From the time we were small, most of us have been told that you need to struggle and work hard to get what you want and to be successful. Many people speak with pride about the long hours, hard work and massive action they took to get where they are now. They subscribe to the philosophy of “No pain, no gain.”

We become programmed to the idea that hard work and struggle are the only ways to succeed. We’ve all seen people who have had success by doing that. Maybe that was what you grew up with in your family. So, we expect to have to work hard in order to get what we want. The universe gives us what we expect and that becomes our default reality.

Jumping into action before you’re in alignment is the hard way to go.

I’m not saying action isn’t necessary. However, taking actions you think you should take without getting into alignment first can cause you to mis-create. Even if you do create what you want, it takes you longer and requires more action and struggle than if you got into alignment with your desires first. When you’re in struggle, working hard, you’re not open to your higher guidance and the inspired ideas that are there for you.

We are more than the bodies we inhabit. We’re energetic beings and we’re constantly emitting a vibration that the Universe is responding to. When you act out of doubt, fear, worry, or forcing yourself to take an action that you think you should take, you create struggle and hard work for yourself. If your focus is on what you don’t want—needing to work hard to get what you want—that’s what you’ll create. Any time you find yourself struggling, you’re actually keeping what you desire away from you! That’s one reason it takes so much longer than acting from a place of alignment.

Your first step as a deliberate creator is to place your focus only on what you want.

You might imagine you already have it and think about how easy it was. “Wear” the energy of already having what you want. How does it feel? What are you seeing? What are you saying to yourself and what are you hearing? Enjoy the process. Let your imagination have free rein.

Then, as you enjoy having your success before you see it in your physical environment, the steps to take become apparent. They occur one at a time. You’ll get an inspired idea or an urge to do something that feels good to do. It’s effortless. Then the next steps occur to you. They are often so simple that you aren’t sure how they even relate to creating what you want. It’s not until you have achieved your desire and you look back that you can connect the dots.

It’s important to trust this process. If you got all the steps at once, it would be overwhelming. When we’re overwhelmed it is usually paralyzing.

The rule of thumb here is: Don’t take action before you feel positive energy within you. This is true for both the small immediate things and the large projects. It’s all the same to the Universe. You can pre-pave your day by imagining it going smoothly and having fun. You can also create a new job situation, your purpose, a relationship, financial abundance, or improved health by skipping to the end in your mind and enjoying it before it manifests in your physical reality.

By feeling good and using your imagination to experience your desire before it manifests, the actions you take are fewer and more enjoyable. I remember Abraham once saying that your friends won’t be able to figure out how you have all the success you do because you seem somewhat lazy!

There are many ways to put your focus and energy on what you want, from daydreaming to journaling to vision boards. You can do the “Wouldn’t it be nice?” process or go for a walk. Listen to music. Whatever feels good to you and raises your vibration will put you into alignment with receiving what you want.

Have fun with this! I’d love to hear what you manifested with ease and joy!