Even if Manifesting is a Lie, I Still Choose to Believe in it. Here's Why

I believe in manifestation. You know, the idea (based on the Law of Attraction) that your thoughts and feelings directly affect or even dictate what happens in your life. Manifestation is quite mainstream in my age group. I know very many people that consider it a way of life. In the spaces that I occupy, both in real life and online, manifesting seems to be a given, but I’ve had a strange thought recently.

What if Manifesting is a Hoax?

What if it’s a lie perfectly curated for millennials, and we’re all just falling for it? When I first thought about this, it made me laugh. A topical laugh that was doing a bad job of hiding a growing sense of panic that the possibility might prove true. But, with further analysis, I realized that I don’t care. Even if manifestation proved to be the biggest of woo-woo scams, I would still choose to believe in it. Why? I have 3 very good reasons.

1. It Forces Me to be Mindful

Believing in manifestation means you hold the belief that ‘what you think about, comes about’. This makes you ultra-aware of what you’re thinking about, which I think is a good thing. In the beginning, you can spin yourself into a frenzy of being constantly worried that every bad thought is about to cause disaster in your life- but this is only while you don’t understand the concept of mindfulness in its entirety.

Being aware of your thoughts isn’t about creating a boogie man who lives in your brain. It’s actually about detachment from identification with your thoughts as yourself. It’s about creating space between your thoughts, and then creating space between yourself and your thoughts until you come to see them as something completely separate from you.

So, if you have a bad thought, you can detach from it without trapping yourself in the belief that it makes you a bad person. You learn that you are not your thoughts and that they do not govern you. You govern them. This provides an unparalleled level of freedom.

If this was all that believing in manifestation granted me, I’d be thrilled, but there’s more.

2. It Makes Me More Positive

This is tied to the first point, but it’s slightly different. When I’m hyper-aware of my thoughts and feelings, I naturally know that negative thoughts and emotions make me feel bad. They drain my spirit and my energy levels. Over time I’ve come to identify the physical tells that my body gives me when I’m veering into a negative thought pattern; I feel tense, often in the pit of my stomach; my heart rate goes up- my body becomes an unpleasant place.

By training myself to be sensitive to these changes, I can stop that tide of emotions and sensations before they take over me. I’ve found that I can often achieve this by just asking myself one simple question- is that true?

For example, say I watch a TV show that portrays an awful, narcissistic, self-absorbed husband who treats his wife rather terribly. (TV is a great example because the things we see can easily penetrate our psyche and give us the illusion that we’re experiencing what we see. That’s why we get attached to fictional characters). If I’m absorbed in the show, I can quickly forget myself and my reality and start to use the filter of the show to color my own life.

In this way, I can start to look at my own husband and see the narcissistic husband who ill-treats his wife. Suddenly, right as I’m watching the show, I become angry at him for all the terrible things the man on TV is doing.

This is obviously idiotic, but it’s still something that happens because of how porous our brains are. We tend to just let things in and let them affect us, especially when we haven’t developed the skill of mindfulness. When we are aware of our thoughts and actions, it becomes easier to stop ourselves from being swept by a wave of negativity.

In the above example, mindful me would catch myself as I was beginning to get angry at my husband and ask myself- but is any of this true? This would allow me enough space to come back to myself and my reality, and realize that no, it’s not. My husband is, in fact, very loving, empathic, and treats me wonderfully. So my anger dissipates and I’m able to treat the show on TV as just that, without my emotional involvement.

Zooming out of this example, not only does being more mindful of my thoughts and feelings help me to recognize negativity as it comes up so I can purposefully release it, but it also allows me to actively choose positivity instead.

Being positive is all the rage in manifestation communities, and it can quickly get out of hand with people trying to be positive about every shitty situation in their lives in the name of ‘good vibes only’. This is stupid, unrealistic, and harmful. It’s what the internet has branded ‘toxic positivity’ and it’s not what I’m talking about here.

I’m talking about giving yourself the space to recognize (and experience) your negative emotions, and then to choose differently. How long you allow yourself to stew in the negativity is often a question of how quickly you can catch those negative thoughts/ emotions and how disciplined you are in their acknowledgment and release. I like to do this as quickly as possible because, generally speaking, feeling negative sucks, and feeling positive is great. It feels good to feel good.

In the above example, after releasing my misplaced anger at my husband, my mood will naturally rise from the depths of the negative space to a neutral place. I could stop here, but I also have the opportunity to raise it even higher to a positive space. I always choose this option.

In this case, I would do this by spending a few minutes thinking about all the great traits that my husband has, how much I love him and how grateful I am for our relationship and our life. Just a few minutes of these positive emotions and I’m bursting at the seams from joy and gratitude.

I invite you to take the time to acknowledge the gap between where I started (being mad at him) to where I ended up (being grateful for him). That is the power of mindfulness. It makes me more positive and much happier.

3. It Makes Me Feel Empowered

I think believing that I solely have control over what happens in my life is the most empowered viewpoint that I can have. There is no grander way to take ownership of myself and my actions and their outcomes. Again, this viewpoint, if done carelessly and without the filter of a discerning, adult brain, can become toxic and disempowering.

For example, taking ownership for all that happens in your life doesn’t mean blaming children for being abused and reasoning that they brought that into their lives, or whatever other obviously harmful claims.

I like to think of this principle as applying to people from the time that they are actually self-aware and actively connecting their thoughts and emotions to the outcomes they experience in their outward lives. This excuses most children, who tend not to have that level of self-awareness until it’s taught to them (if they’re lucky), or until they grow up and stumble into mindfulness teachings all by themselves (like happens with so many of us).

If I have a bad day, I alone am responsible for framing it that way, and I can as easily shift to framing it differently. If I don’t like my life, I can sit non-judgmentally and acknowledge all the decisions and steps I took to get me to this point. I can assess my thoughts and feelings on the areas of my life I want to improve, and more than not, I’ll likely find that they are negative. From there, I can work to release the negative views and work to develop positive ones.

A positive mindset on any topic leads to different actions than a negative mindset on that same topic. Different actions lead to different outcomes. Consistent action in the direction I want to go in leads to traction towards my goal, which eventually leads to the achievement of that goal.

Related Post: Momentum in Manifesting

It really can be that simple and, for me, being a part of the manifestation movement has helped me to see it that way. Sure, it can get silly (and fast) because it’s an easy space for people to sell all sorts of gimmicks. This is where personal responsibility comes in, where each of us can decide what we want to intake based on what resonates with us. Not all of it is true, and some of it is just straight garbage. But, some of it is perspective widening, which can be life-changing.

My journey into the world of manifesting has made me a better person. I am more mindful, more positive, and more empowered as the reality-making force in my own life. I think that’s worth the occasional nonsense, and that’s why I’ll keep believing.

What do you think? I'd love to know.

Happy manifesting,

Nonjabulo

How I Created my First Fillable Etsy Printable on Canva

If you're a blogger and have searched for the best ways to make money from your blog, then you've likely come across the suggestion 'sell printables on Etsy'. I know I have, over and over again. It made me think that surely there must be something to it. Since this is my year of trying everything to see what works, I decided to give it a try. A printable is a digital file that people can buy and then download onto their computer. They can then print them out and use them, hence the name 'printable'. Popular printables include planners and checklists, which people print and physically add to their binders for example, or use digitally. This post is about how I created my first fillable printable to sell on Etsy.

I recently wrote a post titled 'How To Have a Perfect Beach Day with a Toddler in 8 Steps!' inspired by a trip we took to the beach with our baby girl. I decided to make a 'Baby Beach Day' Checklist for other moms to use, and that's the printable I'll be talking about in this post.

Why I chose Canva

A large majority of the articles I read on creating an Etsy printable advised using Canva for the design. It just so happens that Canva is a tool that I already use and love. Virtually all my graphics are designed on there, so for me, this was a no-brainer. So, this post will guide you through how that program works. You don't have to use Canva though, if you have a different program that you like, just use that.

Step 1: Sign up or Sign in to Canva

If you don’t have an account, you can sign up in a few minutes for free. There are paid versions of Canva that unlock more features, but I’ve honestly used the free version for YEARS and it has everything I need.

Step 2: Decide What Printable you’ll Be Creating

In Canva, the first step is to pick the size of the design you'd like to make. Templates are set to specific, and generally standard sizes, so this step is often automatically taken care of by just choosing the correct template. However, if you're starting from scratch, you'll need to input the exact dimensions you want your design to be. So, you need to know exactly what kind of printable you're designing before you start. In my case, I wanted to make a 'Baby Beach Day Checklist' printable. I wanted to create it in 2 sizes, A5 and letter size. So, that's the example I'll be referring to throughout this post.

Note: Resizing is possible on Canva, but only for the paid subscription. If you're using the free version, you will not be able to resize your design after creating it.

Step 3: Choose and Edit a Template

Start a new project and choose the template that best suits what you're trying to achieve. In my case, I chose a letter-size template to make my 'Baby Beach Day' checklist. As this is baby-related, it made sense to pick a cute, childish theme. From there, I edited the elements it comes with to suit my needs. For me, this is the fun part where I get to play graphic designer but with way less work because I'm not starting from scratch (which you can, if you want).

Edit the fonts, copy, colors, and elements to create the exact effect that you want. For example, I deleted flowers and added a beach ball and a sun hat as graphic elements to my design because that is more fitting for the checklist I was making. Canva is very intuitive and it allows you to easily drag and drop any elements you may need.

Expand and Examine, and Tweak your Design

You may need to zoom in on your design to work on a particular section. Don't forget to zoom out periodically so you can get a feel for the net effect of the changes you're making and so you can be sure you're still on the right track. See something you don't like? Change it. Not sure if you'll like a change you want to make? Then duplicate the page you're working on and make the change on one of them, this way if you decide you don't actually like it you can just delete that page and still have the original. Canva allows you to duplicate any page as many times as you like, so you can try things confidently.

Step 4: Download your Design

Now that your design is done, you can go ahead and download it. There are a few format options available, and I typically download my printable files as PDFs. Canva offers a standard PFD and a print PDF which is a higher quality, but larger size. Choose the one that's best for you. In most cases, the standard version is good enough and it doesn't take up too much space. This is important since some places you'll want to upload to may have size limits. But, this will depend on what you're designing and what you're using it for. Use your judgment. For my printable, I used the high-quality print PDF since it was just one page, and I had no issues uploading it to Etsy.

Step 5: Resize the Design to give your Buyers Options

If you want to make your design available for download in more than one size, as I did, then you have to do everything we've just done all over again, but this time starting with the different size template that you want to offer your printable in. In my case, I recreated the design in A5 size. I recommend offering more than one size of printable. At the very least offer the A4/ letter and A5/ half letter sizes. These are the most common planner sizes, and you don't want someone to not buy from you because you didn't have the size they wanted. It's a little effort you only have to make once and you can reap the rewards from it indefinitely.

Make your Printable Fillable

Fillable (as the name suggests) simply means that someone can download the printable and fill it out in the digital form. Most people are on their phones or some other digital device, so offering this option is a must in today's marketplace.

I use dochub.com to make my digital documents fillable. You can sign in with your Google account, or create a new account if you don't have a Google account, so it's accessible to just about everyone. Dochub is primarily used to fill in documents like contracts online, so it allows you to add different fillable fields like 'date' and signature'. It's a really useful tool that I highly recommend for a multitude of uses.

Step 6: Make your Printable Fillable:

Sign in and click 'New Document', upload your printable and then click 'Manage Fields' (second icon from the left). From here you can drag and drop any of the available fields such as the: text fields; check fields (for checklists), and paragraph fields- just to name the few I used for my printable. You'll know what fields best suit your printable and just choose and use them as needed. Allow yourself some time to get used to how the form fields work. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but once I did, it was super quick. I filled in my second form in half the time of my first.

Once you're done adding the fillable fields to your document, I suggest you rename it. Just add 'Fillable' to the current name, so that you and your customers can distinguish between the different files. Then click the 'download/export' button and in a few minutes, the fillable file will be in your downloads (or wherever you save it).

Note: The download page will be automatically set to the default/ free option. Leave it as is and just click download. The other options that offer services like password protecting the document etc. are for the Pro/ paid version, which you don't need.

Create Product Pictures on Canva

You know when you go shopping online, like on Etsy for example, when you click on a product it has all those pictures that help you decide if you want to buy it or not. They show the product from different angles, they show how people use the product and they convince you to 'add to cart'. You need to create those pictures for your product so your potential buyers have that same experience as they browse your printable. Show them how your printable improves or simplifies their life.

Step 7: Create Product Pictures for your Printable

Choose a new template and start a new project on Canva. The template size should match the Etsy product images. As per the Etsy website, the recommended size for listing images is 2000px for the shortest side of the image, and a resolution of 72PPI.

Download your printable as an image and reupload this image to Canva. It will now be in your 'uploads'. You can now use it as a graphic element in your design, which is perfect because your printable is the very thing you're trying to showcase. Use copy to highlight important elements of your design- if there's something the customer should know about this printable, make sure you tell them. It might sound silly, but pointing out that your printable will help them 'save time and money monthly' or 'never forget to pay a bill again' can be the difference between a sale or a pass.

List your Printable on Etsy

I'm going to assume that you have an Etsy store already set up.

Step 8: List your Printable on Etsy

Go to your dashboard and click 'Manage Listings'. From there, click 'add new listing' and upload your new printable. Add the product pictures you just created on Canva, and choose the primary/ cover image. This should be the one that best showcases your product. Etsy will automatically make the first image you upload the primary image, if this is not what you want, then make the necessary adjustment.

Fill in all the relevant information about the printable, add the price, and click publish!

Note: Remember to upload both the fillable version along with the original non-fillable form to Etsy.

Choosing an Etsy Product Title

When choosing the title as well as in the description, be sure to add in all the keywords that someone looking for your printable would likely type in. Keywords are how Etsy knows what to spit back to the person searching its database. By matching your product 'solution' to the buyer's searched 'problem', you tell Etsy that your product is what they should show to the customer. Help Etsy to help you reach your audience.

Do a little research on Esty by searching a product to see what products come up. Then click on them and see what keywords they used in the product title and description. Now, use this to guide how you fill in your own product information.

Extra Credit: Create a Complementary Offering to Create a Bundle

People love a good deal. Use this knowledge to drive up sales by creating a secondary, complimentary product to sell with your printable. It could be another checklist, a relevant planner, or digital art that ties into your original printable. The point is to create products that you can sell as a set and then bundle them together and offer a deal on that bundle. If your printables sell for $5 each, you could bundle 2 of them for $8. That's a dollar saved on each and a pretty good deal. Even if someone doesn't really need the second printable, they are now incentivized to get it and likely will. You make more money at no extra effort.

Conclusion

When looking to make money online, it's important to diversify your income streams. Think of it as giving your readers more opportunities to support you and your work. Selling printables on Etsy is great because it allows you to offer unique products at a low price point. It also allows you to 'set it and forget it', which makes it the best form of passive income. Just create new products periodically so you continue to grow your store and earning potential.

I hope this post was useful and that it helps you to create your first printable and start selling on Etsy (and on your own website).

Happy creating,

Nonjabulo

How To: Have a Perfect Beach Day with a Toddler in 8 Steps!

This trip to South Africa has been one of the most satisfying we've taken in a long time. Between all the friends and family we got to see after years and years, it's been so nice to spend time in some of my favorite places. It's been more exciting to see Liyana engage with these new settings. In Durban, a coastal city in South Africa, baby girl had her first beach day experience and it was perfect.

In this post, I'll be sharing all the things we did to make sure she had a wonderful time. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Get: Baby Beach Day Checklist

1. Go After a Poop

There is nothing like a poopy diaper to kill the mood. And unless you're using waterproof diapers, I find it easier to just let baby be diaper-free. This means if she were to poop it would be a complete disaster. There would be poop everywhere and a very cute swimsuit would be ruined. You should have an idea of your baby's poop schedule, so try to plan around it. And once she has one, you can go to the beach with peace of mind of knowing you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day- assuming your baby is fairly regular.

2. Dress for the Occasion

This is one of those occasions where all the cuteness is yours for the taking. Have you ever seen a toddler at the beach? With their cute little legs in the water and their tiny toes in the sand! Today, that cute little toddler is yours- so have complete fun with it.

Baby swimsuit

A baby swimsuit is one of the cutest things on the planet. Now that my baby is wearing tiny adult clothes (as a pose to just baby rompers), buying and dressing her in them is one of my favorite things. I also know that this window for choosing her outfits is incredibly small, so I'm making the most of it. I have been known to put tother some matching outfits (see opening picture) from time to time. Oh and don't forget to bring an extra change of clothes, because babies.

3. Sun Protection

Sunscreen

If you're planning to go to the beach, chances are you're in a hot, sunny place. Protecting yourself and your baby against the harmful rays is a must. There are a ton of great baby sunscreen lotions that are designed for their delicate skin, so be sure to grab one. It's great for providing sun protection and it's never too early to start a good habit. Wear sunscreen even if it's overcast. Think of it this way- if it's bright enough to see outside, you need sunscreen.

Umbrellas + Hats

On the note of sun protection, don't forget to bring things to shield you from direct sunlight as well. Bring a sun hat for yourself and one for the baby too.

If you can, get an umbrella, do that too. This will help with creating a place to retreat to when you're all done playing in the sun.

4. The water may not be an instant hit. Keep trying

When I thought of taking Liyana to the beach, I imagined the cutest scenes of her running into the water and playing with the waves like an old friend. I pictured her sinking her tiny hands into the ocean and spraying water everywhere. In my mind, it was both an instant success and insanely cute.

In reality, Liyana was quite scared of the seemingly endless stretch of water I was trying to dip her feet into. She clung to me, she clung to my mother, and she was generally just not having it. It made me realize that I hadn't looked at this from her point of view. For her, the ocean was a new and frightening thing. She had no idea what to expect. She didn't know that this is what bigger people do for fun. She didn't understand why I would do this to her. So we recalibrated and focused on just getting her comfortable enough to dip her toes in without completely freaking out.

It took a while and a lot of coaxing and demonstrating, but in the end, she let herself relax enough to frolic a little bit. She still clung to whoever was holding her, but she let her feet get wet and then pulled them away...before letting them get wet again. She was playing with the ocean. It was ridiculously cute. I dare say that, in the end, she had a great time.

5. Bring Games

If the water isn't an instant hit, you will need something else to do. Preferably something that can be done from the safety of the shore. Bring age-appropriate games that your little one can enjoy. A beach ball, a rubber bucket and tools set, a favorite non-furry toy from home. Remember that the beach is a very sandy place, so try to avoid toys that can get ruined by the beach sand like toys with electronic components or even fury toys. If your child is big enough, you can bring a sandcastle mold kit, so that they make the most of the beach experience. This wouldn't work for us (yet) as baby girl is still too young to play with such toys and she would probably end up eating the sand, which we don't want.

Bring music to set the mood right. A portable speaker is a great option, just sync it to your phone via Bluetooth and enjoy up to 10 hours of playback. For young ones, you can play some of their favorite tunes, or lullaby's when it comes time to put them to sleep.

6. Prepare for naps

Being out in the sun makes everyone tired. That's why a beach nap is one of the world's best things. Your child is no exception- besides, babies sleep a lot anyway. So plan for when they get tired and need to be put down. Have a large beach blanket where they can sleep, and bring a small blanket to cover them. Also, if you do bring a portable speaker for music, a blanket provides a safe place to keep it.

Bring snacks for yourself and them, and pack their food. You want to make the trip something enjoyable for everyone- and everyone likes a good meal. Also, bring water, it's likely to be a hot day so having enough water will keep you or anyone else from getting dehydrated.

Bring whatever other drinks you like, just don't forget the water (this may just be a me thing, but I hate being thirsty for water and not having access to it. Because when I want water, I only want water). Grab your cooler bag and pack as needed.

7. Avoid Crowds

I think one of the biggest fears that any parent can have is losing sight of their child. Even thinking about it gives me anxiety. As such, being in a crowded space makes me hyper-aware of keeping my eyes on the baby. In an ideal world, I'd just strap her to me and call it a day. But she's moving now, and she wants to explore and run and play. And I want her to. So, to keep us both happy, when I know she's likely to be running around on her own legs, I stay away from overly crowded places where I think there is any potential of losing sight of her. Then, as she explores, I stay close and we both have a lovely time.

Depending on where you are, the beach can be a crowded place. Look to see if you can move to a more secluded area with fewer people, even if you have to go to a different beach altogether. I think this is worth the effort for peace of mind. Use your best judgment, and just make sure that you and your baby are always safe.

8. Take Pictures!

I would love to think this is obvious- but I know it isn't. I love pictures and even I've had numerous occasions where I've found myself at home after an amazing experience wishing I had remembered to capture at least one moment in a picture. This is easier to do if you go with another person, which I recommend. For outings such as this, not only does it help to have another set of hands, but generally, the more the merrier. Having another person also means that you can get great photos of you and your little one that aren't selfies. If you're alone, ask a kind stranger to capture a snap. People are so willing to do this that I'm often amazed at the effort they put into getting the 'perfect' shot of a complete stranger. So, just ask.

Conclusion

Taking your toddler to the beach for the first time is such an exciting milestone. But, as with all things new, it can be difficult to know all the things that you need to bring or to be aware of. This post is to help you prepare so that your beach day is as beautiful and as fun as it can be. I hope this is helpful.

I love a good checklist, and I made this printable one for the perfect baby beach day. I hope it makes one day in your life a little easier.

What tips do you have? I'd love to hear them.

Enjoy the beach,

Nonjabulo