A few months ago, I was at Nokia Live, a concert venue in Downtown LA with my ex, who is one of my dearest friends. We attended this event called SteezDay & I felt like such an old lady, I didn't even know the artists on the lineup (except my brother, who I had come to see of course). My loved one & I didn't know any of the songs/lyrics like the other people & we joked about being the antithesis of "cool" as now old heads. But when A$AP MOB went on stage & started rap chanting this song, "Last year being broke!"we started bobbing our heads and slowly but surely caught the contagious wave of emotion. Before we knew it, we started yelling out "this my last year being broke! being broke!" The feeling I had was just incredible. As I said it, I meant it! And he turned to me after the song ended & said, "if that was the only reason we came, just to hear that, I'm good." We both understood that that was one of those defining moments. Just the simple act of yelling at the top of our lungs that we weren't going to be broke anymore, was powerful! The universe heard us, and the rest of the 400-500 people who stood in the audience that night declaring that wealth was on its way.

The beautiful part about practicing mindfulness is that you understand that in just one moment, everything can change. It's like a ripple effect, and all you have to do is throw that first stone into the water.

The universe moves, based on vibrations. And as living entities a part of the universe, we are all vibrational beings, echoing off of it. But there are these moments, when we harness our power and choose to create a vibration, an energetic force, or frequency, or message, and send it into the universe, that makes the universe then echo off of us. Many people commonly understand this as the law of attraction. It states that whatever we put out into the world, is what we will attract. If we put out negativity, we will attract negativity, and so on & so forth.

This universal law is precisely why it's so necessary to monitor our thoughts. To "watch the thinker" as Eckhart Tolle explains in The Power of Now. Our thoughts are powerful energetic forces, and when we think our thoughts, we are actually sending out direct text messages to the universe who hears all things & sees all things.

Earlier this year, I struggled. As a 22-23 year old new single mother, I worked tirelessly to provide and maintain a home for my son & and take care of him 24/7. I worked from home & did a bunch of odd jobs just to survive. But I hit a wall, and succumbed to poverty consciousness. I started to only think about what I lacked, and began believing that there was never enough, or only a limited amount of resources like money, available to me. I also stopped giving as much as I used to. This focus on lack, actually made my bank account decrease. And not to mention, drained me of the vital energy I desperately needed to be both homemaker & sole breadwinner.

But when I used mindfulness to help me check in with self, I realized that I was wasting energy stressing over the things I had no control of. I realized that all I needed to change was my mindset. That's all we can control anyway, ourselves, we don't have the full power to control the larger universe at work.

And so because energy is the currency of the universe, & moves off of vibrations, we can only send out messages in faith that the universe will echo off of us. So I decided to shift my focus from poverty consciousness to an abundance mindset, and damn when I tell you, opportunities just started coming out the woodworks! Now, I'm not guaranteeing that when you switch to abundance mindset, you will automatically be rewarded, but having a constant stream of positive thoughts about abundance, rather than about lack, is certainly powerful and energy filling.

I also started to recognize all the abundance I had already been given, and all that existed right in front of me. And it didn't come in the form of money. 2016 has been the most monumental year for me in terms of my internal growth, and wealth has found me in so many other ways. Yogi Bhajan once said that "Gratitude is the open door to abundance," and that truly hits home for me.

I trust that this journey & the order in which it is flowing, is all occurring in divine order. Money and material possessions have always been a distraction for me, and if anything, they have distracted me from finding my true self and addressing the holes within me. I believe this has been my year without, because I needed to focus on healing so many other parts of myself first. Being without a lot of money this year, led me to focus on the simple things, and find joy outside of money. I find so much joy in simply watching my son sleep, his belly moving up & down as he breathes, and later waking up with laughter in his lungs. I find joy in simply taking a hot bath with my lavender oils, and being grateful for my mental wellness in this world full of chaos. I find joy in knowing my purpose, and remembering that it is so much larger than accruing money. I needed this time to become in tune with myself, and I am deeply grateful for it. 

And now that I've healed the emotional, spiritual, and physical parts of my being, I am ready to become whole, and heal financially as well. 2016 has been the year where I've planted the most seeds! And 2017, will be the year where the fruits grow from the trees I planted, and will become ripe & ready for my taking. This is the year of financial abundance. I have been claiming it, working towards it, and trusting my universe & higher god to provide. Being connected to spirit, allows me to tap into the infinite well of abundance & wealth.

Not to mention, for the first time in history, a billionaire is becoming president. That's how I know it's the money year! Haha

If this applies to you, take a moment to chant to yourself, "this (is) my last year being broke!" And really mean that! And if you already feel financially healthy, think about the other aspects of self that could be healthier, and chant on that! Abundance is on its way in any form that you are seeking! All we have to do is be grateful for the journey, trust in god's timing, and vibe out to some A$AP MOB.