How To Make A Manifestation List For The Winter Solstice 2018 & Live Your Best Life In 2019

The winter solstice might be the shortest day of the year, but it's actually the best time to lay the foundation for manifesting the life you want. If you think manifestation is super new age-y, I get it. I used to be like you until I made a manifestation list during last year's winter solstice and, over the next year, four out of 5 things I put on it came true. While you can make a manifestation list at any time, the winter solstice is a particularly powerful time to do so because it's when you have the most direct access to your subconscious mind.

"Winter solstice is the equivalent of the solar new year. It is a fertile time to set new intentions," Soul Flow Yoga said on its website. "The winter solstice is a poignant time to stop and listen, to harmonize our energy, and reassess our connection to our spirit and life’s purpose. It is a powerful time of re-birth and transformation — to acknowledge our shadow, heal our wounds, release old thought patterns and align with our light to illuminate our highest destiny."

While I've practiced meditation for several years, I tend to be pretty skeptical about things like manifestation. However, a series of events last year had me trying everything I could think of to dig myself out of a hole that included barely making enough money to pay my bills and dealing with the reality of having to move suddenly due to a 50 percent rent increase.

I was engaged in a meditation challenge with some friends during this time, so I was already meditating daily. Once I accepted that I was the only one who could make my life better, I got out a pencil and a pad of paper and started writing down what I wanted. I even wrote down things that seemed unlikely or that I was afraid of.

Because my roommate and I had to move no matter what, we decided to try and manifest a place we actually wanted to live. I also knew I needed to make more money, I wanted to take steps toward improving my health, and I hoped to secure an interview with my personal hero, Lady Gaga. I taped my list to the wall above my meditation altar, which includes sage, crystals, and thimble of my father's ashes. Under that I put a Lady Gaga record and I got busy doing a breathing manifestation meditation from healer David Elliott (you can get it on his website, but there are plenty of free manifestation meditations available too) every day.

Manifestation is basically the law of attraction. The idea is that what you put out into the universe is what comes back to you. It isn't magic (and it's certainly not a guarantee), but rather a partnership with the universe, which means it requires work from you. However, getting clear about what you actually want can help you identify new paths to go about getting it. It can prompt you to take more chances and to say yes to new opportunities even when you're afraid. For me, once I decided to manifest, things started to happen right away.

New job opportunities fell into my lap. I started to make more money, my roommate and I found a condo with almost everything on our list just four blocks from the beach, I started a new medication for my depression that actually helped, and while I haven't yet interviewed Lady Gaga, I did interview her mom. My manifestation experience has also shown me that the person who is most in my way is me.

My year was far from perfect. Change is hard, and I cried a lot. But I also became more aware of obstacles I have created for myself out of fear, and I plan to spend 2019 focusing on dismantling them.

If you want to manifest your goals for the next year during the winter solstice, it's important to slow down, rest, and spend time alone to get to know what is going on in your subconscious mind. Easier said than done during the holidays, right? If you're hella busy, set aside some time before you go to bed for this type of reflection so you can clearly visualize what you want. Then make your list, hang it somewhere you can see it every day, and meditate, even if it's just for five minutes. Even if you're a skeptic, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving it a try. Who knows — you might even become a believer like me.