Feel It First: How Small Joys Like Making Your Bed Can Unlock Bigger Dreams

By Jennifer Youngren, NDTR

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with something that might sound a little unconventional—focusing on how I want to feel. Not just thinking about goals or visualizing outcomes, but actually tuning into the emotional state of what I’m trying to create, long before anything changes in the external world.

It’s harder to do when you don’t have a clear vision, I’ll admit. But let’s start simple. Something anyone can relate to.

Picture this: You walk into your bedroom and your bed isn’t made. Maybe you’ve been telling yourself for days that you’ll get to it later. But each time you see it, you feel a little off—slightly disorganized, maybe even anxious. It’s a small thing, but the impact adds up.

Now think about what it feels like when your bed is made. The room looks brighter. There’s an immediate sense of calm and order. You feel more grounded, even if the rest of your day is chaotic.

So here’s the practice: Even if the bed is still messy, try to hold the image of it being neatly made. Visualize it clearly—the smooth sheets, the fluffed pillows, the way the space feels when it’s clean and clear. Imagine yourself walking in and being greeted by that order and comfort. Maybe you even lie down on it for a moment in your mind, completely at ease.

Now notice how your body responds. Can you feel the shift? That small lift in your chest, that subtle softening of the shoulders. That’s your nervous system responding to your inner reality. And the more you focus on that feeling, the more your external behavior begins to align with it.

If negative thoughts creep in, don’t fight them—just redirect. Gently come back to the image and the feeling. You’re not forcing change, you’re allowing it by embodying what you want first.

With time, you may find yourself naturally making your bed each morning, not out of obligation, but because it supports the way you want to feel. That’s how vision becomes action. It begins with resonance, not resistance.

This is the beginning of energetic alignment. We start small. We get curious. We feel the shift. And little by little, our reality follows.