Written by Gina Marie Leingang
Energetic Advisor | Intuitive Energy Guide | Motivational Mindset Mentor
www.magicbydesignhd.com
IG: @magicbydesign_hd
ginamarie@magicbydesignhd.com
Hi, I am Gina Marie, an Intuitive Energy Healer based in Arizona. I was reflecting on what I wanted to write about today. I kept coming back to the beginning of my journey, which began 4 years ago.
August 2019, I had just turned 39, and I knew that there were certain things that I wanted to do before I hit the big 4-0. I never would have guessed in over a million years that that list would bring me to this day, TODAY. I would be writing about how such a simple thing as a list would have such an impact on my life! I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and this is the perfect example of that!
This list was as random as random could get. There were all sorts of things on this list. From taking a vitamin every day. To get another tattoo. Reading 20 new books. Visiting a state, I have not been to yet, etc. This list continued to evolve into what I would call “my hippiness”. I was learning who I was and diving in headfirst to this journey we call life.
THE LIST:
40 things to do before I am 40
1) take a vitamin everyday
2) get another tattoo
3) go to NYC again
4) travel to another country
5) visit a state that I have not been to yet
6) lie down in the 4 corners... being in 4 places at once
7) go to Horseshoe Bend
8) go to the right doctors and finally take care of myself
9) read 20 new books
10) change my look- hair color, style etc
11) do a boudoir photo shoot
12) take a hot air balloon ride
13) see a Broadway play
14) go to the Dirty Dancing Lodge
15) not be afraid to tell people how I feel about them
16) get a will- make sure my kids will be okay if something happens to me
17) make a difference in someone’s life
18) completely disconnect for a day....no people, no electronics
19) find a true way to be happy
20) donate blood
21) love somebody deeply from the bottom of my soul. Tell them
22) go skinny dipping
23) learn to love myself- flaws and all
24) to have at least 3 months of income in my savings
25) dance in the rain
26) watch the sunrise and the sun set in the same day
27) leave a 100% tip for a server
28) redesign my bedroom
29) print photos
30) learn how to meditate
31) take care of myself- physically, mentally, emotionally
32) start a blog
33) get my palm read
34) spend all day at a spa
35) take a sister’s trip
36) get my credit score over 800
37) own a piece of Tiffany jewelry
38) finally have a drink out of a pineapple
39) use my happiness jar every day
40) celebrate turning 40 with an epic trip with the people I love
When you look at the list you see #39—use my happiness jar every day. This idea was also born on that day in August.
What was my happiness jar you ask—it is a jar that I created that sat on my desk. Every day I wrote one thing that I was happy about for the day. My only “rule” I had for myself was that I used it every day. Even on the worst of days, I would find SOMETHING that I was grateful for.
This jar helped me find the good in everyday, this jar was as important, if not more than my list of 40 things. I learned about myself with this jar, who I was. It helped me begin to understand that the journey is not about the end destination. The journey itself is magic. Sometimes we can get so caught up in trying to get to our end goal that we miss the beauty along the way. The happiness jar taught me that it's the little things in life. That knowledge helps me accomplish the other things on my list and more. It also taught me that it's okay when life does not go according to plan—because my journey has changed its route. When I thought I was on the road to the next destination, my path took me the scenic route. I was still able to get to my destination, yet I was able to travel on a path that was a better fit for me.
I began my list and my happiness jar August 2019—it was my goal to have everything on my list completed by August 2020. Little did I know that COVID would turn our world upside down. Looking back, my happiness jar helped me though that crazy time that we all experienced. It solidified it’s the little things that make the most impact.
Fast forward to today. I still have my happiness jar; it sits in my bookshelf with 365 little notes about what made me happy each day. I see this jar every day, and it reminds me to stay rooted in the present moment. When I am having a moment, I will open the jar and grab a handful of notes to read. It helps me shift my mood and reminds me that there IS good in every day.
As for my 40 list—it is about 90% complete—and I am okay with this! That list gave me more than I could ever have imagined. It showed me a detour that I never could have comprehended in my mind. That list brought me to who I am today. That list woke me up, showed me that instead of allowing life to lead me, I am creating my own dreams, what lights me up. Looking back, I am in such a different place today than I was back then. I know who I am. I had the confidence to make the biggest decision of my professional life. Leaving the corporate world to become an intuitive energy healer. I wholeheartedly know that I found my gifts, my passion, because of a simple list I made 4 years ago.
I invite you to do the same—thinking about your life in its present moment—what is on your “list”. My list started on the notepad on my phone. I began writing things that I desired.
Begin writing YOUR list- what do YOU desire?
This exercise is not about thinking about the “perfect” things that you want. It’s about writing what you feel, even if you do not know what will come out (that is actually my favorite part!). It can be BIG things, it can be SMALL things, all that matters is it is something that YOU desire for YOURSELF! When I look back at my list; I wrote something as simple as, " take a vitamin everyday". (Which I accomplished & still do to this day!)
My second invitation to you is to begin your version of your happiness jar—create it however you desire it to look! Place it somewhere where you will see it every day and drop a note daily into it. I believe this is such a life-changing experience, as it shows us the good in the little moments.
I would LOVE to see your lists and/or happiness jars! Tag me on Instagram @magicbydesign_hd. I cannot wait to celebrate your journey. Including all the beautiful detours you experience, as you take the scenic route to your next destination!
I always end each entry with a quote—mine for you all today is:
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware" -- Martin Buber
Xo, Gina Marie