This year, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my life—the good, the not-so-good, the in-between. Mostly, in an attempt to understand why and how I manifested cancer in my body. Of course, cancer is quite complex. There are multiple factors to any diagnosis, from your genes and epigenetics, to your environment and toxic load, to what you ingest, how you deal with stress, and the list. goes. on. You’ll never pinpoint the ‘one thing’ because it is highly unlikely (read: impossible) that there is only one. This is why one person can smoke a pack a day and remain fairly healthy, while another who is seemingly a picture of good health ends up with a cancerous tumor in her neck. It’s not just the carcinogens just as it’s not just bad luck. There’s a whole lot more at play.

Two things naturally rose to the surface early on in my self-reflections, not guided by what I read or researched, but rather by what I felt intuitively: one, my thoughts matter even more than I realize; and two, I need to bring my life into alignment. I’m going to focus on the latter.

I define “alignment” as living as the truest expression of your authentic self, your soul. It’s living aligned with a purpose—your soul’s calling—doing what you love with love through love, and creating a positive impact. It’s living intuitively, in the flow, knowing that the Universe has your back. Alignment feels light, easy, joyful, peaceful, grounded. It feels natural. It’s also unique. My version of alignment will look different than yours because no two souls are the same.

The opposite of alignment feels heavy, stressful, frantic, anxious, like a weight on your shoulders. It’s fear-based, disconnected from self, disconnected from Source.

Alignment brings ease. Misalignment, dis-ease. You can eat well and take all the supplements but if you’re misaligned…you see where I am going here? I believe that to live your healthiest, happiest life requires radical alignment. And a lot of us have missed the boat on this. I know I did. I’ve been in fight or flight most of my adult life. And I’ve been ignoring that little voice in my head—my intuition, my soul, my inner guidance—for far too long.

How does one achieve radical alignment? Well, it’s not going to happen overnight. But here are some simple practices you can begin today to help get you there.

1. Treat your body like the temple that it is. Nourish it with delicious, organic whole foods and filtered water. Move it to release stagnant energy. When you remove processed foods, refined sugar, and alcohol from your diet, and mindfully move your body, the fog lifts and your mind becomes clearer. When your mind is clearer, you can better connect with your intuition. This clarity and connection is *key* to going inward and discovering who you really are and what you really want in this life.

2. Write it out. Reflect on your life. What brings you the most joy? What are you good at? When do you feel in the flow? (Flow state is a real thing.) What did you love to do as a child? What makes you feel stressed? What makes you feel anxious? The answers to these questions will begin to point you in the right direction.

3. Meditate on it. Even if for only a few minutes. Be still, get quiet, and create space to listen to your intuition—that little voice in your head has important messages to share—tune in. I like to begin with a seated stretch, then take some deep breaths focusing on the inhale, exhale, and then my intention—in this case, what makes me feel most the most aligned and true to myself? Of course my mind wanders, but I always bring it back to the breath. Then, ping, out of seemingly nowhere I get a download—the answer I was looking for!

4. Embody it. You know those feelings I mentioned above—lightness, ease, joy, peace, groundedness? Allow yourself to feel all of it. Similar to a meditation practice, close your eyes and imagine what alignment feels like for you. I like to picture myself waking up in the morning energized with a smile on my face knowing that I get to do what I love all day, something that feels so natural and in the flow, and that is creating a beautiful impact on the world. (I call this version of me my Inspired Self.) I allow myself to feel deeply grateful for my aligned life. Usually these feelings become so strong that tears of joy well up in my eyes. “Wow! This is MY life!” I’ll return to my Inspired Self throughout the day. How does she dress? How does she walk? What neighborhood does she live in? Fake it until you become it.

Finally, rinse and repeat. Let these become daily or weekly practices, and before you know it, your life will begin to shift perfectly into…alignment.

Living the life of your dreams—a life where you feel aligned and alive—is going to take some work, but I promise, it is going to be worth it. Your Inspired Self will thank you.