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It’s now mid-February, and if you’re like many people, you’ve probably long forgotten those New Year’s resolutions you made. Some studies show almost two-thirds of people abandoned their New Year’s goals by the end of January. As the days roll along, your best intentions to get fit, eat better, or try something new tend to get shuffled to the back of your mind.
One of the main reasons we lose our sense of determination, experts say, is that our plans are just too vague. To give some specificity to your goals, try recommitting by writing them down in the form of a script.
What is script journaling?
Script journaling, popularized by Law of Attraction followers, is similar to making a vision board. But instead of having pictures represent your desires, you write a description of what it looks like when your plan comes together. In script journaling, you visualize and write a story, making yourself the main character. In your journal, you plot out scenes detailing how it looks and feels when you are enjoying your achievement.
Traditionally, writing in a journal involves recording things that have happened to you or things that are thinking about. You may describe things you want in the future. Script journaling is present and future focused. Instead of “I want…” or “I will…” —phrases that suggest you’re waiting for something, you write, “I am….”—as if your idea desire were happening right now.
How to write your life script
YouTube content creator and actress Bree Quinn started coaching people on scripting after proving to herself that it worked by getting her first big acting job. She wrote in detail about going to an audition and having the director love her work. Then it happened. “What sealed the deal for me is that it was word for word what I had written. It spooked me,” says Quinn.
For yogis, writing “as if it’s already happened” aligns with the concept of intention-setting, or establishing a sankalpa, a heartfelt desire and specific intention to activate.
“Sankalpa is when you state something that you are aligning with,” says Ali Duncan, CEO of the Urban Sanctuary Wellness Center in Denver. “Scripting is also aligning yourself with what already is. The more you can do this, the more it raises your frequency. It pulls whatever you’re looking for close to you.”
If you’re ready to reignite your goals and bring them to life, here is how you can begin scripting your future:
Create a sacred space
Get in the right mindset by energetically matching your tools and space with your intention. Light some candles or play soft music. Some script writers smudge or use the sound vibrations of bells or chimes to cleanse the room as well as their paper and writing implements. Choose a dedicated notebook or folder to keep your determinations sacred. Make this a special process for your mind, body and spirit.
Sweat the details
Write in first person (I am…) or in third person (Davida is…) as if writing a story—as if what you’re manifesting has already happened. Make yourself the main character and get lost in the details. How does it look, feel, smell, or sound? The more specific you make it, the clearer your intention.
Stay positive
Focus on what you want to manifest and avoid writing or thinking about what you don’t want. Instead of writing, I have no more trouble paying my bills, write, I am paying all my bills and have money left over. Highlighting thoughts of anxiety or noting obstacles that arise increases energy to those areas. Stick to the feelings and sensations you want to create.
Express gratitude
Be sure to express your feelings of gratitude while scripting your achievement. Open your heart and let it flow.