A Beginner's Guide To Manifesting
In a lot of ways I'm a pragmatic girl. I wasn't always this way, and you probably weren't either.
As a kid, I had huge dreams and there was no limit to what my imagination believed I could accomplish.
A world famous actress, a supermodel, a Wimbledon winning tennis player; these are just a few of the things I knew I had the skills to one day become.
Over the years, I lost some of that unbelievable confidence. Sound familiar?
Thankfully, not all of it.
I still went after big things but they became the kind of “big things” that I felt were attainable rather than pie in the sky dreams.
If I could go back in time, I would convince my 18 year old self that whatever kind of damn pie I wanted, I could have.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a post about regret.
This is a realization that as a child I believed that I had the ability to go after and GET anything I wanted. And somewhere around the time of young adulthood, I started to believe that I had to temper my dreams.
Fast forward to 48 and, better late than never, I found manifestation and the realization that whatever I want can be mine.
BUT -- isn't it crazy that the little kid in me somehow knew this?
That little girl didn't even question the size of her dreams!
And how did that belief in myself decline over time? How did pragmatism enter the picture? How did realistic expectations become the norm?
I don't know the answer to any of those questions, but what I do know is that since I have discovered manifestation, I'm back to that little girl who can have anything she wants. It's so much fun!
I've manifested things like $25,000 cash or having the people and relationships in my life that I wanted, and achieving other goals big and small
Manifestation has allowed me to return to the mindset of that little girl; she didn't question whether or not she deserved the things she wanted in her life but rather she allowed her love and passion for things to determine whether or not they were right for her.
In other words if she loved it, she could have it.
What a smart cookie that little girl was! How lucky I am to be working my way back to her!
Today, I'm going to share an intro to how you too can embrace manifestation, go after your wildest dreams and build the life that the child in you believed was possible and that perhaps, over the years, you cast aside.
No more settling. Let's manifest instead!
I want to make a disclaimer of sorts. I'm not Gabby Bernstein, I'm not Deepak Chopra, I'm not Bob Proctor. I'm not an "expert" so to speak on manifestation.
BUT, I've learned to use manifestation over the last several years and I hone my skills every day.
So who am I to tell you how to manifest? If you're reading this right now, I'm exactly the right person to speak to you about this.
Manifesting is not a degree you get from college, it's not a talent that only a few possess; it's an opportunity that is here for the taking for all of us.
It's an open door that some of us choose to walk through while others stand outside knocking... when all we actually have to do is turn the handle and walk inside.
If you're interested in manifesting you can no doubt find people who have practiced it more and manifested bigger things than me.
Find them. Follow them.
But, nonetheless, what I've learned about manifesting is valuable, I believe it can help you, and I'm happy to share it here.
I hope it opens some doors for you, too!
This isn't an exhaustive guide to manifesting; this is a quick overview of what I've learned about manifesting, how it's worked for me, and the ways I believe it can change your life, too.
What is manifestation?
In short, manifestation is bringing things into your life through attraction, energy and belief.
You manifest what you love.
love (lŭv): wholehearted liking for or pleasure in something
Manifestation starts with love. So, if you can't do anything else, start loving things!
That's exactly what you did as a little kid.
You didn't think twice about pouring out love. When you saw something you loved, you may have squealed with delight, when you discovered something you wanted to do… you did it again and again.
You didn't stop doing the things you loved because you had other responsibilities. How soul crushing would that have been?
If you have kids you likely see that passion every day. They bring so much love and joy to everything they do.
These emotions are the cornerstones of manifesting.
That's one of the things I love about having four boys. What an opportunity it is that the universe gives parents to revisit the pure emotion of our childhood.
Perhaps it's a peek at what is still possible for us if we let down our guard and dispose of negative self talk.
And the funny thing about all this manifestation, is that many experts believe it is actually quite scientific and that in time our society will begin to understand manifestation as a science rather than some new agey bullshit. I hope I get to see that day!
Don't get me wrong, manifestation is not only about love... but love is an integral first step.
Take Michael Jordan, surely he loves basketball. Surely when he didn't make the varsity basketball team he continued practicing not only because he wanted to accomplish something but because he loved it. He had to just love the game.
And the more he loved basketball, the more it loved him back.
So think about the things you currently wish to attract in your life. Do you love them?
Are you trying to get things because you think you need them or they will improve your status or some other practical, boring, adult reason. That's not great for manifestation.
Or, are you going after things that fill you with joy and passion? If they set your soul on fire, if they make your heart feel fluttery, you are one step closer to manifesting them.
Let’s get started!
Step one: get clear on what you love.
This is where we start our manifesting journey. You have to get clear on what you LOVE and what you want to attract into your life. You have to be crystal clear on what your goals are.
This step makes it easy to see why not everyone is good at manifesting. We all need to do a little work, don't we?
Many of us don't really know what we want.
As I mentioned, maybe we squashed some of our dreams when we entered adulthood. Let's go back to them!
In the wise words of Ryan Gosling, “What do you want?”
“You control a lot by your thoughts and we control a lot by our joined thoughts...by what I [and we] believe. When I started to figure that out for myself, I became careful of what I think and what I ask for, I was like what else can I do? What else can I manifest, because I have seen it work. I have seen it happen over and over again.”
Step two: Solidify your intentions to attract the things you want.
OK, so you know what you really want in your life. You're clear on what you love and what brings you joy and that's what you want to manifest.
There are so many different manifestation methods that you will find all types of experts sharing -- prayer, meditation, visualization, speaking your intentions out loud, a vision board and/or a “future box,”-- but I'll share what works for me.
I started by writing down in a journal a list of the things that I wanted. And by the way, this isn't a permanent list. I've made edits and changes to this list as I've gotten more clear on my intentions. And sometimes I've even changed my mind. That's OK, too!
Most every day, I sit down with my list of items I intend to manifest and I thank the universe for having those things in my life. I don't sit down and wish for them. I thank the universe for those things as if I had them now.
A key here is to really believe that you are attracting the things you want rather than coming from the mindset that you hope you will get them.
If you find it difficult to believe that your big dreams are headed your way, it can be helpful to intermingle your list of things you want with the things you already have.
So, for example when I was trying to manifest that $25,000 in my bank account, I thanked the universe for the $25,000 in my bank account as if I already had it.
If I need help suspending disbelief about that intention, I may also thank the universe for all the abundance I can see in front of me right now. I have food on the table, I have a home I love, I have so many signs of abundance there are way too many to list here.
Not huge things like mansions and lamborghinis but little things like food on the table, the warm cup of coffee in my hand, the flower basket hanging on my deck. I already have so much. Thank you for all those things... and the 25k in my bank account.
Step three: work towards your goals.
Manifesting is essentially cooperating with the universe. You speak or declare the things you want to attract and the universe starts moving chess pieces to send them your way.
But that doesn't mean you get to sit on the sidelines.
You still have to get in the game!
You start doing the things that will help you reach your goals.
The good news is now you are crystal clear on what your goals are and you also know that you are going to reach them, so the actions that you take in support of reaching those goals are filled with assuredness.
They're not desperate attempts to achieve something. They are the steps that a person who has all you want to have would naturally do.
Things I've manifested!
I have a massive book where I've written down things that I intend to manifest.
I put checkmarks next to each item to serve as a written reminder when I receive things from the universe that I do have the power to manifest.
Each time I check something off, even something small, I am filled with excitement and a sense of renewed confidence that the universe is on my side. I wasn't put here to struggle… I was put here to flourish. And so were you.
One day I wrote down in my book that I want 25,000 extra dollars in my bank account by a certain date. This was towards the beginning of my manifesting journey. About 10 days later an unexpected sum of money, just a few dollars short of $25,000, appeared in my business account.
The irony of this is that my accountant couldn't figure out why the client who had paid the money paid that amount as none of their bills added up to this total and they weren't behind on anything.
Essentially they paid some bills in advance and apparently made some math errors which led to a windfall of just under $25,000 a short time after I set the intention to manifest that.money. (And of course, we let the client know that they had made some errors in reaching 25k and they asked to just apply the funds to future bills.)
The unbelieving will call that a coincidence. Those who understand their own power call that manifestation.
Obviously I learned to get more specific after that. (Technically I wanted the 25,000 in my personal bank account not my business account, but I didn't specify. And, moreover, I am beyond grateful for what I received.)
Last week I received a manifestation of an intention I said out a few months ago with one of the team members at my business.
The cool thing about manifesting is that it allows you to stay clear and focused.
So without going into detail with this particular person, I wasn't sure what would happen with our relationship over the past several months for a variety of reasons but I knew that I thought this person was talented and kind and I hoped they would become a more permanent member of our team.
So I wrote that intention down and my interactions with this team member were tempered by my long-term goal of having them become a permanent fixture in my life.
I was thrilled when I found the resources to make them a job offer and they accepted. I went to my list and I checked one more thing off. Thank you, universe! Another reminder that you have my back.
Live In positive energy and gratitude
Attracting positive things in your life comes from a place of positiveness. You won't attract positive things with a negative mindset. It just doesn't work.
So when you hear people talking about doing “the work” this is actually what they mean.
It is not easy to stay in joy and kindness and gratitude all the time. It takes work.
This is the work!
And trust me I get it, it's a big job. As far as I have come, I still have so far to go.
Some of the ways that I stay in gratitude include starting each day by thanking God for the things that brought me joy the previous day.
I have a long-term habit -- which has now become a bit of a mindset -- of thanking God for things that other people may see as negatives.
For example, if I get caught in traffic, I'm thankful that I'm being kept safe. The universe probably slowed my journey down to protect me.
The other day while rollerblading I tripped and fell hard on a rock on the path.
I was shaken because initially I thought perhaps I had broken something, so I just kept repeating, “thank you God, thank you God, thank you God for protecting me.”
In other words, instead of having a negative reaction to falling, I chose to have a positive reaction to a trip along the path that slowed me down just a bit but also showed me how strong I am and made me feel grateful that I wasn't badly injured.
And when I was initially rocked by the fall, I defaulted to the old fake-it-til-you-make-it mantra. Thanking God for keeping me safe until my breathing slowed down and I actually was sure I was safe; a little shaken, but not a broken bone to be found.
So, yes, I fall down -- literally and figuratively -- but I continue to work hard at choosing gratitude and being thankful. Thankful for every little thing.
I start my mornings being thankful for daybreak. As I often sit on my deck and drink coffee, I'm so grateful I have some outdoor space where I can connect with nature. I am not Pollyanna, I'm not flawless, but I try hard to live in gratitude and every day I get better.
Sometimes, as is so common in life, it's two steps forward, one step back but the thing is, as long as you don't turn around, you will get there eventually.
Happy manifesting!
