Engy Albasel Neville's Blog

I’m a Southern California gal that followed her heart and career path to NYC, almost fifteen years ago. Like many before me, I was seduced by the city’s energy and proud, unbreakable spirit. I was experiencing a lot of newness at the time. A new city, a new job, new friends, new lifestyle and a new way of staying in touch with family and friends, near and far in real-time through social media.  

Fast forward to 2019, social media morphed into an evolving entity well beyond staying in touch. It became a platform for entrepreneurs and politicians, activist, support groups and hobbyists to share ideas and so much more. Social media became its own reality. In recent years, it cultivated a culture of portraying an alternate perfect life instead of snapshots of real life moments. 

There was something disingenuous about genuine moments. Was everyone living their best life? And what about the ones that weren’t living their best life at the moment, the ones that went silent? 

Living your best life is a choice. And tough seasons happen to everyone. One person’s best year might be another person’s worst one. And for those going through a challenging season, social media can feel like the devil, flaunting someone else’s seemingly perfect life while you’re barely treading water. If you’re in that boat and social is triggering feelings of jealousy, envy or resentment, then it’s time for a break from social media while you do the work it takes to find your footing again.  

Pull inward and focus on you. Don’t compare your life to anyone else’s. Comparison guarantees misery and you’re too good for that. We all have a destiny to fulfill and lessons to learn and life to experience. Don’t miss out on your life because you’re too busy begrudging someone his or her happiness. Be genuinely and wholeheartedly happy for them. It doesn’t take anything away from you.

Tough seasons have a beginning and an end. Instead of waiting out the bad days until they pass, embrace them. Shift your perspective to allow for messages to come through about what you need to change, learn or be open to when the bad days are behind you. Repurpose scrolling time for meditation and journaling. Figure out what makes you happy. Only you knows the answer to this. You might surprise yourself by what you learn about yourself or the situation you’re in by creating quiet space. 

I’m a power user of social media. I use multiple platforms to engage with my readers and even for me, I’m careful about what content I consume. Content that lacks authenticity is draining for me so I’m unapologetically selective about whom I follow and you should too. Personal energy space is sacred, be thoughtful about who you let in. For me, tough times are a sign to self-reflect and pay attention to changes around me. I honor this time by shutting out outside noise and I ramp up my gratitude. You’ll be amazed by the mental shift that happens when your day begins with gratitude instead of a complaint. Even the triggers become insignificant as the focus shifts to abundance and not scarcity. Try it for a week and be prepared for a healthier and happier perspective.

The post Perceived Reality Bites appeared first on .

Let’s talk about fear. Not the kind you feel watching a scary movie but the kind that’s holding you back. Did you know that fear can be debilitating? Did you know that once fear takes the wheel, every decision you make is based in fear? 

Fear creates blocks so happiness becomes impossible to achieve. The worst part about fear is that it feeds other negative emotions like jealousy, resentment and scarcity. Fear is when someone in your work circle or personal life is doing great and you just can’t bring yourself to be fully happy for them because somehow you’ve convinced yourself that their success is taking something away from you. And so you stew in resentment and jealousy instead of cheering for them. Instead of pursuing your own goals, you allow fear to keep you standing still when somewhere deep in your soul you crave more for your life and dream of something bigger and better. 

Fear happens to everyone and I’m no exception. At some point in the last several years, I got the idea to write a book about my personal growth and the many pivotal moments that contributed to my spiritual reawakening. I wanted to share my life lessons, raw and vulnerable, with the intention of inspiring others to seek their own reawakening. I know first hand the life changing impact being ‘awake’ continues to have on my life and I wanted others to experience it too.

But I didn’t write that book. Fear of judgment, ridicule and self-doubt set in and I chose to ignore the calling. I wrote other books instead. I focused my intention on getting an old manuscript finished and four years later, A Leap In Time was published. I infused many elements of my beliefs about living with intention and tapping into a higher purpose into the storyline but that was as far as I went. It was easier to write a fiction about made up characters than to share personal experiences. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of writing A Leap In Time and prouder still of writing A Christmas Wish which released this past December. Both books were a labor of love and determination and I don’t regret writing either book. I was meant to write both books and I don’t doubt that for a second. 

I just wish I was brave enough to also write my story. 

I allowed my fear to take the wheel instead of giving it a backseat. The worse part was I didn’t realize fear played any role in any part of my life. I convinced myself non-fiction wasn’t the right genre for me and moved on without a second thought.

How many of you can relate to this? How many of you have talked yourself out of doing something you want to do because judgment by others outweighed courage? 

Believe me, I know. It’s hard to have thick skin when the criticism feels so personal. It’s hard to chase a dream that no one but you believes in. It’s hard to see the big picture when you’re bogged down with self-doubt and daily reminders of why it wouldn’t work. 

What’s worse, fear plays a role in the day-to-day decisions we take for granted. Like the decision to stand up for yourself at work, the decision to fight for that raise or promotion, the decision to ask for help. The list goes on and on. 

The next time you’re standing still and you’re unhappy about it, unpack the layers that led you to silence your inner voice. You’ll find fear to be at the root of it. But don’t stop there, go deeper and find out the cause of your fear and why it succeeded in derailing you. Who’s voice are you hearing when you think about your life and what is the voice saying?

It took me a minute to realize where and how fear played a role in my life. Until that point, I didn’t realize the impact negative childhood experiences had on me as an adult. You see, as a kid, we moved a lot. My Dad who’s retired now was a scientist and because of his job, he had the privilege of going on sabbatical to other countries and states. For a couple of years, my brothers and I were always the new kids at school. We were always trying to fit in. And for many years, I didn’t succeed at fitting in. The cultural differences were huge. We moved from Lod, Israel to Reading, England when I was in six grade and although I spoke English because it was a required subject in school, I didn’t speak it or read it fluently so I had a language barrier to overcome and a cultural one. I didn’t always understand what the teachers were explaining and I most certainly didn’t understand the jokes or pop cultural references my classmates referenced. I was fully on the outside and that sucked. 

Halfway through the year just when I began to experience a glimmer of belonging, we moved to Gainesville, Florida. The culture shock was jarring. In Israel and England, we wore school uniforms and academics and discipline were prioritized. In Gainesville, the school was K-12 and the kids wore tube tops, cut off jeans, they cussed and the older kids openly made out everywhere. Remember I was a six grader coming from a strict and tightly managed school systems. I was completely out of my element. To top it off, a couple of girls in my class gave me a note that said, “they didn’t like me, I was weird, my clothes were ugly and I smelled”. Imagine being the new kid in school and you find this note on your desk and the mean girls that wrote it are watching for your reaction as you read it. 

The memory is still vivid in my mind and I remember feeling so hurt and being too shocked to cry. No one had ever been this mean to me before. Needless to say, I was thrilled when at the end of summer my parents decided to move to southern California so my Dad could work on a project at the University of California in Riverside. Once again, I was the new kid and now I also had baggage I didn’t realize I was carrying. For the majority of middle school and early years of high school, I felt like an outsider looking in. I didn’t have the trendy clothes everyone else was wearing or the right hairstyle and I still struggled to learn all the pop culture references. A few mean girls in Middle School openly laughed at my clothes and hair and the way I talked. 

My awkwardness and insecurities multiplied. 

Feeling left out created a strange need for approval from everyone around me, including people I didn’t even like. Yet their opinion affected me. Strangely enough, once I graduated college and started working, I buried this feeling and I didn’t give it much thought. 

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized how this unhealed part of my childhood had played a major role in my adulthood. The fear of being judged, teased and excluded stemmed from my childhood experience of being judged, teased and excluded. The little girl in me was still seeking approval and acceptance. And because of that fear, I didn’t dare venture into brave territory because that always guaranteed judgment. Do you see how fear works?  

Holding up a mirror to my own life wasn’t easy. Acknowledging fear and then going deeper to figure out where it stemmed from wasn’t easy. Even writing this blog wasn’t easy because it brought up memories that I don’t like remembering. The path to healing isn’t easy but all of it is necessary. Healing begins with revisiting memories buried in the past because they’re too painful to bring out from the shadows into the present. 

I knew I healed that part of my childhood because the experience no longer has a hold on me emotionally. When I reflect back on that time of my childhood, I don’t feel anger or hurt or even pain. I don’t like remembering it but I’m not affected by it because I’m constantly reminding myself that my past doesn’t determine my future. In the mornings when I’m meditating, I’m filled with gratitude for every experience because it’s made me who I am today. 

Deal with what’s holding you back and heal the wounds with love and compassion. Then move on. Don’t stay stuck in the past reliving the painful memories that don’t serve you. The future isn’t dictated by your past. The future is unwritten and you get to co-write it in collaboration with a higher power. And to me, that’s worth overcoming all the hurdles.

The post When Fear is Behind the Wheel appeared first on .

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

The post Hello world! appeared first on Welcome.

When I was in my early twenties, a psychic at Universal City walk told me I would be writing books. My heart could have exploded on top of her tarot cards because little did she know, becoming a published author was a childhood dream. I was 22 years old at the time.  
 
One day while shopping for a new bed, I saw a painting in the furniture store. The painting which is still at my parents’ house today is of a beautiful cottage in the country with a creek running alongside it. At the time, I read a lot of Jane Austin and I could easily imagine myself being a character in one of her books, living in this cottage. The painting looked magical to me and I felt so drawn to it. So I bought it. I felt like such a grown up buying “art” for my apartment and I couldn’t wait to get home and hang it in my living room. 
 
One morning an idea came to me to write a time travel story where the heroine would find herself at this picturesque cottage. And so the beginnings of my first novel, A Leap In Time, was in motion.
I wrote a chapter here and there, eventually finishing it but I didn’t do anything with it and so the years passed by with this book living on my laptop. A small part of me gave up on the idea of becoming a published author and I truly felt the psychic’s prediction had expired.
 
Fast forward to 2009, the year I married my best friend Brian. We went to Italy for our honeymoon and spontaneously added Pompeii to one of our stops from Positano to Tuscany. I’m convinced that Divine Intervention was at play because the minute we walked into the walled ruins of the city, I felt this unbelievable pull to a place I never gave much thought to before that moment. Everything about Pompeii felt eerily familiar and sacred and it stayed with me long after we came back to our life in New York. I became obsessed with finding out every little detail. From documentaries to books and later visiting the exhibit in New York, the more I learned the more attached I became. So I rewrote the entire story so the time travel includes Pompeii instead of Jane Austin’s England. 
 
A Leap In Time was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2014.
 
Dreams have their own timeline. It doesn’t matter that perceived or actual obstacles are in the way. What’s meant for you will find you, no matter how big or audacious that thing is. I’m so glad I didn’t give up or worse, delete the book from my laptop.  
 
 

Photo credit of Pompeii @pompeii_parco_archeologico
 

The post What’s meant for you, will find you. appeared first on Engy Neville.

This is week 7.  Most days I still can’t believe this is our new reality. A global health pandemic that’s halted the world. Would you ever have guessed something like this is even possible? I didn’t. On some level, there’s comfort in knowing everyone is going through the exact same thing, regardless of where they are in the world. From my dear friends in Australia to family in California, Canada, Ireland,  England, Jordan and Israel – we’re all in the same boat with all our feelings of uncertainty, fear, anxiety and hope for a better future. 
 
Thankfully everyone in my immediate circle and even one circle beyond that is healthy. I’m so grateful for that. 
 
Years of spiritual work has taught me that everything truly does happen for a reason. No one likes to hear this (even me sometimes) but it’s true. The most profound awakenings transpire from the darkest moments, like the one we’re in now. In spite of the sadness, death, fear, uncertainty and financial hardship, heartwarming goodness is happening all around us. Acts of kindness and compassion are doled out generously within communities and outside of them. Families are spending more time together. Our planet is getting a reprieve from years of overuse and abuse. Blue skies are appearing in countries typically dense with pollution. The Venice Canals are clear enough for dolphins to swim through. Sea Turtles are laying eggs on clean beaches that are typically filled with garbage and debris. These are all good things. They’re reminders of the precious gifts we often overlook in this world. 
 
During hard days, I remind myself of the good things over and over again. Because even with this knowing, even with this awakened perspective, there are some hard days. And there are profound lessons for me in all of this. For someone like me who thrives on structure, even if it’s a flexible one, this new normal can be unnerving. There are days I feel overwhelmed and defeated. The housework alone is killing me. It’s never ending. And no matter how much I clean, wash dishes and do laundry or tidy up, I can’t seem to put a dent in any of it. Surrender is taking on a whole new meaning as I learn to accept what I can’t control and focus on where I want my energy to flow. 
 
I’m aware that my kids are watching and learning from me even when I don’t think they’re paying attention. How I deal with this difficult situation will have lasting impact on how my kids will deal with situations with similar triggers for negative feelings. I want them to understand fear and uncertainty and frustration and even defeat but I don’t want them paralyzed by negative feelings or thoughts. All emotions are part of our human experience. Denying any bits of that would be denying what’s necessary for our growth. I don’t want that for them. I want them to deal with life’s curveballs in a healthy way. It took me the better part of my thirties to learn the importance of surrender, keeping the faith and finding a way forward by pushing through. I wish for them a quicker path to this wisdom.  
 
So while I’m navigating a new normal with all its blessings, lessons, grief and uncertainty, I’m staying grounded by honoring the things I know for sure. There’s a greater, wiser, all knowing God (Universe) watching over all of us. Gratitude does change a bad day into a better day. And doing one thing a day that brings me true joy lifts my spirits and that raises my vibration and allows me to hear God’s whispers during my prayers. 
 
We all have ten minutes in our day for self check-ins. We gladly check-in on everyone we love. Include yourself on that list. It’s important. And do one thing a day that makes you smile. I love sunsets and sunrises. I watch at least one of them every single day. Walks in the forest by our house. Listening to music. A delicious glass of wine. FaceTime with a friend. The beach. I find a way to do one thing a day that makes me feel happy. Find the thing that makes you happy and commit to doing something for you every day. We’ve got this.
 

Photo by Joe Ciciarelli on Unsplash

The post Navigating A New Normal appeared first on Engy Neville.

Fear and uncertainty. We are all feeling it and we are all overwhelmed by it. For some, the anxiety is manifesting itself into new coping mechanisms and for others, its old habits we relied on in the past.
 
I’m not here to talk you out of whatever is making you feel good. And I’m not going to talk staying motivated, learning new skills or exploring new hobbies. I’m a believer in being still and feeling every emotion. That means all the icky and all the euphoric ones. There are no bad emotions. Not in my book.
 
Whatever you need, do it. But do yourself a favor and ask just one small question. Is what you’re doing to feel better right now good for you in the long run or will it potentially hurt you?  
 
I recently came across a podcast that talked about the purchase of alcohol doubling during times of national distress or depression. And it got me thinking about our collective coping mechanism and whether during difficult times, we tend to lean in to habits that potentially doom us when the rough season is over. I know we all need different things to feel whole and comforted and safe. I know that for some, a daily nightcap is part of settling in for the night and unwinding from a long day. I get it. I love a glass of wine as much as the next person. It’s when the nightcap or glass of wine turns into many per night, every night that we should pause and reassess whether our coping mechanisms are helping or harming us. 
 
Since this quarantine began five weeks ago, I’ve been praying daily for all of us to come out of this quarantine stronger, more faithful, connected, compassionate and intentional than ever before. I know many will fall victim to unhealthy choices that will be difficult to overcome later on. I know for some, new unhealthy coping mechanisms will become the norm of how other difficult situations will be handled. Will that be you? I pray its not. 
 
My friends, regardless of how you’re handling the quarantine, be safe and be mindful of things you’re doing to feel better. Your habits today will become a roadmap for future bad seasons in your life. Choose good habits that will carry you through the tough patches instead of making things worse.  
 
I’m not asking you to abandon the feel good things you’re doing. I’m just asking you to be mindful of how you’re coping.  Like all of you, I needed to adjust my days when the quarantine started. I needed to find a new normal with both kids and my husband being home around the clock. Some days feel overwhelming and other days feel manageable. Still I wake up every morning and I set my intention to show up for all aspects of my life in a positive and calm way. I know my kids are watching me and my behavior will subconsciously teach them how to handle difficult situations in their life. I’m determined not to fail them.
 
I’m praying for all of us and I’m rooting for you to continue thriving in your life. Drop me a line. Let me know how you’re doing. 
 

PS Going on long walks in the forest by us is giving me so much inner calm. This picture is from my phone camera.  

 

 

The post How are you holding up? appeared first on Engy Neville.

These days I’m intentional with everything I say and do. I have to be so I stay in a positive mindset for myself and for my family. My morning routine has remained somewhat the same. I listen to Jai-Jagdeesh while meditating and then coffee on the couch before starting my day. These days, I don’t need to walk the kids to the bus stop so I have a little more time before my work day begins.
 
My family, especially my two kids are counting on me to stay calm and maintain a sense of normalcy for them.⁣ So I will gladly meditate and pray and do the things to keep me in a positive mindset so I can show up for them in the way they need.
⁣
Some days are tougher than others. The days I feel overwhelmed, I fall back on my spiritual tools of meditation, breath work and prayer. This doesn’t make me immune to freaking out but it allows me to recognize the signs of panic setting in. Once I sense negative thoughts clouding my day, I  redirect my thoughts to things I’m grateful for like our health, being together, our home, etc. This intentional redirection of my energy diffuses the fear and allows me the ability to find joy in my day. The more panicked I feel, the more I rattle off things I’m grateful for. 
 
Throughout this period, we will all experience every range of emotion in different ways and at different times. It’s normal. I encourage you to embrace the range of emotions and then redirect your energy to thoughts of gratitude. Notice I didn’t say, ignore feelings of fear or panic. Embrace them. I don’t believe in masking emotions because they have a way of bubbling back up and often, in the most inopportune times. Embrace, forgive the thought and re-direct to a positive place of gratitude. Hot cup of coffee in the morning. Cuddling with the dogs. The Outlander. A good book. Online yoga.
 
I hope this epidemic will never repeat again. I pray this is all behind us soon. What I pray for most is that we come out of this a more awake world that cherishes connectivity, embodies compassion, savors the present moment and is grounded in gratitude. ⁣
⁣
During moments of prayer, I see small blessings in the world coming to a standstill. I feel God’s guiding hand as he redirects us back to quality family time, as our day-to-day decisions are rooted in compassion for others and as a veil is lifted to show us the connective thread that extends to every part of the globe.
 
God doesn’t make mistakes. We’re all here together and for a reason. Pray. Meditate. Stay grounded in gratitude. Stay safe. Stay home. Stay present. We are all going to be better than ok because HE has our back.  
 

The post Count your blessings appeared first on Engy Neville.

Fifteen and half years ago, I made the move from LA to NY. It was the most courageous move I ever made and best decision for my career, spiritual growth and personal growth. ⁣
⁣
But after years of living in NY, the grind wore me down. The overcrowded sidewalks, pee smelling subways (yes you read that right), cold winters and intense culture drained me. NYC lost its luster for me and I couldn’t wait to get me away from the city I once loved. I felt homesick. I craved the beach, warm sun, the people and the laid back lifestyle. The more I plotted for our family’s move to LA, the more unhappy I became in my current situation. I’m ashamed to admit, this went on for years. My only solace was being outside. I went on long walks, gardened and drove to the beach every chance I got. It was during one of my walks that I heard a message clear as a whisper in my ear. The message was to find the joy where I am for change to happen.
 
I resisted the guidance because it felt like an impossible ask. I wanted to leave because I was unhappy so how was I supposed to find happiness in the thing that was making me unhappy? I was in a terrible funk. I felt alone and lonely and I felt unrecognizable to myself.  I just wanted to go home. Of course, not a single opportunity presented itself.
⁣
By the grace of a wiser and higher power, I surrendered and accepted the guidance. I started writing down small obvious things that I was grateful for. Like getting coffee from my favorite coffee truck on the corner of 5th Avenue and 12th Street. Strand Bookstore. Central Park. Lunch on the bench at Washington Square Park. The West Village. Pizza. Brunch at the Boathouse in Central Park. The horse stables on the campus of CW Post. Fall in NY. White Christmas. BBQs in our backyard. Family gatherings. The vineyards on Long Island. Spontaneous Saturday nights with dear friends for wine and takeout. ⁣
⁣
My list of gratitude grew and so did my happiness. I started to fall in love with NY again. I didn’t feel an urgency to leave. And then the unexpected happened. An opportunity to move to Boston fell in our lap and the timing couldn’t be more perfect in every way imaginable.
⁣
As it turns out, God’s plan was far better than mine. Boston is one of my favorite cities in the world and I’ve done my fair share of traveling. Living in a New England small town by the sea is as charming as it sounds. Hello every movie on the Hallmark Channel. ⁣I couldn’t have imagined this for myself if I tried. This experience taught me so much.  
⁣
We’re often so busy chasing the next thing that we forget to be still and we forget to be present and we forget to be grateful for the daily miracles in our life. The miracle for me was my change in perspective which changed my experience and then changed my life. By choosing gratitude and joy, I altered my experience even though what was happening around me didn’t change. I promise you the subway didn’t suddenly start to smell like fresh laundry. But because I was so focused on the good stuff, I stopped noticing the other stuff.
 
Real joy is in the ordinary moments that we often overlook and take for granted. Now when I’m itching for a change, I ground myself in gratitude of everything I love and cherish about my current situation. I take nothing for granted. The change I’m craving will find me at just the right time and I fully trust that.
 
Have you experienced divine guidance that you resisted at first? 
 

 
 

The post Find Joy In The Ordinary appeared first on Engy Neville.

Joy and gratitude are a choice. Before you roll your eyes and dismiss the blog, stick around for a sec.

I’ve been through some crappy seasons. You know, the kind that have you curled up in a ball feeling like you’ve been run over by an 18-wheeler. The only thing that got me through the shit storm was my attitude and daily practice of gratitude.

Years ago during an especially gnarly season and weeks of feeling like a shell of myself, I woke up one morning and decided to change my attitude. I had exhausted all the self-pity scenarios. The sad story replaying in my head was getting old, even for me. I wanted a different kind of day. I wasn’t even thinking of outcome at that point. I just wanted to feel good. One morning, I got up, got dressed and decided to write a list of all the things that made me happy. Coffee might have topped the list because that’s where I was at … and that was OK. It was a start.

I did this daily. My list grew longer and more meaningful. The challenges I was dealing with became lessons that gave me clarity, growth and healing and that brought on gratitude.

Years later, I still maintain a practice of writing in my journal and listing the blessings in my life. No matter what’s going on in my life, I choose to focus my energy on the joys instead of the hardship. This mindset has given me the ability to maintain inner peace and an open heart to whatever is meant for me because I’m not clouded with negativity. 

On the worst day, I still choose to believe in a world that’s full of abundance instead of scarcity. I choose to have faith in times of fear. I choose. I always choose. And you have the power to choose your mindset every day. This doesn’t mean life is perfect because it’s not. It doesn’t mean that I’m blind to the areas in my life that could use a blessing because I’m not blind to them. It simply means I direct my energy to the areas that are working while proactively solving for what’s not without complaint and without self-pity.

It’s easy to be grateful when all the stars are aligned for you. True gratitude is when you’re grateful in spite of what’s not working.

Look for the joy in everything no matter how insignificant it may seem to you. Always feed energy and gratitude into the good stuff so more good stuff comes your way. That’s the law of attraction at its core. I promise your perspective and your day will change for the better.

Tell me three things you’re grateful for today?

I hope my story has served you in some capacity.

The post Gratitude is a Choice appeared first on Engy Neville.

You’ve probably heard the term, manifesting or having the ability to manifest a dream or a goal. It sounds so out there and maybe the skeptic in us might be leery of such a lofty notion. 

Indulge me for a bit while I share a recent experience with you.

I’ll start by saying that I’ve been a follower and practitioner of yoga and meditation for the last twenty years. Meditation has been a big part of my adult life. My inner peace and surrender to believing that all is working on my behalf even when I don’t see it, is as a direct result of meditating. I’m forever grateful for this practice.

In all my years of meditating, I’ve never meditated for the purpose of manifesting. I’ve treated meditation as a practical tool to help me stay grounded in authenticity and purpose. I’ve come to rely on meditation for inner peace and connectivity to the divine. I cherish my meditation time and I recommend it to everyone regardless of where you’re at in your personal journey.

If you’ve been following me or reading my blogs, you know my love for the beach. The sound of waves swelling and crashing soothes my soul. Naturally, when I’m meditating, I picture the beach and I allow myself to see it in my mind’s eye and hear it as if I was physically there. Within a few minutes of hearing and seeing the beach, I’m able to calm my mind, shut off the million things on my to-do list and listen for whatever comes next. Are you with me so far?

In the last eight months my meditation shifted slightly. Instead of beginning every meditation with a vision of the beach, I decided to fully go for it and mentally see the perfect place for me. Being a Southern California girl, I grew up with the beach and mountains, both a short distance from each other. Our cities have elevations, adding to their charm and panoramic views of the city below. Our beach communities are tree lined and plush with greenery. I know I know … you think we’re spoiled. I like to think we’re blessed in abundance.

Full disclosure, my vision of the perfect place was inspired by the million Hallmark movies I’ve watched through the years. Meditation took on a whole new meaning as I imagined a beautiful seaside place with tall, lush trees and country roads plucked from my favorite movies. When I focused on the exact spot where I saw myself meditate, I saw a forest like place, not as thick and dark as the forests I’ve been to in real life. This place had tall mature trees but not so many where you couldn’t see the sky. This place was at an elevation and at the bottom, there was a small body of water. The surroundings beyond the wooden area weren’t visible to me so I couldn’t tell you exactly where this place was except it was part of a larger picture, just as serene and picturesque. The beauty of this place brought me so much joy even though I only knew it from my vision.

A few months ago, we began house hunting in the suburbs of Boston. We looked everywhere. We ended up gravitating between two areas, a seaside town and a farming town inland of the city. Both had all the New England charm you can imagine.

As we contemplated between the two, we decided to narrow our search further and stick with the seaside town. The realtor described the town as “something out of a Hallmark movie” especially during Christmas time. To me, her words represented something much bigger than an easy reference, her words represented something magical. We knew this was our place and I knew something bigger than I could explain had just happened.

But wait, it gets better.

Brian looked at tons of houses online while he was there during the week and through pictures, we narrowed our search. Thankfully, we had a rockstar realtor who got us and understood exactly what we were looking for in a home and neighborhood.

The weekend Brian and the kids drove to Boston for an Open House, I was in California for a business trip. He sent me pictures, some looked promising and others, not so much. We put an offer on a house but we were outbid by another buyer.

On Sunday, Brian got the kids ready to drive back to New York.  Last minute, he decided to drive by a house we had seen online. With nothing to lose, he drove by, liked the neighborhood and immediately called the Realtor to allow him access to see the inside.

I quickly wrote a letter to the owners introducing our family to them and within a few hours, Brian and the kids were in the house getting a tour. With the Realtor’s help, we put an offer and hoped for the best. I waited anxiously in California for the news while Brian and kids drove back to New York.

By the next day, our offer was accepted and we started the process of purchase. The closing was set for July 12 and that was the day I saw the house for the first time. The house is beautiful with a picturesque garden and awesome neighborhood with tons of kids our kids’ ages. Everything we dreamed of and more.

Even though we weren’t ready to move in after closing, we decided to stay the weekend in the house. The kids and I slept on a blow up mattress and Brian slept in a sleeping bag next to us. We made an adventure of it. I woke up super early on Saturday morning to meditate. Sunrise was barely under way and I wanted to see it from the backyard. It must have rained during the night because the patio steps were wet but I didn’t care and sat down anyway. Wet butt and all, I began meditating. I heard a voice, not my own, telling me to get up and take a walk in the backyard. So I got up and began walking around the backyard, taking it all in. From flowers to birdhouses, the previous owner cherished the garden. Every plant, every tree, every garden statue was carefully chosen and loved. I’m a passionate gardener as well so the synergy isn’t wasted on me. I ended up at the edge of our property, deep in the backyard where it was just trees, no lawn. There was a steep cliff with tons of broken branches and at the bottom of the cliff was a small body of water. This exact spot is the one from my meditation.

The happy place I envisioned in my mind was our new home.

I’m getting teary-eyed writing this as I’m remembering how I felt when I realized the magnitude of what happened. I cried tears of joy and gratitude. I must have said Thank you God a thousand times that day and a million times by now.

Without HIS blessing, none of this would have happened.

God’s hand is all over this new beginning for us and the transition began a year and half before anything began to shift and make this possible. My manifestation of the house and town aligned with what’s best for our family and therefore, the Universe worked its magic for things to fall into place.

Our manifestation comes to fruition when it serves our highest vibration. When our prayer isn’t answered, it’s because something better and bigger is coming and I truly believe that.

Being able to manifest a dream doesn’t make me special or different than you. If you met me in person, you’d find I share the same concerns, frustrations, limited time and desire to always strive to be the best version of myself. The only difference between you and I in this moment in time is that I’ve committed to a daily practice of meditation. I’ve committed to recognizing negative thoughts and stopping them before I let them build momentum. I’ve committed to waking up early every day so I have quiet time to align internally before dealing with life’s crazy.

Do I fall short sometimes with one or more things? Absolutely. But I don’t allow myself to stay in the space.

Knowing the full power of thoughts, I’m very cautious of my thoughts. This is partly because I don’t want a shit storm coming my way because of my own doing. But mostly, I’m motivated by the ability to create the life of my dreams.

If you’re starting a meditation practice, be patient with yourself. It takes time to learn how to quiet the mind and even longer to tap into our higher selves. The intention for your meditation should be to live a life of purpose. Don’t worry so much about manifesting. Strive for inner peace and guidance. The rest follows.

My intention for sharing this experience with you is to show you that we all have the ability to do anything. God created us limitless. God created us with love and abundance. Have faith in his vision for you and be open to how it unfolds. Answered prayers don’t always show up in the way we imagined, but they are always answered.

I hope my story served you in some capacity.

The post How I Manifested Our New Home appeared first on Engy Neville.