When we enter into recovery, we take our power back from addiction. We begin learning ways in which we have sabotaged our own inner peace, holistic well-being, and personal definition of success. More importantly, we begin to see the true potential for magic and miracles in our lives. One aspect of that is the ability to receive that which we have asked for, including being free from addiction and living our lives in active recovery.

But, along with successful and ever-evolving recovery, we truly have the power to manifest anything and everything we wish to receive simply by asking. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when making requests.

Know Your Worth

Our greatest obstacle with regard to living our highest potential is that we typically don’t realize we are worthy of it. As such, we typically send subconscious messages to the Universe, God, or our Higher Power that we are not yet worthy and therefore not ready to receive our heart’s desires.

For that reason, there is inner work we must do to begin manifesting that which we wish to receive. Whether it is financial abundance, a wealth of family and friends, or inner peace and true love, we must first love ourselves enough to see we are worthy of it.

Whether we employ a counselor, energy worker, spiritual life coach, or all of the above, we must begin healing our inner wounds so we no longer unintentionally sabotage our hopes and dreams. Once we realize we are worthy of that which we are requesting, we feel no shame or fear in asking our Higher Power or the Universe for it.

Speak Your Intentions, Not Your Fears

Of course, fear is the biggest saboteur when it comes to manifesting what we want. Along with feeling unworthy, we typically fear things like commitment, success, and failure. As such, we may even act (or not act) in ways that will sabotage our ability to receive that which is ours to manifest.

For that reason, we must do the work to get to the root of those fears and remove them, along with any self-sabotaging behaviors. We must also be careful to speak our intentions for that which we want, rather than what we fear.

Making fear-filled statements—like “I’ll never find true love” or “I’m always broke” or “I will be in debt forever”—will actually manifest that which is stated for the future. In fact, the same power of the word you employ to manifest abundance can manifest scarcity, if you’re not careful with your words.

So, be mindful (and heartful—centered in love, not fear) of what words you are speaking throughout the day. Try to catch yourself when fear-filled statements come flying out. Once you do, simply ask that the intentions behind that statement be deleted from existence. Reset and re-speak with love-filled statements, such as: “I’ll find true love when it is time” or “I’m temporarily cash poor, but money is coming my way” or “I am going to be debt-free.”

Once the fear is removed from our conscious and subconscious intentions and statements, we are truly ready to receive.

Be Careful What You Ask For

We think we are ready until we receive the means to an end rather than simply the thing we requested. In other words, we ask for that which we desire and become frustrated when it seems that we receive either the exact opposite or an uncomfortable pathway to that end.

That said, it's not that God, the Universe, or our Higher Power doesn't hear our requests or that the requests are denied. It's usually that we aren't aware of what we are asking for.

For example, when we ask for inner peace and suddenly our lives are seemingly rocked to the core, we think God, the Universe, or our Higher Power must be mixing up our spiritual intentions with someone else's. But, what we fail to realize is that inner peace comes through an awakening process—one which requires us to be shaken to our core so we can release all that keeps us from experiencing true inner peace.

The same is true for any hope or dream. Anything that stands in the way of what we have requested will first need to be removed. As such, expect to experience a transformation of some sort, knowing that the end result is the life you have always dreamed of.

In fact, you’ve manifested it.