Happy 2018, everyone!

It's been a while you've heard from me, but here I am: I LIIIIIIVE!!!

I hope you are all enjoying the new year, reeling in your resolutions and dreams, holding them in your heart as you venture forth to conquer yet another awesome 12 chapters of your life. I have no doubt that it is going to be awesome and epic and heroic. For me personally, the transition from 2017 to 2018 felt rather casual and uneventful. For the most part, it merely felt like a continuation of my narratives in 2017. If you're up for hearing about my year end rituals and how I embraced the changing of the calendar, check out my latest Youtube video here!

But anyway. Enough about me. I want to share with you something awesome I've discovered--like literally minutes ago as I began brainstorming and drafting the content to this newsletter. I knew I wanted to say something about the new year, but what should my focus be? Indecisive, I drew a random card from the Magic Manga Tarot, which is one of the decks that I place on my desk for easy access and quick usage. I pulled the 9 of Cups, and immediately--the word that flashed before my mind's eye was the word "gratitude". Plan your year ahead with gratitude. And I thought to myself--genius! Of course. Gratitude!

THE TRIFORCE OF ABUNDANCE

In this post, I will show you how I intend to plan my year with the triforce of abudnance (Legend of Zelda, anyone?) or what I've decided to call, Treasure Mapping (yes Kim, we get it. You're in love with the journey metaphor. Stop forcing it upon us!! )

The First Piece of the Triforce: Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the key ingredients to abundance. It is the first step, I believe, towards a richer and more abundant life. If we can't appreciate the experiences, people and resources that we already have, how can we ever perceive our wealth in all its glory? Without gratitude, we would always fall into the bottomless pit of greed, lackness and insatiability. Abundance simply cannot exist without gratitude. Therefore, when we envision the kind of life that we want to create and the kind of abundance that we want to attract into our lives, we simply cannot move forward before we assemble a list of things that we are grateful for first.

What are you grateful for? As you reflect on your experiences in 2017 (or everything that's ever happened in your life up to this moment in time--your choice. You can decide the scope of your contemplations), think about the things that you appreciate having in your life. What are some of the experiences and challenges that you have gone through--experiences that you are grateful for because they have allowed you to grow, or inspired you to be better, or motivated you to create more abundance in your life? What do you have to thank? What was an attitude or insight that was particularly helpful for you? Remember, this doesn't have to be things that happened in your life. It could also be something that you've cultivated within yourself: a new sense of strength, purpose, a way to handle a difficult situation or person, or a piece of wisdom that you have gained.

The Second Piece of the Triforce: Luck

Once you've nailed down gratitude, what's the next secret ingredient for creating abundance? When I think of gratitude, I simply cannot separate it from luck. While gratitude is appreciating the things that we already have in life, luck is something unexpected that has been injected into our lives, stirring up our old patterns and initiating change. Luck is new energy. It is something that's outside of our perception, or an extension of something that we already want--or something we didn't know we want! What we perceive as lucky or fortunate can offer us a lot of clues about what we are trying to accomplish in life, or the links that give us a vibrational spike. Because, well, luck is potential. It's a spark of light illuminating the unlearned areas of our map, showing us the way to greater possibilities and imagination. It reminds us of our innate magic to achieve and create the life that we want to live, and it shakes up the boundaries of the mundane that encases our way of life and shelters us in comfort. It is a cosmic text message--it is the universe telling us, "Hey, I've got something that you want. I have more of it. Come and get it! *winky face*"

"Luck" can be useful when we are trying to mark our maps for the new year and decide what we want to pursue. What are some the things that have happened--that you would consider as lucky? Did someone you know develop into an unexpected friend? Did you demonstrate a kind of courage, a side to you that you didn't know exist within you before? What were the opportunities that you would consider to be lucky? Do you crave more of these experiences in the upcoming year, and how can you achieve it? How can you make that lucky moment a "constant" in your life?

The Third Piece of the Triforce: Generosity

Since we are talking about luck, we must talk about the other side of luck that is part of the same "coin". I'm talking about "generosity", of course. More often than not, an act of generosity on one side can become a boon, a gesture of kindness or a lucky event to the other. I feel that generosity or an act of generosity has incredible creative power, because it is essentially rooted in one's recognition and understanding that "I have enough for myself and I have enough to share." It is a tremendous statement of abundance, and abundance aside, it is also a gesture of kindness and care for a fellow human being. The idea of paying it forward is a creative and collective act of expansion--a reality that is co-created by one that willingly gives, and one that receives and is vibrationally changed by this act.

What and how can you give to others? How can you give the gift of luck to someone you know (or don't know)? How can you be of service and share your abundance so that it multiplies? How can you help someone's life expand, and as a result, expand in turn?

THE TRIFORCE PIECES ASSEMBLE

Gratitude. Luck. Generosity. I don't know about you, but it's honestly my Triforce of Abundance. The reciprocation, the cycle, and the movement of these three things are what guide me when I mark the treasures that I seek on my life's map. These are the three main concepts that serve as the primary navigational arrows on my compass, guiding me towards the life that I want and the things I want to create.

What about you? How do you define gratitude, luck, and generosity? How do you define "abundance?"

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

9 of Cups: The Triforce of Abundance - The Quest for More Wealth and Life's Treasures