Life is meant to be magical. It is. Less and less people are finding the beauty hidden within their lives, consumed with the modern world and what they see right in front of them. What if I told you that doesn’t have to be you? That the mere fact you are here right now is proof?

It can be so easy to fall into a routine that repeats itself, waking up in the same place, going to work in the same place, doing the same things again and again. We don’t realize the miracles that are happening around us. It isn’t that you don’t have any magic in your life; you just aren’t seeing it.

For me, magic means finding gratitude and joy in moments, people and life itself.

Here are 4 ways to unveil the magic within your life.

1. Be present

The most important foundation for finding magic is grounding your presence. You must think lightly of yourself, and deeply of the world. Since we are each the center of our own universes, it is easy to constantly think about ourselves. Will this person like me? What should I say? How do I look? This brings you out of your body and into your mind.

How can you recognize beauty when you are too busy recognizing your own thoughts?

Getting out of your head and into your body allows you to perceive things not for what they could or should be, but as they are.

But how does one truly become present? It’s easier said than done, but once done it becomes second nature.

It’s hard to be to control your thoughts all the time (that’s pretty much impossible) but you will be able to accept them and move beyond them once you find a process that works for you.

Like meditation, there is no “wrong” or “right” way to go about it. Try different mantras and breathing techniques and figure out what calms your mind and brings you into your presence.

Techniques/mantras I’vs found to be helpful are:

• Take a deep breath in through your nose. Think of your energy traveling up towards your head, where all of your thoughts reside. As you exhale through your nose, your energy collects these thoughts and allows them to disperse. Feel free to repeat this as many times as you need to until you feel immersed in the present moment!

• When acknowledging persisting thoughts, distracting thoughts or even an insecurity/worry, say “I accept that part of me is worried about ___, and fair enough, it’s a real possibility. But I’m not gonna let it stop me from feeling grounded in my own journey and self. I’ll be okay no matter what.”

Detach yourself from your persisting thoughts. Allow them to come, acknowledge them, and allow them to float away as you come to understand you are much, much more than them.

Accept each moment and embrace the present. Don’t focus on other people’s lives. Only then will you be receiving enough to notice magic.

2. Operate in Abundance

Magic is a mindset as much as much as optimism and joy are. If you look for reasons to be hopeless and resentful, you will find them. If you operate in laziness and misery, you’ll attract laziness and misery. If you operate in confidence and gratitude, you will attract confidence and gratitude.

What does this mean? That the frequency in which your energy operates is incomprehensibly powerful.

When you choose to live in a frequency of abundance, you will bring abundance into your life. This abundance includes people, money, opportunities, experiences; everything. You have to be the life that you want. Feel this life in your bones.

You cannot sit around and wait patiently for a magical person, a magical job or magical experience to whisk you away if you are constantly living in a state of lack, victimhood and unluckiness. Recognize the unbelievable power you have, and utilize it.

Listen to beautiful, grounding music. Say affirming, positive statements to yourself and the people around you. Envision the life, person or job you want as if you already have it. What does it feel like? What does it smell like?

There is no right or wrong way to manifest the life that you want. Find what practice works for you and trust the process.

You will see everything around you change. The sunsets seem more beautiful, the future makes you smile, your food tastes more delicious. You start meeting the beautiful people who are on this journey with you. The person you see in the mirror fills you with respect and gratitude. Your life is changing.

Magic.

3. Accept and Release Your Fear

We allow fear to govern our lives, because fear thinks it knows what’s best for us.

This fear tells you not to practice that skill, apply for that job or introduce yourself to that person. Your fear wants you to be safe and locked away in your nest of warm comfort, where nothing challenges you or makes you feel insecure.

You think you are taking care of yourself by feeling safe. Your ego truly does believe this. Yet, you realize you aren’t satisfied living like this. Why? You aren’t really living at all. You are letting your ego govern you, and that is weakness.

There is a part of you that sees the life you want and knows exactly where to start.

Do not be afraid of this part, because it is your truest, most beautiful self!

The answers are all within you.

Each of us has an ego that feeds our negativity and fear. And each of us has the power to overcome it.

So do not let your ego control you like this. You are not so weak that you cannot bear the thought of failing. Give yourself more credit and be strong enough to face rejection.

Do not let yourself be addicted to comfort. You deserve more.

4. Love Your Journey and Love Others

Have you ever heard the saying, amor fati?

It means, as the philosopher Nietzche describes, “that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backwards, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, …. but love it.”

Did you get rejected? Did you lose someone important to you? Are you getting a pimple on your face? Amor Fati. Love it. Recognize that the experience of life is a rare and ridiculous occurrence. Yet somehow you’re here on your journey. And you’re meant to be. Isn’t that magical?

You are magic in the flesh. Living a life of strength and love affects not only your life, but everyone you know and meet.

Life is hard, and it challenges us. But you are much stronger than your suffering. You influence the world in a way you can never imagine; by being strong and loving on your journey you show others that they can too.

So sing, dance, pursue, and love! Journey through life without expectation. Embrace good days, bad days, fast days and slow days. Embrace wins, losses, joy and heartbreak. Do the best you can. You are a force of light, pursuing divinity and sharing it with the world. You are magic!

Writing this article made me feel more connected with my purpose: writing, connecting with others and using media for the greater good. My hope is that by reading this you can feel more connected with yours.

xo, Aria <3