Many college students face a barrier to motivation commonly known as “burnout.” Burnout occurs in motivated students who have worked hard to achieve their goals in the past. The level of effort and motivation is unsustainable in the long run. Anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, stress, and poor nutrition largely affect the motivation system. Feelings of imposter syndrome, such as you don’t belong at Villanova, can also disrupt confidence and our perception of ourselves.
Instead of focusing on large and lofty goals that can be discouraging (such as having a 4.0 GPA), it can be beneficial to start with smaller internal mindset changes. This can help build back motivation and confidence by generating it from within yourself, rather than turning to external resources (compliments, good grades, awards) for motivation. “I am so lucky” is a form of verbal manifestation that has been spread over social media, with many people feeling positive tangible results from it. It’s pretty easy: wake up in the morning and say, “I am so lucky everything works out for me.”
It’s a way of getting you to put good energy out into the world, every morning. Broken down scientifically, we process more thoughts than our brain can handle every day, so our body is trained to vet out many bits of information we receive (otherwise we would not be able to function and understand the world around us). By saying “I am so lucky” every morning, you are training your brain to screen out negative thoughts and process positive bits of information instead, so you automatically look for good things in your day that will fulfill the manifestation.
Looking for positive things and being a more positive person can have real tangible benefits. More people will want to be surrounded by you, your professors will enjoy your class presence more, and you will be more motivated to try new things or accomplish your set goals. From personal experience, “I am so lucky” has helped me branch out and meet people I never would have reached out to before. I feel happier and more grateful for day-to-day experiences.
If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed during this semester, try to stop yourself and take a deep breath. Instead, fill your head with gratitude and do some “I am so lucky” exercises! Because truly, at a place like Villanova, there are plenty of things to be grateful for, especially if you look for them. The weather is getting better and it’s getting dark later. The sandwiches in the Exchange have been particularly good, the law school path has been a nice nature reprieve, and the architecture of buildings around campus is beautiful.
Many students have truly felt a change in mindset by doing something that takes five seconds every morning. It is also incredibly easy to become part of your morning routine, given that it barely requires any time or effort. So, the next question you might have is, how can I make it specific to me? You can manifest things that you want to achieve in your “I am so lucky’s” as well! I have provided some examples below, but remember you can use this exercise to manifest anything.
“I am so lucky I have great grades”
“I am so lucky that I am productive”
“I am so lucky I have so many friends”
“I am so lucky that I have a job I want lined up”
“I am so lucky I will have a great day”
I am so lucky that all of you have read this article! Happy manifesting!