When it comes to calling in more abundance, you can put in the hours, the sweat equity and the elbow grease. That used to be my MO: push the boulder up the hill. 

(This approach sucks, by the way — 0 out of 10, do not recommend).

Everything changed, however, when I discovered that the most effective and fast-acting ways to become prosperous and increase income were practices that felt easy and fun. They might be unconventional, but because they’re so enjoyable, I spring out of bed every morning excited to do them. And I’m convinced that’s what makes them so powerful.

If you’re itching to make this your most abundant year ever, give these five practices a try. I’m confident they’ll have you believing in magick in no time. 

Inventory Your Deepest Fears

I know, I know. You were expecting me to say “think positive thoughts” and “like attracts like,” so this may seem wildly unorthodox. But it works, and holy cow, is it illuminating.

This practice comes from Carolyn Elliot’s excellent book, Existential Kink, and helps us excavate our specific resistance to receiving what we claim to want. In other words, you inventory everything that might go wrong if you got what you most desire.

At first glance, this is confusing — like a double negative. I don’t have imagined worst-case scenarios about having $1 million in the bank, you say. But Elliot’s premise is that you do, in fact, have many unconscious fears around the positive outcomes you wish for— and that’s precisely why you don’t have them yet.

Deepest Fear Inventory lets you see just how divided your will is. Consciously, you’ve been focused on how to increase income, while unconsciously, you’ve been running away from it. Once you see that division clearly, you can work to heal it.

What makes this so fascinating is the discovery of how silly or strange many of your fears are or how seemingly unrelated they are to the positive outcome your conscious mind says it desires. I mean, who knew that a Deepest Fear Inventory about earning $10,000 a month would reveal that I’m afraid it will eliminate the common ground I have with my best friend, and we won’t want to spend time together anymore? 

Wild, right? 

But it’s also useful if you can scratch some fears off the list because they’re absurd. After a few weeks of doing Deepest Fear Inventory, even the valid fears get so boring that they become nonsensical, and you just let them go.

How it’s Done

To do Deepest Fear Inventory, write at the top of a sheet of paper: 

Dear God/universe (however you like to address divinity), I hate and resent having ________.

Or, I absolutely refuse to have ________ because I have deep fear that I . . . Because I have a deep fear that I . . . 

And on and on. Rapidly write out at least 20 fears associated with your resentment and refusal of what you claim to want.

When you’re finished, write:

Dear God/universe, I ask that you remove these fears. I pray only for knowledge of your will for me and the power to carry it out.

Thank you.

Then read the whole thing aloud to someone (I use my cat), rip it up into little pieces and throw it away. Doing this sends the message to your subconscious to “delete these, please.”

Create a “Richual”

Don’t laugh, but I make up my own words to songs. 

My rewrites make me out to be an abundance queen, with a golden touch and no use for peasant behaviors like flying economy class.

(No matter that I willingly fly economy in real life; this is my dream, and in it, I live like a goddess).

This practice works for a few reasons. The first is that the catchy quality of your favorite tune has the potential to create an earworm. Now, imagine an earworm that reprograms your subconscious. 

Clever, no?

Secondly, singing aloud that I’m the “richest bitch around” feels decidedly silly and makes me less inclined to take myself seriously. And that’s useful when you’re “acting as if” something is true before it actually is. Serious you might shut down that statement immediately with a firm Don’t be ridiculous; of course, that’s not true. Fun-loving, song-belting you is more inclined to let it slide. 

Your brain doesn’t actually know the difference between fact and fiction, so if you can get the message past your inner critic, you’re golden.

How it’s Done

Choose a song you love to sing and write new words for it. It doesn’t need to rhyme perfectly or sound clever — no one else will ever hear it but you. Sing the song when you’re in the shower or alone in the car. Rinse and repeat until you have it memorized. 

And don’t come for me if you forget the original words. That means the abundance magick is working.

Go on a Rampage of Appreciation

On the subject of living like royalty, this next practice is my favorite, and it helps to picture yourself sitting on a throne while you do it.

In Ask and it is Given, Esther Hicks says,

If I would look for something to appreciate and make that my dominant vibration, I would live happily ever after and fulfill my reason for being.

To radically oversimplify the book’s premise, feeling appreciation, gratitude and joy is the highest emotional state. Therefore, it is the ultimate vibration with which to magnetize abundance.

The problem is that humans have a negativity bias, which means we’re less inclined to notice things to appreciate and more inclined to notice things that could cause us harm. It requires vigilant reprogramming to stop defaulting to everything wrong with our lives and start noticing only those things that make life beautiful.

A Rampage of Appreciation seeks to remedy this. The idea is to gradually guide your thoughts in a more positive direction, which in turn helps increase your vibration. Raising your vibration allows you to attract more of what you desire, increase your income and live large.

How it’s Done

When you first start this practice, it’s best to start from a place of feeling good. Eventually, you will be able to do it under any circumstances. 

Choose a subject about which you feel positive feelings and start describing what you love about it, why it makes you happy and how it improves your life. You can write down your thoughts or speak them out loud.

Personally, I do this exercise in my head whenever I find myself in a comfortable spot enjoying the sunset, a delicious mocktail or some good company. Then I begin to take in my surroundings, little by little, and think to myself, This pleases me. That pleases me. Just like a Queen on her throne, addressing the gifts bestowed upon her by her royal subjects and announcing, “More of that, please.”

Continue building upon your feelings of appreciation. As one thought leads to another, let your appreciation grow and expand. Revel in the positive energy you’re creating. Bask in the glow of gratitude and boundless joy, and let them permeate your entire being.

Make this a regular practice — there is literally no downside. At a minimum, you will be more enjoyable to be around. 

Best case scenario? Well, how big can you dream?

Get Rid of Anything that Reminds You of Lack

There was a time when I thought it was financially responsible to save anything ratty or old as long as it still basically functioned. I wore sweaters with necklines that slid off my shoulders and sleeves that hung down to my knees. I wore my sneakers until the tread was worn down to nothing. I used chipped dishes because the food tasted the same either way.

It defies logic to spend money replacing worn-out personal items with new ones when trying to increase your income. But I’ve discovered that so much of life requires doing things in reverse of what logic dictates. You build courage by doing scary things; if you wait until you feel brave, you’ll wait forever. You “act as if” you’re already capable of overcoming a challenge because saying, “I’ll never succeed,” is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You don’t need to buy yourself a brand-new wardrobe in one fell swoop. But you do need to systematically remove things that you associate with struggle. Where your attention goes, energy flows. If every time you get dressed or make yourself a meal, you are reminded of your lack, you are — consciously or not — reinforcing that identity.

How it’s Done

If it has a hole or a chip, it’s gone. If you wore it in High School, get rid of it. Practice not beating yourself up about spending money you don’t feel you have. You deserve more than the bare necessities; you deserve nice things! 

Until you believe that, how can you expect to receive abundance? (If this is a struggle, see practice #2).

Increase Income with an Abundance Floor Wash

Here’s a little practical magic for you: The next time you clean and mop your floors, tap into the metaphysical properties of basil.

Basil corresponds to abundance and prosperity, as well as love, self-love and protection. It also softens negative energy, encouraging it to move along. With a resume like that, why wouldn’t you add a little to your mop water?

Symbolically, starting at the back of your home and working toward the front banishes negative energies, while beginning at the front and mopping toward the back draws positive energy in. 

How it’s Done

Simmer some water and add a generous handful of basil leaves. Turn off the heat and let this sit. Once cool, remove the basil leaves. At this stage, you can use the wash as a final rinse over your already clean floor or just add it straight to the mop water with your usual cleaning agents. 

For option one, clean your floors as usual. Then, starting at the front door and working toward the back, finish with a rinse of the basil water. Concentrate on the qualities that you wish to draw into your life and envision your home as an enchanting mecca where magickal things happen. For option two, with everything mixed in one bucket, do a pass from back to front to banish negativity. Then, do a pass from front to back, meditating on abundance and prosperity.

Our beliefs about increasing abundance center around hard work and struggle as the keys to success. My own journey has taught me, however, that the most profound transformations come from the most unexpected places. The best part is that it gets to be easy–download the checklist below and see for yourself.