By Dominique Murdock

So there I was… three months away from the beginning of the fall semester at USC, with no money to travel, no apartment to live in, and quite honestly….no real acceptance letter from my dream graduate school. What I did have, however, was the power to think, see, believe, and manifest the things I wanted for my life, into my life. Though I’ve never gone too long without life’s necessities, I’m certainly no stranger to sacrifice. What keeps me resilient though, in those bleak times of struggle, is the sheer drive to be better, see more, and experience things people (at least from where I come) would have never even fathomed.

Before we fast forward this story and kick it into high gear, I want to explore just what it means to “think, see, believe and manifest.” No, these aren’t just cliche words people tattoo onto themselves in barely recognizable languages. Nope… actually they are mantra words, or sacred utterances believed to possess spiritual power when audible, regularly repeated, and present constantly in thought. The idea behind these mantras is that you can literally acquire all the things you want for your life by simply keeping positive.

With this energy, we change how we encounter the world daily. We find beauty in smaller, less material ideals; we find comfort in solace and the spreading of knowledge; we find peace in understanding our life’s purpose. Mantras can keep us grounded and driven towards a particular goal. When used correctly, mantras coupled with positive energy can change the world. Or, at least, that’s what they did for me… so I like to think. I was not exaggerating when I said I was three months away from USC with NO ACCEPTANCE LETTER or PLACE TO LIVE. I had already told all my friends that I was planning to come to Los Angeles; so, by friendship rules, I had basically made a promise I needed to keep. What was my plan, you ask? Simple. I decided to mantra the situation until there were no more mantras in sight. That’s right, I began focusing my energy and coaching myself into thinking like a California resident and USC student. These positive thoughts helped me visualize a clear road map to LA; which, in turn, allowed me to easily plot out and follow through with the actions that would eventually get me here. Instead of stressing out about my plight, I reminded myself of my goal through mantra, then spent the rest of my time diligently researching all the assistance I could use to get me to LA. I never once thought that I wouldn’t get here. I never once gave my inner doubt the chance to cloud my emotions. I saw myself here at USC, I held true to my convictions, and I constantly worked toward changing my environment. Before I knew it, opportunites that I would have otherwise overlooked became clear and available to me!

As you may have guessed, I was eventually accepted to SC, found a place to live (1 week before my big move), and got connected with some pretty great people who went out their way to make my transition as smooth as possible. I like to think these blessings did not just manifest themselves on their own. I truly believe that my tight hold on focused positivity transformed the path of my life and led me to where I am today.

So this mantra thing? Sounds kind of like meditating, huh? Well, yes… it is! Mantras are verbal meditations you can do daily, and literally just about anywhere you are, except maybe the dentist. While you can totally choose to not believe in the power of mantras, that seems counterproductive to the whole “positive energy changes lives” idea, don’t you think? 🙂

While this spiritual cleansing technique isn’t 100% proven, it certainly has bettered what I think is the quality of my life and hey, positive energy can never be negative, right? (LOL pun intended) If nothing more, I hope I’ve sparked an interest in motivating some of you out there to think, see, believe and manifest all the things you want for your life! It’s worth a shot. You’ll find that there are few things in this world that are better for your psyche; it’s done for you, by you… no outside interference needed.

Here are a few of my favorite mantras. Use them!  Mix, match, share with a friend… (repeat as needed, daily)  Your mantras are yours forever, use them freely! 🙂

“Everyday in every way I am getting better and better” *** “I can. I will. I shall. I am.” *** “We change daily to fit our destinies” *** “I change my thoughts, I change my world” *** “Think, see, believe, manifest” *** “Be the change you wish to see” ***  “It’s okay. Life is fast”

Featured image courtesy of Joint Base San Antonio

Dominique Murdock is a second year grad student with the Rossier School of Education studying Teaching English to Second Language Speakers. Dominique is a native of Detroit, Michigan but has recently decided the west coast can adopt her. She has an overwhelming passion for humanity, and hopes one day to impose tolerance on the world.  Just last year, Dominique was a 3.7 student at Howard University in Washington, DC where her exposure and interaction with the global society was stimulated. As a Gates Scholar, Dominique has had the privilege of volunteering with peers from all over the world. She is a lover of travel, language, and culture and aspires one day to write a novel curtailing her journeys. Murdock, as her friends like to call her, is a lover of life and an advocate for vitality.