In my last post, Winter Is Coming, I talked about how this time of year is for reflecting on what you want to get out of life. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest that you read it before continuing on.
In that post, I explained how to figure out what you truly want out of life. I also said that once you have that firmly in mind, you can start planning the steps it will take to get to that outcome. The biggest problem that most people encounter in this process, is that they want to make a massive change to their life, but they either see no steps they can take to do so, or the steps seem so large that they just give up.
No matter how big or small the change you want to make, you can manifest it. You just have to take those huge steps, and break them down into smaller steps that are easier to take. Easier said than done? Let's try an example.
I currently own a house. It's not a big house, it was a mid-range starter house in 1963, so it's not the smallest house in the neighborhood, but it's also not the largest. For this example, we'll say that I want to buy a bigger house. A much bigger house. I like the idea of having a house with a bigger kitchen, so it can have an island in the center, a home office that wasn't originally a bedroom, a full, finished basement, a couple of extra bedrooms that are actual bedrooms, so my parents have a place to stay when they're in town, or crash space for friends when they need it, a space to use as a ritual room that's big enough for say 10 people, and has enough room that I can have a bunch of my friends over without it feeling cramped.
The first thing you'll notice, is that I have some specific ideas that I want in this new house. I want a larger kitchen, with an island. I want an actual home office space, not a converted bedroom. I want a finished basement, which gives more living space and adds value to the house. I already have two extra bedrooms in my current house, but one is my office, the other is my ritual room. I'd like to have actual extra bedrooms. I'd like a large ritual room. Finally, a more nebulous requirement that the house be big enough to have friends over without the place feeling cramped. If I have 20 people over at my current house, it's SRO, and we feel like sardines.
It's important that whatever your goal, you must have specifics. The more specific, the better. I can say I want a large kitchen, but what do I mean by 'large'? Large means it's big enough to fit an island in the center. I don't have to go into exact measurements, unless I have reasons for being that specific. When I go to look at houses, I'll know if the kitchen fits my desire, when I see it. So we're looking at probably a four bedroom, 2.5 - 3 bathroom house, with a finished basement, and a kitchen that most likely opens onto a dining/living area. In my part of the country, that's a $750,000 - $1 million house.
That's a pretty big desire! How the hell do I pull that off? I should note that the job I've had for the last six years, is going away sometime after February 2018. I will get a severance, which amounts to about a year's base salary. I've always worked overtime, so I've never made just my base salary. So I'm about to be jobless. Most people in my position would be more worried about how to keep the house they have. I know coworkers who are scared to death of what will happen to them after their jobs go away. I must be crazy to want a bigger house, but I've always felt that the higher you aim, the further you shoot.
I have no choice about my job going away. I do have a choice about how I react to it. I can do nothing, and hope things work out (the Goddess will provide), or I can make plans to do something about it. Most people take the former course, and hope that something good will happen to them. I don't know about you, but I have never heard the word hope used, when talking about magick. I choose to put my fears aside, and do something about it.
Now that I know what it is I want, and some specifics to ensure that my desire is clear, I need to figure out the steps to get it. In my next post I will describe the steps I will need to take, with enough detail to make them practical.
