According to a Pew Forum study, nearly 80 percent of Americans believe in miracles. When we think we can’t handle burdensome difficulties on our own, we often seek help from a higher power, pleading: Cure me or my loved one of this illness. Aid me in providing for myself and my family. Bring me someone to love. Help me resolve this intensely painful situation. Protect loved ones from the harm they’re subjecting themselves to.

If we want miracles to unfold in our lives, we must actively participate in their manifestation. Here are five ways to manifest more miracles in our lives.

1 Be Grateful for Everything
Gratitude deserves its positive buzz. When we’re grateful, our energy changes and our light shines. Our perspective shifts from scarcity to abundance. We bring forth divine blessings by being tuned into the giving nature of the creator of all. When we live in a state of gratitude, good people, opportunities and blessings arrive.

2 Stop Using Excuses to Do Nothing
When we take a positive step in our lives—it can be anything—a way forward will often appear that may be unrelated to the blessing we receive. For example, clearing out clutter may clarify a career move. Taking a course to build a new skill may introduce us to a new friend. In beginning a new exercise routine, we may discover self-confidence in other areas of life.

3  Step Beyond Routine
Step out of routines, broaden horizons and bust through comfort zones. Bumps and bruises may occur, but bravery is rewarded. Miracles are not beyond our grasp, but we may need to extend our reach in ways we’ve never done before.

4 Help Others Receive the Miracles They Pray For
Experience the bliss of being a giver. Share what others need. Sponsor a child’s education. Give unused belongings to people that desperately need them. Offer words of encouragement. It all matters more than we realize.

5 Trust Intuition
When we listen to our intellect instead of our inner heart-and-soul guidance system, we get turned around and off course. We all have an inner knowing that can help us get where we want to go. Divine wisdom always trumps the human mind. When we tune into it and trust what it’s telling us, we invite miracles into our lives.

We all have the power to participate in creating miracles for ourselves and others by bringing to fruition what did not seem remotely possible. It’s easy to start by practicing these five miracle-creating strategies.

J. Marie Novak is an author, life transformation mentor and founder of the Believe and Create online community. Learn how to believe in and create the life you were born to live at BelieveAndCreate.com.

This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.