#gratitude practice

part 5 is here and we're talking about visualization! now, before you roll your eyes and think "oh great, more vision board nonsense," hear me out. effective visualization is SO much more than just imagining pretty scenarios in your head.

i used to think visualization was kind of woo-woo until i learned how athletes use it to improve performance. turns out, when done correctly, visualization actually changes your brain and primes you for success. pretty cool, right?

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ why most visualization doesn't work ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

here's where most people go wrong with visualization:

⋄ they only focus on the end result ~ just imagining yourself having the thing, without visualizing the process of getting there ⋄ they don't engage their emotions ~ visualization without feeling is just daydreaming ⋄ they don't include challenges ~ only visualizing the good parts makes your brain unprepared for obstacles ⋄ they do it passively ~ effective visualization is active and detailed, not vague and dreamy

the goal isn't to escape reality guys!! it's to train your brain for the reality you want to create.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ the science behind why it works ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

okay, mini science lesson because i'm a nerd and this stuff is fascinating:

your brain can't really tell the difference between a vividly imagined experience and a real one. when you visualize something in detail, you're literally creating neural pathways as if you've already experienced it.

this is why athletes who visualize their performance alongside physical practice often outperform those who only do physical practice. their brains have already "experienced" success multiple times.

plus, visualization helps with something called the reticular activating system (RAS) basically, it helps your brain notice opportunities and resources that align with what you've been visualizing.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ my visualization technique ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

here's how i do visualization in a way that actually creates results:

step 1: get specific about the scene ~ not just "i have my dream job" but exactly where you are, what you're wearing, who you're with, what you're doing

step 2: engage all your senses ~ what do you see, hear, smell, feel, even taste? the more sensory details, the more real it feels to your brain

step 3: include the emotions ~ how does it FEEL to be living this reality? confident? grateful? excited? really lean into those emotions

step 4: visualize the process, not just the outcome ~ see yourself taking the actions that lead to your goal, handling challenges, growing through the journey

step 5: end with gratitude ~ thank your future self and the universe for this experience, as if it's already happened

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ my personal visualization story ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

when i was applying to college, i spent time every day visualizing not just getting accepted, but the entire experience. i visualized walking around campus, sitting in lectures, studying in the library, even having challenging conversations with professors.

i didn't JUST see myself succeeding !! i visualized myself working hard, sometimes struggling, asking for help when i needed it, and growing through the challenges.

when i actually got to college, so many moments felt familiar because i'd already "experienced" them in my visualizations. it made the transition smoother and helped me feel more confident navigating new situations.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ different types of visualization ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

outcome visualization ~ seeing yourself having achieved your goal process visualization ~ seeing yourself taking the steps to achieve your goal obstacle visualization ~ seeing yourself successfully handling challenges that might come up identity visualization ~ seeing yourself as the type of person who naturally has/does/is what you want

i like to rotate between these different types depending on what i need. if i'm feeling unmotivated, outcome visualization helps. if i'm feeling overwhelmed, process visualization breaks things down.

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆ making visualization a habit ⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

the key is consistency, not perfection. i do 5-10 minutes of visualization almost every morning, usually right after i wake up when my brain is still in that dreamy, receptive state.

some days my visualizations are super vivid and emotional. other days my mind wanders and it feels kind of meh. both are fine! the important thing is showing up consistently.

your visualization homework: pick one goal and spend 5 minutes every day this week visualizing it using the technique i outlined above. notice what comes up for you excitement, resistance, new ideas, whatever. all of it is valuable information.

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

xoxo, mindy ♡

2026.05.26 | We all need to get in tune with our intuition - it is our inner guidance, our compass that helps us travel though our life journey.

I’m feeling awful right now. So, it feels important for me to take a moment to focus on what’s wonderful in my life, despite how I’m feeling. 🥺

The year begins in the hush of Imbolc, when the faintest light returns after the long silence of winter. It is not yet spring, but something stirs—roots pressing upward, intentions breaking the surface of the soul. Renewal here is fragile, but it is also defiant. What we choose to tend in this moment, both in soil and in spirit, becomes the shape of our year.

As the light strengthens, it carries us into Ostara, where balance is revealed. Day and night stand equal, and so too do our inner and outer worlds. The seeds planted in darkness begin to show themselves, announcing beginnings that feel both inevitable and miraculous. Ostara is not a destination but a threshold, the moment when potential finally steps into form.

The wheel turns, and the sun reaches its height at Litha. Here, courage is demanded—not the courage of battle, but the courage to hold space for abundance. The beginnings we have nurtured are now protected by strength, and gratitude becomes the shield that sustains them. To stand in midsummer is to recognize fullness, to honor the work that has carried us here, and to let joy be a discipline as much as a gift.

From that fullness, the year leans toward Mabon, where gratitude deepens into discernment. The harvest is gathered, and with it comes the wisdom of balance. We see clearly what has grown, and we learn to release what no longer belongs. Mabon teaches that letting go is not loss but preparation, a way of making space for what is true. It is a time to thank those who walk beside us, and to accept that not all companions are meant to remain.

The lessons of release carry us into Samhain, when endings arrive with solemnity. The veil thins, and we are asked to honor what has passed—ancestors, paths, and versions of ourselves that no longer walk with us. Samhain is the quiet courage of farewell, the recognition that death is part of the cycle, and that in letting go we create room for renewal. It is a time of remembrance, of gratitude for the hands that shaped the way before us.

And then, in the deepest night, comes Yule. Here, the world rests. Darkness is complete, but within it lies the seed of light. Yule is the pause, the breath, the sacred stillness that allows us to recuperate. It is the promise of hope, the assurance that even in silence, life is preparing to return. Introspection here is not heavy—it is fertile, the soil in which new beginnings will root.

“जो आपके लिए नहीं बना है, उसका पीछा करना छोड़ दीजिए…जो वास्तव में आपका है, वह खुद आप तक आधे रास्ते आ जाएगा।”

You have permission to notice the pleasant and leave the rest where it is.

Observation does not require fixing, explaining, or performance.

It is okay to receive a small kindness and let it rest inside,without feeling the need to make it mean anything else.