Manifestation is a completely new and weirdly fascinating concept to me. I never heard of it before until about a month ago. Now, I’m seeing it everywhere (am I manifesting manifestation?? Too meta…I’ll move on). I know this isn’t going to be a topic for everyone, so bear with me. But to all of my manifestation beginners, if you’re also curious about what this is about, then let’s dive in:
Before we do though, I feel like I need a disclaimer of sorts. There are a lot of amazing manifestation queens out there who really understand the ins and outs of how this works. I am not one of these queens and I do not have all of the knowledge on this topic. I am, however, I am someone who is curious about a new way of thinking that has high potential for adding value in life.
If we don’t push ourselves to think differently, to act differently, and to grow in new and different ways, then we are just going to stay the same. And, I’ve already decided that isn’t for me. This is a sneak peak into manifestation for beginners (by a beginner). At the end of this post, I’m sharing a few links to some actual manifestation queens you can go to and learn more. They are amazing! Definitely check them out.
What is manifestation
As the all-amazing Oprah tells us, manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief—i.e., if you think it, it will come. It’s not just making things happen through the power of will and positive thinking, but instead “making everything you want to feel and experience a reality… via your thoughts, actions, beliefs, and emotions.”
Okay so, at the surface, this is a bit hard to wrap my brain around. Sometimes the way manifestation is typically described can sound too “woo woo,” as the queens say (apparently, I’ve never heard that before either). Especially to someone who believes in and highly values logic. Diving deeper, I agree with the philosophy at its core. Mindset is a powerful thing. Henry Ford put it wonderfully, “whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”
To those unfamiliar, manifestation can sound like making a wish, believing it will come true, and then because you believed, it eventually comes true for you (is prayer old-school manifestation??). This isn’t the case. There is no manifestation genie that grants you 3 wishes, sings you a catchy tune, gives you a flying carpet, and you get everything your heart desires. That’s just not how life works.
What does work, and what the manifestation queens teach us, is turning intention into the energy we carry and the actions we prioritize. Here are three key tips to wrap your head around what manifestation is and how to embody a manifesting mindset in your life:
1. Visualize the end-goal
What manifestation is really about, is getting explicitly clear on what you want: your vision, intentions, and goals. What is your vision for your future? Where do you want to be? How do you want to feel? What are you doing? What are you not doing? Really take time to imagine yourself living in that future state. Picture everything: what you’re wearing, the people around you, what’s in front of you, the sounds, the smells. Getting into the details makes that future feel real. It helps clarify what about that future is different from where you are today.
Visualizing isn’t easy and you really have to create the mental and physical space for you to do it effectively. Pick a time of day where you aren’t distracted or stressed about other things. This may be first thing in the morning, right before bed, or over the weekend where you have some time to unwind from the day-to-day. As much as possible, create a space for yourself where you can be alone and really focus. Reflect on what’s driving this desire to bring a change in your life.
Some people cast aside visualization like it’s a silly thing to do, but it’s actually incredibly powerful and a more common practice than you might think. Athletes use visualization as a tool for mental training constantly. I didn’t realize what it was at the time, but in my competitive swimming days we would visualize our championship race pretty much all season long. We thought about every detail: the sounds on the deck, the soft lapping of the pool water, the rough texture of the starting block, the way our muscles felt rippling under our 4-times-too-small racing suits. It was so powerful that all of us knew exactly how many strokes it would take us to start and finish our race without ever needing to dive in.
Use this intensity in your visualizing! Picture your own race day for your end-goal. Find a way to capture that vision. Write it down in a journal, or make a vision board. Put it in a place where you can refer back to it and the energy you felt when envisioning that future for yourself. Trust me, you’ll need it later.
2. Show up as that person right now
Really place future you in her strongest, most powerful element. What does that feel like? Then, show up right now as that person. By being it, you will become it.
We don’t manifest what we want. We manifest what we are.
Now, this isn’t new. We’ve heard this before: “fake it until you make it,” “what goes around, comes around,” or—my personal favorite—your boss telling you that you have to prove you can do the job first before you can get the promotion where it will actually be your job (sigh). Here are a few things to practice:
- What would she do? If you magically turned into future you today, what would she be doing instead? Would she write that email, make that phone call, record that song, apply for that job? If yes, then do it!! What are you waiting for? She isn’t scared, so you shouldn’t be either.
- What would she not do? Stop investing time and energy into things future you would not be doing. If future you would not be spending time hanging out with Joe Schmoe who doesn’t make you feel all that great about yourself, then why are you? Joe can kick rocks, and you can do better, because future you is doing better.
- How would she act? Does future you walk confidently because she knows she’s awesome? Does she say “no” to things she doesn’t actually want to do?? Does she prioritize herself and her hustle because she’s on top of her game? Then guess what, you can do that too!
- What would her every day look like? Set up your daily routines to match. If she would get up early to get in a workout before going to her photoshoot (I’m actually not sure if anyone works out before a photoshoot), then get up early and work out before you start your day. If she would have time for daily self care, then make time for yourself now to do those same things.
By being it, you will become it.
3. Understand there are many different paths. Be open to them!
The special thing about manifesting something in your life is to accept that, if you keep an open mind, opportunities can show up in different, unexpected ways. If you’re trying to manifest growth in your business, it could appear in other ways than just the one path you are looking down right now. Be open to other avenues that come, and don’t be too narrow-sighted on your goals. Ask yourself why you want what you want. Getting clarity on that answer can help you know what is most important to you. And, it can open your eyes to new options you hadn’t thought about before. Here are few prompts to help you with this:
- I want to manifest ____________. Why do I want this?
- What about it is most important to me? Would I feel the same way if I did it differently?
- So, what is really important to me is ___________, because _____________.
- I can go after this in many ways! Some big-picture ideas are to ____________.
- Actions I can put in place right now towards manifesting what I want include ______________.
Understanding that you can manifest what is actually important to you in different ways is the key to enabling it to happen. It’s enabling intentional action. If you focus too much on “it must be this way” then you are limiting the potential of what your result could be. You’re unintentionally blinding yourself to other opportunities to get you to the core of what you’re searching for. Be clear, but be flexible, and who knows what surprise (that you work very hard for) is waiting for you around the corner.
Manifest on!
Now, as promised, here are a few of my favorite manifestation queens who really know what they are talking about:
May you manifest all of the abundance you desire! ✨
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4 Comments
Great post! I totally agree that manifestation can sound so “woo-woo” as you put it. I first heard of it in “The Secret” and thought it was pretty cool, but there was a part of me that couldn’t take it seriously. But when you do look into the practical side of it (like the tips you mentioned in your post), it totally makes sense. Mindset matters, and that can really shape our reality! 🙂
I love manifestation and affirmations! I say them every morning and it really gets me pumped!
Happy blog anniversary! Visualization definitely helps with clarity of goals.
Love it, great content!
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