Manifesting 101: Bringing your goals to life
Imagine being able to achieve goals that you firmly envisage, just using your mind power. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? Welcome to manifesting.
Manifesting has been with us for a while: it started in the 19th century but became more popular since Rhonda Byrnes published her bestselling book “The Secret'' in 2006. Byrne explained the laws of attraction and the concept that if you think enough positive thoughts, good things will happen to you. The book took the world (and opinion) by storm, and the concept of manifesting has continued to grow ever since.
Recently, the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the world seeming topsy turvy over the last couple of years have resulted in many of us wishing for more positive outcomes and more control over our own destiny - which is why manifesting has become increasingly popular. In fact, “I manifested this” is a catch phrase that seems to have become fashionable, with celebrities and influencers attributing their achievements to manifesting. So what is it and does it really work?
First and foremost, what is manifesting?
To manifest is to envisage aspirational or positive thoughts (goals or ideas) with the purpose of making them a reality. Essentially, you turn your thoughts and ideas into tangible results by willing them with actions and positive thinking.
Clearly manifesting doesn't happen overnight and it usually requires proactive action too, as willpower and thoughts just won't cut it.
Speaking to the Independent, Gemma James (The Lazy Manifesting Coach) explained that “To actively manifest something means you’re not simply leaving it to chance, you’re intentional about the goals you want to achieve and you take the inspired action until you’ve got it.”. So it is not just wishing for something, it is actively thinking and having intentional thoughts and action.
How to get started?
Bear in mind that manifesting might be different to everyone, some people like a more “magical” approach, others a straightforward, no-frills one. Whichever way you want to go, two things are important: self-reflection and concrete action.
The first thing you need to do is introspection: really think clearly about what you want to achieve. Think about the details, what you want and what you don't want (it works both ways!) and come up with a concrete plan of action, remembering to keep one foot on the ground with a good dose of realism. For example, if you want to manifest a new car, think about the model, the make, the colour, but also whether you can make it a reality (i.e. don't try manifesting things you know you won't be able to afford).
Once you have set yourself a goal, you need to find a way to stay focused on your goal and accountable for your actions. Whether it is a daily affirmation said out loud, or writing it down in your notebook, find ways of keeping yourself aware of your goals and as reminders of what you want. Over time, this helps you make sure that you are aligned with your goals. It is possible that after a while you realise that what you want to manifest isn't exactly something you want; or if it still is, you can assess whether your actions are paving the way for your goals.
Take action towards your goals. That half marathon isn’t going to happen if you haven't gone for a jog in weeks. Manifesting is about goal setting but also about visualising how you achieve them, so start mapping your road to success. Think about how to achieve those goals and work out the steps that you need to take to achieve them. The devil is in the details and manifesting relies as much on your vision and intentions as it does on your actions.
Be mindful of your progress and grateful for any milestone reached. Sometimes things don’t happen as we expect them to, or the result isn’t exactly what we wanted, but every little success or win along the way should be celebrated! Keep the positive momentum going and try to incorporate a daily thoughtfulness time into your day. Let the positive energy permeate through your life into other activities - after all, where attention goes, energy flows.
Why is it so popular and is it proven?
As mentioned, following the pandemic and the current world affairs, it isn’t surprising that more people are deciding to take action and want more positives in their lives. Manifestation can create the idea that you have more control over your life. It also helps that many people on social media (from Instagram to TikTok) are attributing achievements to manifesting, which in turn encourages people to manifest.
Manifestation can work in beneficial ways, from improving your mental health to helping with setting goals and achieving those goals. It can also help organise your thoughts, your goals and your actions and can create a good work and life ethic by showing you how to put your thoughts into action. More importantly, it can really help with self-belief and self-awareness.
But, whilst manifesting may be achieved, it is also worth taking its results with a pinch of reality – just because you try to manifest does not mean that things will definitely happen. More importantly, it is worth noting the potential negatives of it - if things don't go your way you might get demoralised at best, or it can really affect your mental health at worst.
So while manifestation is a good way to channel your energy and include more positive thoughts into your life, bear in mind it is also not a magic wand
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