One of the most important things I’ve learned in life is that no matter what you want—including happiness—you need to actively pull it into your life. You can’t just sit there thinking, “I wish I could be happy.” You need to get off your butt and make it happen—and that’s what my “Create Happy” Month is all about.

Earlier this week, I talked about cultivating happiness by starting a happiness journal. Today, I want to share another powerful approach for “creating happy:” a form of meditation called Intentional Meditation.

The difference between Intentional Meditation and other forms of meditation is that you’re not simply quieting your mind, increasing your self-awareness, and reducing your stress (although all of that is good, of course!). In addition, when you do Intentional Meditation, you are attracting a specific outcome. Here’s how to do it:

1. Ask yourself. What do you wish to attract into your life?

2. Write down your answers—for instance, peace, friendship, and joy.

3. Define your intention and write it down. Write it in the present tense—for instance, “I am attracting peace, friendship, and joy into my life.” Be sure to write your intention in a positive way. For instance, instead of writing, “I am getting rid of my ugly belly fat,” write, “I am honoring my body and becoming stronger and healthier.”

4. Find a quiet time in which you can meditate for 15 to 20 minutes without being disturbed. Follow the steps of mindful meditation, focusing on your breathing and letting thoughts float through your mind without judging them or going in on them. Each time you get distracted, repeat your intention. Visualize yourself already enjoying the outcome you want.

Intentional Meditation sounds simple (and it is), but the positive energy you create when you do it is incredibly powerful. It turns you into a magnet, attracting what you desire and pulling it into your life. At the same time, it banishes the negative energy that blocks you from receiving the universe’s gifts.

As the Buddha said, “The mind is everything. What we think, we become.” So practice Intentional Meditation… and become happy!

Keep Thinking Big & Living Bold!