This is going to be a longer post, so grab a nice drink, get comfy…and you might want to bookmark this page to return to it later!

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One of the Yamas in Yoga is Aparigraha, which is often translated into non-possessiveness (of material goods or people) and non-attachment.

That really had me thinking about my own relationship with the material world.

Because a whole lot of people have a whole lot to say about material possessions and what people do with their money as they acquire said possessions, but that can actually be a very, very hindering perspective.

So why don’t we talk why judgment like that can be detrimental to your greatest good…

…and how you can actually use material goods to support you in living your best life instead.

Now, there is plenty of talk that happiness doesn’t come from outside of you. And I agree. Cultivating the feelings and sensations you desire to feel within you is something that should always take priority because that is where sustainability and true fulfillment comes from.

Personal experience:

Several years ago, when I was still dealing with severe depression, I went on vacation to a city that literally rests on my North Node line in Astrocartography. There I was, in a city that felt so good to me, in a lovely apartment with a beautiful terrace during a gorgeous summer vacation…but guess what?

Depression still crept in one afternoon and it was just as vicious as it was at home. Why?

Because I had not yet fully addressed the depression within myself. The city, despite how uplifting it was for me to be there, wasn’t going to erase what continued to reside under the surface. I had to do that myself. So I did…and life really got magical from that point on.

If we approach the material world and our environment from the viewpoint of it saving us from something we don’t want to feel or providing us with feelings we do want to experience (while the undesired continues to fester under the surface), then no, none of this will work. You might get a short-lived high before tumbling straight back to where you were.

However, I do want to say that we absolutely can utilize material things to assist us in raising our vibration, which ultimately helps us attract better things and just live better lives in general.

This is what I believe to be the hidden gem that so many people overlook because they simply don’t tap into this powerful perspective.

When you’re not relying on external things, but are instead using them with intention… they can be a very potent tool to getting you where you want to go.

The first key guideline to follow here is that you don’t want to go into debt or create a financial situation that would cause you to feel broke. With that energy, you cannot expand, so keep that in mind as you go forward with this post and make decisions for yourself.

We want to create emotions and vibrations of feeling good.

And the beauty of this process is that it applies to products of all price points. A $1 thing can have as much of an impact as a $1000 product. Because it all boils down to you.

You’ll see soon how that plays out.

What’s going on in your life?

There are two ways of entering the funnel for this process and both require you taking a good look at your life and tapping into how you feel within your life on a daily basis.

Really be honest with yourself here and ask yourself the following questions:

a) What is bothering me most in my life?

b) What would I appreciate having in my life?

Both of these questions are extremely powerful and will provide you with valuable insight, so let’s look at each of them more closely.

“What is bothering me most in my life?”

As you ask yourself this question, it can be helpful to create a list of the answers that come up for you, but please refrain from getting attached to that list.

Personal experience:

Mine was pretty damn long in the beginning, so it was important that I didn’t let it overwhelm me. I looked at it purely as a piece of paper for guidance instead of allowing myself to go into anger or despair over just how much stuff I didn’t like in my life.

So instead of feeling disempowered (because it was a lot and I definitely didn’t have the financial resources to solve all of it) I decided to see this list as all the beautiful potential there is out there to uplevel my life. And I reminded myself that I can take as much time as I want to and actually enjoy myself and this process as I moved through the list.

Now really ask yourself the question of what is bothering you most and notice what comes up. Notice especially the things that are among the first to come to mind because there’s a very good chance you are hung up on them the most (meaning they also have the most impact).

Sometimes we aren’t even aware that every time we interact with something our vibration drops, so this is an excellent way for you to gain some clarity and self-awareness as well.

• Is it that you hate your scratchy towel every time you wash your face?
• Do you start swearing whenever you grab your house keys because they’re always getting tangled in a bowl with what seem like a million other keys?
• Is your old mattress too banged up and you sleep like shit?
• Or maybe it’s your old PJs that just feel super meh when you put them on, but you rationalize that you only sleep in this crap so why should you waste money on something better?
• Do you feel resistance to cooking because your kitchen is cluttered or your old pots and pans get food stuck on them all the time?
• Maybe your faux-leather desk chair is flaking and leaving bits of fabric all over your floor every time you use it?
• Or perhaps you start grumbling every time you have to pull out your heavy, loud af vacuum, which is why you started avoiding it, and that ultimately led to you feeling resentment every time you have to clean the house? Or maybe resentment for not having a clean house?
• Or it could be that your socks are constantly rolling down in your shoes but you just couldn’t really be bothered to go to the store and buy some new pairs?

It really can be anything here. Just make note of the things in your daily life that lower your vibration whenever you interact with them.

It can take you a few days to come up with your list because you might have to actually observe yourself in your daily life, notice the drop in how you’re feeling, and then make note of it.

Don’t judge what comes up for you here. It might be major or it might seem super trivial. But remember, it’s not trivial because it has meaning to you.

So truly accept anything you find in this process.

Personal example (minor investment):

It never felt good to get in bed and I would hate even looking at my bed (which I do often since it’s RIGHT THERE) because all I had was old, darker-colored bed linen, often with patterns or prints that just felt so unappealing to me. Even if the whole room looked nice, I hated that damn eyesore. And when I was lounging on the bed in the evenings, I didn’t really feel good. I felt stagnant. I felt stuck. I felt weighed down. That was the energy I went to bed with time and time again.

I also knew that I was always drawn to those images of pretty bedrooms with white bed linen and maybe a nice sand-colored throw blanket on top.

So one day I decided that, fuck it, let me at least look around a bit. I found some seriously inexpensive white cotton bed linen, stumbled upon a cute throw blanket that was on sale…

…it was like I had a whole new room in the house. For what was probably like €30.

The change was so profound that it’s hard to even put into words. I started loving going to bed. I felt light and expansive whenever I simply saw the bed. And waking in those beautiful sheets offered me a much, much better start to my day every single time.

As you create your list, you can ask yourself another helpful question for even more clarity: “What are my values?”

I know that for me, I value aesthetics and functionality.

And I saw that as I made my list, most of the things that were on there violated at least one (although usually both) of my main values.

Asking yourself and learning your values will also assist you as guidance when you move forward with the process.

As you wrote down the negatives, I’m pretty sure you already got some intuitive answers or inspiration as to what you would like to have instead.

If not, take some time to tap into that. You can ask yourself: “What do I want instead? What would make this area of my life feel good to me? What would I need for this task to be pleasant to me?”

Basically be your own detective and figure out what is it that would transform the things you are displeased about…into things you are pleased about.

You’ll know when you have the right answer. I promise, you’ll feel it in your body, that sensation of Yes, this is it!

Now before we get into what to do with your list once you have it, let’s look at the second question.

“What would I appreciate having in my life?”

This question seeks out the “gaps” in your life. It can connect quite closely to the first question or it can bring up things from a place of pure elevation, covering the areas of life in which you are otherwise neutral.

Personal experience (minor investment):

I wasn’t really bothered by drinking water from glasses. I just walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass. No big deal, right? But because I was (and am) always keeping myself hydrated, I went “Ohh, what if I got a quality water bottle made of safe materials that I could just carry around the house with me? And it would make it so easy for roadtrips too!”

The visual that thought produced felt SO uplifting. Besides, I really loved the idea of having water in a closed container as opposed to it sitting in a open glass if I didn’t immediately drink all of it. So I looked around and found the perfect water bottles from Hydracy. I grabbed one for my husband, one for myself… And let me tell you, it provided BOTH of us with a feeling of elevation. We both enjoy aesthetics and these bottles, even though they’re simple, are also very pretty. They don’t spill and they are super easy to carry around even if your hands are full because of the little wristlet thing they have on. The water also tastes like actual water (a lot of sports bottles in the past seemed to change the taste for me), which made me so happy because wonky tasting water throws me off.

We are currently on our second round of these bottles and still loving them. It’s such a small thing, but it does bring joy and beautiful convenience every single day in my life.

On this list you can put all the things that make you go “Ohhh, I’d love that!”

And yes, you absolutely can get inspired by other people here. You might see someone use something that just lights you up, and you instantly know that this would bring a whole lot of good vibrations into your life too. The idea for something might come to you all on its own as you move through your life…or journal on the question of what you would appreciate having.

Literally any kind of thing is welcome on this list, big or small.

I used my water bottle example precisely because it’s so trivial…and yet, having my pink Hydracy bottle, it produces a consistent positive impact on daily my life.

You might realize you want a sansevieria plant in a small woven pot to put on your club table because the idea of sunlight falling on its leaves makes you happy and you feel the whole room would have more of those boho vibes going on that you love so much.

You might come to the conclusion that you really want to get a vinyl record player because you love music and the idea of putting a true record on and enjoying a drink as you do nothing but just listen and soak in the music feels extremely uplifting to you.

You might be good wearing regular slippers or fuzzy socks, but realize that wearing some Ugg Tazz slippers in their mustard seed color would just make you feel like that successful content creator working from home that you desire to be and are building your life towards.

See how the benefits can even include your manifestations? If something evokes the feelings of where you desire to be, of who you desire to be, then it can also assist you in embodying the right energy to bring those manifestations into the physical world.

(Again, the item itself isn’t going to do the embodiment process for you. No one and nothing can do that for you. It’s your path to walk. But it can and will assist you as you do that process yourself.)

What to do once you have your list?

Keeping your finances in mind (as I mentioned at the very start because we are not self-sabotaging, but uplifting ourselves here instead) pick something you feel would make the most change in your life. Either what has the biggest impact or what you interact with most in life.

Then go get that.

You’ll see that as you invite that new energy into your life, your vibration will shift. And it will shift permanently. Why? Because we aren’t just filling some void, we are using this with intention.

Personal example:

My Dyson Airwrap was definitely a bigger investment, but it was also a well thought-out investment.

My hair is something I live with every single moment of my day. And I was…miserable. It only looked good if I blow-dried and then curled it. Except I absolutely hated blow-drying my hair. The process took ages (20 minutes minimum, although more realistically it was 30 min), I detested the sound of the blow-dryer, and I would always walk out of the bathroom sweaty and exhausted once I was done. Maybe even sporting a headache. Unfortunately, with my hair type, air-drying just didn’t function unless it was a hot summer day…and even then my hair looked kinda frazzled, sad, and got greasy way too fast.

My intuition said the Dyson would be the right one for me, and when I heard just how quiet it is, I knew it would be a game changer.

So I stuffed down my doubts, listen to my gut, and got the Dyson.

And guess what? I’m ENJOYING blow-drying my hair!

I get to grab a beautiful tool, my hair is dry in about 6 to 10 minutes, the process is pleasant, and I come out of it with gorgeous hair that actually lasts? Hello? Amazing! With the Dyson I’m even able to use the brush attachment on my damp hair (previously I couldn’t touch my hair with a brush at all until it was fully dry unless I wanted to cause a whole lot of damage).

This had a tremendous impact on my overall mood. First, getting the Dyson off the shelf and out of its box feels like a lovely ritual. Second, it’s pretty af and pretty things automatically make me happy. Third, the process is so fast and pleasant. Fourth, I’m left with lovely hair (that I interact with all the time in my day…because it’s literally a part of me).

Honestly, if I was still left with my old hair, I doubt I would even start my YouTube channel. Shallow? Sure, you can call it that. But I personally know that it would make me far from high-vibe to see myself on camera with shitty hair or waste a bunch of time getting camera ready for every single recording. The Dyson allows me to hop in front of a camera whenever I feel like it, at any single point in time, because my hair not only looks good on the day I do it, but continues to be pretty right up until the next wash even if I’m wearing it super casual.

For me, that is a huge impact on my life. A gift that keeps on giving. Something I’m grateful for over and over again.

Look for things you can create rituals out of

Another tip I have is to choose the types of things you can create rituals from. Want to know a secret?

You actually can create a ritual out of anything. Yes, anything.

Why rituals, though?

Because this way you invite more of that juicy energy into your life. You cultivate it for longer.

Let’s run with the Dyson example I already mentioned earlier. I could always just grab the tool and use it. It would still feel good. But when I add that little spice of me taking the box off the shelf, then opening it, choosing my attachments… It creates a cute little vortex of energy that’s filled with appreciation. And that shit is potent, guys. So potent.

If it’s a new coffee mug you got for yourself, really feel into how beautiful the moment is when you get to take it from its place and prepare your drink in it.

If it’s perhaps a whole-ass car, take pleasure in going to the car wash and simply taking care of this damn beautiful thing that you have.

If you went for a red light face mask, really enjoy the process of having basically an at-home spa moment and pamper the f*ck out of yourself. Make put some music on, or your favorite loungewear or a robe, get comfy, and enjoy this luxury.

Truly anything can be turned into a ritual, and the more you indulge in these rituals, the more you create enjoyment for yourself as you interact with your environment, the more potent the energy will be.

Go with what actually has value for you

Material things get a bad rep because people aren’t consuming them mindfully.

That’s it.

In reality, just like anything else, they are simply a tool for us to use. And we truly can use it well.

So as you move through this process, keep your values in mind. Work from a place of your own authenticity.

Instead of allowing society to influence you, base your decisions on what actually holds value for you.

As I said once before, I value aesthetics and functionality.

With the aesthetic component involved, this might be a surprise, but designer brands don’t mean much to me. Really.

I do have deep respect and love for brands who put out good products I actually use (like Ariat or Tecovas when it comes to boots, Gibson and Gretsch for guitars, Dyson when it comes to appliances, Apple for tech, etc), but I’m not the kind of person who gets excited over luxury designs and brands just because they are popular or high-end.

If you gave me a Birkin or Chanel bag, it wouldn’t enrich my life at all.

In part because I just don’t get that excited about bags in general, but also because the right bag for me is more about the materials and how at ease I feel wearing it over what name is attached to it.

So even if the whole world would be shouting at me that this is the it item I needed to have in order to get a feel of luxury in my life…I wouldn’t really get that feeling from it.

Because it’s just not something I personally value.

I feel luxury when I fly Business Class on EU flights and get my own lane at security, can wait for my flight in the Business Lounge, have ample space on the plane instead of sitting next to someone, and get a meal and drinks while on board.

I feel luxury when I blow-dry my hair with my Dyson.

I feel luxury when I put on my pretty yoga clothes, not because they are of any specific brand, but because I love the colors and I love how the materials and the cut feel on my body.

I feel luxury when I clip of my Rode Wireless II to record a new Yoga class because it’s a damn nice piece of equipment and clipping on the mic immediately puts me in Yoga Teacher Mode.

I feel luxury when I type on my computer with white nail polish on my nails and a set of three knuckle rings on my left hand.

But that’s me.

If someone genuinely adores designer fashion, then I know that getting that specific bag will make them feel like a million bucks.

If it makes you authentically feel like a million bucks, go for it.

There is nothing more valuable than tapping into what you value.

Because this is what will gently but consistently assist in keeping your vibration high. And when your vibration is high, you get to attract more of that into your life.

The more you can feel naturally elevated, the better that is for your overall state of being and your magnetism.

The beauty in gradually setting yourself up in this manner, surrounding yourself with things that support you feeling good, is that all of this will work more and more on the subconscious level.

When you walk through your day and interact with feel-good things, this is part of what is setting your vibrational base whether you are aware of it or not.

And yes, this absolutely does assist you so much when you’re doing your own personal development work.

Material things can absolutely be part of your support system.

So why wouldn’t we use them?

But does any of this really make that much of a difference?

Let’s just walk through two scenarios for you to actually feel the difference right here in this exercise.

In both cases, you are already doing your inner development work. You are processing your emotions, you are changing your narratives, shifting your belief systems, healing… Basically doing all the good stuff because you want to live a good life.

(As one of my favorite manifestation teachers, Kathrin Zenkina, says: “You don’t want to just sprinkle glitter on the shit and pretend it doesn’t exist. Because the shit still stinks. The shit is still there.” You are taking care of that shit. That’s non-negotiable.)

Example A:

You wake up in the morning in total darkness with your alarm going off. You feel kinda groggy and drag yourself out of bed. Of course you align your thoughts with better feeling things as soon as you remember to because you know that’s good for you, but it’s an effort because your mind and body just aren’t on board yet. You might even feel a bit stressed or your heart might be racing.

You walk into the bathroom and aren’t really inspired by what you see in the mirror. You don’t linger on your reflection or might just avoid it entirely. You know you’ll feel better when you get out of the PJs that just don’t look good on you and into clothes you actually love.

Once you move into your kitchen, you fix yourself a plate or bowl of your favorite breakfast, sit down, and eat. You make your coffee or matcha next and drink it as you journal on your intentions for the day.

You have to tap into those expansive feelings you want to call in before coming up with what would feel most inspiring for you to do today. Then you write out your intentions on how you can embody the version of you who’s living your dream life.

Example B:

You wake up in the morning to the sunlight coming from your Wake-Up light that has already been preparing your brain to wake up for the past 30 minutes. Beneficial thoughts come to you easily because you’ve woken up in a natural way, which leads to your cortisol levels working as they should. Your awakening is gentle, and so is your energy.

You walk into the bathroom and you just love what you see because you are dressed in your pretty loungewear or PJs that make you feel like you’re doing this morning routine in your dream beach house regardless of where you actually live right now. It just feels so expansive. You feel expansive.

Once you move into your kitchen, you grab that pretty white plate with monstera leaves drawn along one edge and the gorgeous, natural coconut bowl that always makes your food look Pinterest-worthy, and it feels like such a lovely ritual to prepare your breakfast this way. You love sitting down and enjoying your meal that you set up for yourself on the sand-colored woven placemat, because all of this creates a feeling of satisfaction within you. You might even take a photo of it and put it on Pinterest because it just looks so damn beautiful.

You then walk over to the cabinet and take your lovely, handmade gradient blue mug with a golden moon painted on it that you ordered from an artisan from halfway across the world. You make yourself a cup of your favorite coffee with your nifty little nespresso machine with its sleek, clean lines, or boil hot water for a matcha in a retro looking kettle that looks cute af and also works like a charm.

You grab your pastel pink journal with gold lettering in the front from the minimalistic bamboo stand you positioned between two lush green plants in their white ceramic, structured pots, and start writing your intentions for the day.

As you sip on that cup of your favorite drink, ideas and insights come easily to you because you already are in (or close to) that expansive energy you desire to cultivate. It’s easy for you to imagine being your dream person. And even easier to embody it because from the moment you have woken up, you have already felt the connection.

Did you feel the difference in how supported you were in those two scenarios?

Now think about this…

We’ve only covered breakfast. And we’ve only done it with introducing very simple items into the routine.

Can you imagine how many more interactions like this we have with our environment throughout the day? If what we talked about was only the first half hour to an hour?

And even if the specifics of what I offered here don’t resonate with you (because they come from my values, not yours), you get the idea of how this works.

Some might argue that of course the second example evokes more good feelings because it’s more descriptive. But do you know why it’s more descriptive?

Because when you invite things you love into your life, you will notice them. You will appreciate them.

This work isn’t just about what bothers us. It’s also about using those blank spots where we aren’t really appreciating anything in our environment just because we don’t find it worthy of our attention.

When you surround yourself with things that do get your attention, you will always appreciate them.

My husband and I have owned our Jeep Renegade for almost a year now. It’s parked right outside the house and I can clearly see it through the window when I’m sitting at my desk. I see it multiple times per day. Like, really a lot.

And you know what?

I’m flooded with appreciation every single time my gaze catches on that car. I feel so much gratitude for actually manifesting one of my dream cars with the exact specs we wanted. It’s gorgeous. It’s a pleasure to be in, to travel in. I just love it. And not a moment goes by that I don’t have some sort of beautiful emotion stir within me when I see that car.

And it all happens on autopilot.

I don’t have to make myself think of the appreciation. Of the gratitude.

It. Just. Happens.

That’s the power of actually investing in the material things that hold value to us.

Unlike mindless purchases, these things don’t lose their shine. They don’t lose their worth.

They have meaning.

Even if the meaning is simply (yet so profoundly) you feeling genuinely happy or pleased.

And remember, there’s no need to overhaul everything. When I started out, there was so, so little that I actually liked about my life. But instead of getting frustrated (or scared/angry when I realized the impact this had on me), I knew that by shifting just one thing, I’d already be shifting the whole energy.

Because it simply could not stay the same.

Everything we introduce into our lives with intention has a ripple effect.

If all you do right now is get a single coaster that invokes the vibes of you living in your dream house, in your dream country, whenever you set your glass on it, that’s already a big step. It’s already shifting the whole vibration.

Work with what you are capable of now and then just continue stacking those things as life unfolds.

Every single step will assist in supporting your desired vibration. Even one single element you change will have a massive impact. Never, ever underestimate the power of a single positive change.

It’s a law of the universe that higher vibrations consume lower vibrations.

Trust that even the smallest change will produce immense benefits.

And it’s a compounding effect from there.

So even if you have to start super small. Just start.

Because as you shift that vibration, life will also begin shifting in your favor, and you will see more and more opportunities and blessings coming your way. More chances for growth. More doors opening for you to create the life you desire even through the material lens.

Simply enter the process, be true to your values, appreciate the beauty you bring into your life, and let it unfold.

Final piece of advice (and perhaps a hack for life in general)

Intentions are potent.

When you express your desire to have something to the Universe (which can look as simple as stating it clearly for yourself) and intend on having that thing, life will support you. The Universe will support you.

I cannot even tell you how many times I would find precisely what I desired at insanely low prices, huge discounts, or just plain old affordable versions of something I wanted to have when I wasn’t set on a specific brand.

I decided I wanted a Dyson Airwrap and within a WEEK, a store was running a sale and I got my Airwrap for €485 instead of the standard €689 or so that the stores here are selling it for.

Since we’re on the Dyson streak, I had my cell phone operator come up with an offer where I was able to buy the vacuum I desired for cheaper than it’s available in most stores and I could do monthly payments of just €14 for it that would be charged to my phone bill.

Why the vacuum? Because if you’re familiar with old European homes, you might know that we have pretty damn high ceilings. Now, I’m a tall person, but I still can’t reach all the way up there with my small handheld vacuum even if I stand on a chair. We have our Roborock for cleaning the floor, but getting the cobwebs that hang like some nasty garlands along the edges of the ceiling…I’d need to bring out the super old, heavy af, and painfully loud Vorwek. And even then it would be a battle to get the cobwebs. A light, cordless vacuum that can also double as a handheld vacuum? YES! Sign me up right now! And I get to easily reach the few additional places the Roborock can’t. There’s nothing better than turning taking care of your home into a pleasant experience. Why shouldn’t it be fun and light over draining and annoying? I know the former is the kind of energy I want to be in when I interact with my home, not the latter.

I also found my Lumea IPL device on sale, my desired Macbook at a wonderful price, and so so much more.

Then there were all those non-brand-specific things, like where the grocery store would carry the exact plant I wanted, and I would get the plant and the cutest ceramic pot for €4.99 together (compared to at least €10-€15 I’d pay otherwise).

Sometimes I’d even receive the exact thing I wanted as a gift.

I remember I wasn’t thrilled about my lack of a good winter puffer coat. I had one that did the job of keeping me warm, but I couldn’t really wear my beloved oversized sweatshirts under it because the sleeves were too tight. So of course that restricted movement led to me being not the most at ease person whenever I went out for walks with my dog. Which is often. Really, really often. Like several times per day often. And guess what? My mom and dad were out shopping for stuff for themselves, they saw the prettiest beige winter puffer coat that was also wind-resistant, and they bought it for me as a gift. I love that coat to bits, it’s practical, comfy, aesthetic af, and I adore putting it on before I head out for a walk.

Just know that when you set intentions, the Universe will meet you halfway.

The Universe wants to support you.

You just have to show it that you want to support yourself too.

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