarot or following a few accounts on IG can be a great first step in finding and honoring the magic within you. For example we will not only explain what chakras are, but share ways to balance or unblock your chakras and also be the place where you can buy the crystals to help you do just that. We want to teach you about how candle magic works and then provide you the tools to create your own candle ritual. Our top selling products are the Little Spell Kits series which is a guided manifestation ritual kit that helps you create a clear, concise vision of what you want to manifest and then guides you through creating your own candle ritual. See, the thing about magic is it takes work, maybe not the traditional type of work, but a type of self reflection work. In order to create what you want, you need to know what that is first. Once you know what it is, you will be able to pull it to you, through the law of attraction.

Believe in Your Own Power
Everyone has this power to create within them, but I feel often folks don’t know what to create or worst, they are creating exactly what they don’t want without knowing that’s what they are doing. Recognize it within you, and go toward love and light, not darkness and despair.

Look to Your Past
You may find that ancestors you love and cherish had their own way of working magic. I recently discovered that this runs in my blood! It turns out my grandmother used to practice candle magic when she was younger. She would also make predictions using candle wax. Unfortunately she passed away when I was only 5, and I wish that we would have had the time for her to share with me her secrets. Either way, I love the entire process of it. Setting the atmosphere, writing down your manifestation goals, visualizing the outcomes you want to create, expressing gratitude for whatever you want to pull to yourself, and then lighting the candle. If anything, it reminds me to dream, to dream big. That if I want something it is already mine.

Don’t be Afraid of Magic Props
Candles, sage, crystals—all can help serve as a conduit to your inner magic. I am also a huge fan of cleansing with sage. Anytime I feel off or weird or overwhelmed, I just burn some sage and I feel that energy just lifting right off me.

Your Gut Is Your Guide
I just wanted to understand my purpose and I feel that is why I was feeling such angst. If you are interested in something, research it, read about where it started, how it evolved, try to find information that is both for and against it. Then as you are absorbing that knowledge, ask yourself is this information sparking love or fear in me. Allow that to guide you to the practices that you connect most with. Also, don’t be afraid to toss your beliefs away. Beliefs only serve us if they help us create what we want next. If they are not helping you get to your evolution in life, then let that belief go, adopt one that does.

Think of all the Magic You’ve Already Performed
Everyone believes in magic, they just don’t realize they do. Even the biggest nonbeliever blew out a candle on their birthday signifying a wish they made at least once. Or even simpler, visualized what they wanted to accomplish in their life and was able to manifest it. Yes, you can say that if you work hard you can create the life you want. Magic and manifestation does not deny this. It just acknowledges the other forces at work that help you to create those dreams of yours. It acknowledges the synchronicities and coincidences that happen putting you in the right place and right time to create the opportunity that helped carry your towards that dream.

You Do You
No matter what you believe, the most important thing is just that: You believe. . At the end of the day, my duty isn’t really to convince skeptics. Beliefs are tricky and stubborn. If someone believes it’s not real, then that’s their loss and a bit of waste of my energy trying to convince them otherwise. My goal is to make sure the folks who want to make their own magic have the tools and information they need to do so.

Want to know if love is in your future in 2018? Here’s how to find out!

Shereen Campbell is an astrologer, ecommerce manager, and the founder of My Little Magic Shop. She loves sailing, southern Italian food, and all things magical.

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