This new year, we can give ourselves a good headstart by resetting our minds, and preparing it for a great year ahead.

We may not be able to control the things happening around us—the economy, peace and order, workplace environment, healthcare situation, or other things that may be a source of stress—but we certainly have full control over our thoughts and emotions, and how we react to the various stressors we encounter.

A potent antidote to the high level of stress we experience is positive expectation of the things that are going to happen in the future. Hence, making positive affirmations can really be a potent mental revitalizer which can translate to better outcomes. Every day we can affirm with conviction that “this is a great day, and 2019 is a great year for us.”

Extension of prayers

You can also be more specific why you believe it’s going to be a great year by affirming: “I’m enjoying excellent health, more happiness, peace of mind, prosperity and success.” Repeat these several times, at different times of the day, especially just before going to sleep and after saying morning prayers. We may consider these affirmations an extension of our prayers.

Done consistently every day, this will establish neuronal networks in our conscious and subconscious brain that can help pave the way to make these thoughts and affirmations a reality.

The opposite of positive expectation is, of course, negative expectation, which unfortunately, many of us fall prey to. In fact, this is the default setting of our subconscious mind, if we don’t consciously make an effort to reverse it.

The pessimist in us will always barrage our minds with negative thoughts and expectations. We exaggerate problems. We make mountains out of molehills and convince ourselves that even potential problems are already actual problems magnified many times over.

So, this year, let’s try to be good stewards of our thoughts and emotions.

Gardener

The subconscious mind has been compared to a vast garden, with us as the gardener. If we don’t take good care of it, no beautiful and useful plant will grow in it. It will soon be covered with weeds and tall grasses. These are like the negative thoughts, feelings, emotions and expectations that we unwittingly allow to dominate our minds as a default setting—with no effort to change our mindset.

On the other hand, if we’re dutiful gardeners taking good care of every space in our garden, taking out the weeds and planting beautiful flower- and fruit-bearing plants and trees in a well-planned manner, watering the plants daily, visualizing the flowers in full bloom and the fruits ripening under the sun, soon, we’ll have the most magnificent garden we’ve ever seen.

Similarly, if we regularly plant positive thoughts and affirmations in our mind, and lovingly nurture it with positive affirmations daily, fully believing that God will grant us our heart’s desire if it’s for our good and the good of people we’d like to help, visualizing our desired outcomes regularly, then there’s a very good possibility that most, if not all of them, will eventually become a reality.

We just have to trust God for the perfect timing when to make them a reality. His answer may be any of the following: “Yes, your wish is good and I’ll grant it,” “No, it’s not good for you and I have better plans for you,” or “Wait, it’s not the right time to get what you’re wishing for.”