My Secret Formula for a FANTASTIC New Year (Pandemic or No Pandemic)

I was a beauty pageant contestant at age 11. This was no “Dance Moms” thing or professional pageant where the kids are gussied up in tulle dresses and fake eyelashes. It was some kind of casual competition at our neighborhood pool, Gateway. I don’t remember what the judges were scoring us on exactly. There were no questions about resolving world hunger or how to usher in peace. But, for some reason, there we were: ten little kids lined up hoping to win the coveted “Little Miss Gateway” trophy.

I stood tall, as best I could, being only four-feet something, confident I would win. I just knew I would, even though I wasn’t the cutest kid. To be honest, I probably had every reason to believe I would NOT win. I was a skinny girl with a narrow face and a homemade bikini (to cover a surgical scar on my chest). But my dad had sent me to a kind of “charm school” that year and some of the lessons about confidence and poise must have stuck.

So, in front of the judges, I smiled broadly, exuding confidence, and, I hoped, poise! Sure enough, the judges picked me as the winner! They awarded me the trophy, took my picture, and instructed me to take the merited victory lap around the pool. Walking along the perimeter of the Gateway pool, I practically floated by the onlookers, I was so excited and proud.

This was one of the first moments when it dawned on me that perspective could change outcome. Had I stood poolside, before the judges, with a scowl on my face, expecting only to be rewarded by embarrassment rather than a trophy, that would have, indeed, been my experience.

As an adult, I continue to learn this lesson: how we think affects reality. And this idea is not only my own. A number of health experts that I’ve interviewed on the Wise Traditions podcast — Dr. Zach Bush, Bruce Lipton, Dr. Devin Vrana, Luke Storey, and others — have also impressed this truth upon me.

We are not simply passive consumers of what is happening around us. We are co-creators of our reality and we play an important role in what happens next. This idea is simultaneously empowering and terrifying, in some ways. We have more of a say in what is happening right now and what will come down the pike than we may have ever realized.

Don’t believe me? Consider this scenario. You crawl out of bed, thinking “Ugh. This day is going to suck.” In that very moment, your thoughts have set both the tone and the outcome for what the day will hold. You have shaped it as surely as if you had flipped off a light switch. Your day will be difficult and your expectations will soon become reality.

Contrast that with a different start to the day. You awake, you smile, thinking “I am ready for what this day holds.” In that moment, you have strengthened your resolve to tackle challenges and leap over obstacles. You are at peace and feeling strong, as if you had just completed a body pump workout. You have shaped an expectation for the day that will certainly come to pass.

The days had an identical start from the outside looking in, but not from the inside looking out. And that is where the stage is set: inside our minds.

The formula for a fantastic year is based on this premise. What works to frame a moment (like your first waking thought), also works to shape a year.

Paint the BIG picture. I don’t mean that you should just write down your goals (although this is a great first step). I recommend that you truly envision what you want this year. Put down on paper what you want to achieve or see become a reality in your life. Look at these goals daily and begin to picture them happening. To make the ideas come alive, you may want to make a vision board. Simply cut out images and words from magazines that resonate with your goals and dreams. Turn them into a collage, and post it where you can see it regularly and watch the ideas/hopes/dreams come to pass as the year unfolds.

Flip the negative script. Begin to train your thoughts to flip from the mental radio station WSUK to WJOY. When a negative thought or idea crosses your mind (e.g. “I’ll never get that opportunity”), look at your board or goals and flip it around (e.g. “If I don’t hear from that employer, I’m going to make that call today”). This takes practice, of course. And you can’t just hope that the goals and dreams magically appear, when you change the station. You have to act on the belief, as if the possibility you are entertaining is within grasp. Taking concrete steps to make your dreams come true will make them more likely to become a reality.

Start each day on your terms. If all of the above seems too daunting or too big, start small. A habit is established one day at a time, after all. Begin your day with hopefulness and on your own terms. Don’t go immediately to your phone, computer, or TV, where someone else sets the agenda. Sip coffee while reading an inspiring book. Take an early morning walk, first thing. Pray. Journal to release pent up emotions or frustrations. Do what best sets you up for a positive mindset. When you take charge and set the tone and pace for the start of the day, the rest of the day is more likely to fall in line with what you want.

These ideas, at first glance, may seem simplistic. They are no less important because they are so. And while it is true that we can’t change every external circumstance, we can certainly manage our thought patterns.

Did last year’s news depress us? Or did we depress ourselves? Did fear take us over or did we welcome it with open arms?

Whether or not there is a pandemic this upcoming year, it is critical to cultivate a positive mindset, through concrete steps. It not only supports your immune system, by the way, but it lifts up our collective spirit, as well.

Does this secret formula, for taking action where we can, guarantee that 2021 is going to be fear-free? Flawless? Fun? It depends, in part, on you. What do you expect it to hold?

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This article first appeared on Medium. Hilda Labrada Gore is a biohacker, certified health coach, and fitness professional. She is the host and producer of the Wise Traditions podcast and Tradiciones Sabias podcasts, on behalf of the Weston A. Price Foundation. She is a podcast coach, too, and the author of “Podcasting Made Simple.” She is a YouTuber, helping people live their best lives through experts, experiences, and epic adventures. Hilda has energy to spare thanks to her ancestral health practices and her love for sunshine and liverwurst.