Manifesting is all about turning your dreams into reality through your thoughts and beliefs, the idea is if you believe something enough, what you desire will come true. Not to get confused, manifestation is not magic, you can’t just simply think ‘I want to be rich’ and expect that to happen overnight.
“Manifestation is much more complex than this,” says Ben Treanor, Wellbeing Coach and Founder of gratitude journal brand, Mål Paper. "The science behind manifestation is based on the impact of positive thinking on positive action, and the importance of habitual action on our goals.”
That being said, many believe you can manifest love, money and careers. Keen to give manifesting a go? Here’s everything you need to know, as well as how to do it.
What is manifestation?
“Manifestation works on the idea that if we think and live in a certain way, we attract similar experiences,” says Ben. “This way of thinking can be connected to the placebo effect, where patients notice an improvement in symptoms after being given a placebo with no active ingredients. The process of believing you are doing something to become better can set off positive effects, including an increase in endorphins. The more we think and act negatively about a goal, we can cause a spiral of negative effects which makes it harder to reach that goal. For example, if your goal is to write a novel and your thoughts are ‘it will never happen’ and ’there is no point’, your actions are likely to be far less motivated. Meanwhile, if you view your goals in a positive light, you feel more dedicated to spend time on that novel for example. If you believe you can achieve your goals, the work you put in is more relaxed and natural.
However, positive thinking alone is not enough when it comes to manifestation, taking positive action aligned to your goals/desires is hugely important to.
“The more you do something, the more you reinforce it,” agrees Ben. “Habitual action means more than doing something repeatedly. It means working goals into your routine in a way that’s fulfilling. One way to do this is through journaling for manifestation, using affirmations to boost your mood and focus your perspective, or putting yourself into the right mindset before you start working on your goals.”
How do you manifest?
Here’s Ben’s top tips on how to manifest:
Step 1: Choose what it is you desire/want to achieve - Be clear on what is it you want to achieve, for example, if you want to change your job, what is it you’d like to do instead? Where would you like to do it? What sort of salary are you after? If you are unclear about what it is you want to manifest, it’s unlikely to happen.
Step 2: Remove any negativity - Limiting beliefs and self-doubt are all natural parts of being human, but when we want to manifest, these need to be removed in order to do it effectively. Try and surround yourself with people who aren’t critical and have a broad mindset, otherwise this can have a negative affect on your own mindset. If you do find yourself speaking harshly to yourself try your best to turn the negative into a positive. For example, if you’re telling yourself ‘I’m not good enough’, instead tell yourself ‘I’m wonderful as I am today’.
Step 3: Visualise what you want - You can do this through meditation, writing things down, creating a vision board, or even creating a ‘future box’ full of images of what you want to manifest. By visulising our goals and desires (which can sometimes feel very far off) can help bring them closer to home.
Step 4: Take action - Remember, thinking positively for something isn’t enough, so take actions towards what it is you want! For example, if you want to try and get your dream, take practical steps towards this, such as reaching out to people in the industry, or looking through job adverts.
Step 5: Practice gratitude and appreciation - It’s important that manifestation comes from a place of gratitude and appreciation, so think about all the areas in your life you're grateful for (this could be anything - friends, family, the food in your fridge, your bed). Once you eventually get what you’ve manifested for don’t forget to say thank you for it! This will help build your trust in the process and affirm that you’re in control of your life.
How to manifest something by writing it down
One tool people use for manifesting is by using a gratitude journal to write down their desires and positive affirmations. Not only does this help create a more positive mindset for many, but it’s also great for going back to those days you may find your mind struggling slightly. Here are Ben’s steps for how to manifest through writing:
Step 1: Choose your writing source - this could be a gratitude journal or something as simple as a plain notepad, just make sure it’s somewhere you’re going to enjoy writing that is dedicated specifically to your desires and goals.
Step 2: Write down what you want - it can be hard summing up what you want, so Ben advises to do this in one sentence, as it’ll give you a good base to develop from. Don’t worry if what you write isn’t perfect, just aim to get something down on paper.
Step 3: Be specific - remember we mentioned earlier you can’t be vague when it comes to manifesting and that’s the same if you’re manifesting something by writing it down. Be specific about what you want. Following ‘who, what, why, when, where and how’ can help here.
Step 4: Write positive affirmations and mantras - now it’s time to start manifesting! Affirmations are simple affirming short messages that when repeated have a positive effect on our self belief and are a powerful tool for manifesting and writing these down will have the same effect. They’re also great to go back to as a reminder to oneself if you’re ever feeling down.
Step 5: Repeat, repeat - Every morning open your journal and re-write those affirmations (or new ones). Not only is this a great way to set the intention for the day, but it reminds the universe (as well as yourself) your intentions for life. You’ll also be more likely to do things aligned with your goals if you’re constantly reminding yourself about them and therefore are more likely to
Step 6: Review your journal regularly - Remember manifestation isn’t as simple as telling the universe what you want one day a week and expecting it to happen, it takes work. Everyday repeat your affirmations, re-write them and check in to see if you’re making progress with your goal.
How to know when manifestation is close
• Eventually getting what you’ve manifested for is the most obvious sign that you’ve had success manifesting, however there are some signs you can look out for that indicate it’s close:
• Feeling a lot more excited - do you have a new found spring in your step and feel a lot happier and excited? This could be an indication that what you want is near.
• Talk of your goals keep cropping up - whether it’s on the TV, radio or in every day conversations, talk of your goal keep cropping up, which means it could be close.
• You keep seeing your goal - again, maybe it’s on the TV or in a magazine, take it as a sign that good things may not be far off.
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