Shireena Shroff Manchharam on manifesting the life you want

As 2024 begins, and the endless Mariah Carey songs on every Instagram post begin to dwindle, I have a mix of emotions as we slip into the new year. Truly, I felt a rush of joy while scrolling social media, watching friends creating happy moments with family, traveling to exotic places, treasuring moments, and even sharing reflections from the year. I loved the burst of Michael Bublé, on picture perfect post that gave you enough conviction that their lives are perfect.

Yet on the other hand, if you couldn't be with your near and dear ones, or if were not on an exotic island swimming with dolphins, it might have felt overwhelmingly, nauseatingly annoying. What life are we craving and how do we translate what we want into inspirational motivation for the new year?

What's perfect for you

In December, I took my kids skiing for the first time in Switzerland. I thought the magic of a small Swiss town embellished with Christmas tinsel on every corner, amidst snowcapped mountains would take their breath away. While driving into Zermatt, my son did pipe up from the backseat saying the Swiss alps were so spectacular he could cry. Days went by and when I asked my children if they thought the trip was the most perfect Christmas ever, to my slight horror they both didn't think so.  

To them, the perfect Christmas was at their Grandparent's home in India. Cozy, family time with cousins and grandparents to spoil them meant more than a trip to the Swiss Alps. I share this because fundamentally their perfect is being with family, not being taken halfway across the world. If we as adults know in our core what brings us true joy, then that's the life we can strive for.

After 10 days of skiing with friends, we left for a few days alone, just the four of us. And the best night we had in our whole trip was a dinner as a local Milanese restaurant where we laughed, conversed, spoke about our dreams, our future and acknowledged what we all mean to each other, and how our lives are perfect just when we are together, wherever it may be.  

When we think about the life we want, we need to know at the core what keeps our heart racing each day, our ability to deal with adversity and where joy really comes from. It wasn't the materialistic things on your list to Santa, but more likely the reason you wake up each day and perhaps your purpose in life. 

Manifest the life you want

We go into January with blind faith that our goals and resolutions that we come up with will take us straight to success. Setting goals releases endorphins that keep us motivated and uplifted, but we also need to remember that we get what we work for, not what we wish for. Take time to think about what's most important to you and set goals and smaller steps in each area of your life. 

To manifest the life you want, think deeply about what you want, and stop focusing on what you don't want. The more energy and time you give the things you want, the more likely they will happen, when you focus on the negative, we tend to attract that instead.

Be clear about what you want. When we are clouded by other people's views, or opinions it's hard to see exactly what you are working towards. Be clear what makes you happy, be clear what you need to do to succeed, and be clear in the steps you need to take to get there. Remember, you are the driver of your journey, only you know what you want. 

Lastly, change the way you speak, think, and behave to a more positive way. A positive mindset is far more likely to attract positive energy back that helps keep you motivated towards what you want to achieve. 

Start 2024 with a clear vision of what perfect means to you. Create a vision board, start a journal, or just share this with your family or friends. For me, perfection is a beautiful combination of all the imperfect moments in my life. Each negative moment to learn from, and each wonderful one to be grateful for. 

Shireena Shroff Manchharam is a Her World Tribe member, the founder and principal consultant of Sheens Image Consulting, and the founder and creator of Getting to Happy, a mental health movement to inspire our community and society to live happier, more mindful lives.