As a child, I loved Christmas, as I expect most children who celebrate it do. It’s a time to come together, celebrate and – of course – give and receive gifts.
But what makes it all the more magical is the idea that there’s a guy called Father Christmas who has a huge toy-making factory in the snowy North Pole, run by elves.
While picturing this magical place, children gather by the fireside and write letters to Father Christmas, or Santa, greeting him and listing everything they would like.
It doesn’t really matter how many of the gifts children actually receive from their list, a large part of the fun is in just sitting there and dreaming about all those shiny new toys you’d like.
At some stage, as we move from child to adolescent, the truth about Father Christmas comes crashing in and (at least temporarily) ruins this part of the year for us.
He isn’t real, an older kid will tell us . . . and we’ll have to decide whether they are telling the truth or not.
But, by then, we’ll probably have spent some time trying to catch him delivering the presents on his sleigh and maybe spotting Mum drinking the sherry left out for him, or Dad eating the mince pie.
So the match has been lit for the truth bomb that Father Christmas is, in fact, your mum, dad or carer.
And at that point, the magic of writing a list dissipates.
Instead, it becomes a shopping list that the teenage-you presents to your parent or carer late in the year, expecting them to go and buy things for you.
But what if we decided to return to the magical list-writing, in front of a roaring fire?
Because, really, this is the basis of manifesting, law of attraction and spiritual visualisation.
The idea that, when you are really clear on exactly what it is that you want, eventually the Universe will deliver it, just like Father Christmas used to.
Yes, he isn’t “real”, but guess what? You are a version of Father Christmas, too. You can be both the hopeful child and the wonderful deliverer of gifts.
You can make the list and deliver the bounty (to yourself). All you need is a drove of elves to help you. Magical, invisible helpers.
So now it’s time to write your SQ wish list, that is, everything that you want.
But I’d like you to return to how it felt to be the child you once were, as you wrote out all the presents you were hoping to receive that year.
If you didn’t celebrate Christmas, perhaps you can channel the belief you had in the Tooth Fairy, or another magical invented character.
Fairies at the bottom of the garden, perhaps, or a deity watching over you, taking note of wishes you made while blowing out the candles on your birthday cake.
Close your eyes and allow yourself to be transported back to childhood, a time – for many of us – when magic and hope and belief were actively encouraged and we didn’t question them.
Where the excitement of a visit from Father Christmas, or the Tooth Fairy, filled us with a physical buzz, because in that moment we were special. The chosen ones.
Now, imagine you are still that chosen child – the special kid whose wishes always come true – and start noting down everything you want.
Create an SQ wish list of everything, big and small, that you would like in your life.
You might like to think about:
Relationships.
Money.
Emotions.
Work.
Place.
Work-life balance.
Food.
Clothing.
Weather.
Health and fitness.
Hobbies.
Time outdoors.
Alone, or surrounded by people.
The noise you’d like to hear.
. . . absolutely anything that you want.
List as many thing as you can.
And remember to hold in your body and mind that sensation you had as a child, as you focused on what you wanted and relinquished all responsibility for making it happen, allowing Father Christmas/the Tooth Fairy or whoever to do all the hard work.
Feel into that unbridled excitement, the giddiness of really believing that these things might just be arriving on your pillow – or doorstep – very soon.
As you get clearer on what you want on your SQ wish list, you might just start to notice some of those things “magically” appearing in your life.
Are they magically appearing, or is it that you have opened your mind to them appearing and so you’re going looking in new, innovative places for them?
Remember, the more you focus on the things you don’t want, the more you notice them (for instance: angry drivers, people skipping the supermarket queue, people leaving you out of social events).
But the more you focus on the beautiful things that you do want in your life, the more you will welcome in.
Soon, you will be spotting an opportunity to make that meal you love, or have it cooked for you.
Creating space in your day for time with a particular person, or alone, doing an activity you love.
Squirrelling away some of your savings to invest in a product for yourself or the home that you’ve had your eye on for ages.
Once you’ve written out your SQ wish list, I have some questions for you:
Can you make one of those things happen today? Which one?
When are you going to do it?
Get clear on your timings and commit.
Is there anyone you can speak to – by email, phone, or in person – who can help you to get one of the things from your list?
How will you feel, once everything on your list is ticked off?
How do you feel now, about the idea of having everything that you want?
Annie x
Raise your SQ: How the power of spiritual intelligence can change your life in seven days is out now in paperback.
As a child, I did many things more akin to a responsible adult approach, yet infused with childhood excitement. As an adult, I still make those responsible decisions with a childhood excitement. That approach, not developed in any deliberate way, has nonetheless been of great benefit over the years. To commit with both simple glee and serious purpose is something I wish for everyone.
As you say, the magic of childhood belief and the wisdom/responsibility of adulthood aren't mutually exclusive. They are energies that deeply complement.
What is SQ?