Manifesting what you want. It’s a hugely popular topic that I’ve written about before. Lately I’ve noticed some trends that are perhaps less helpful if you’re trying to manifest something, so let’s look at three important aspects of manifestation.
First things first
In case you’re a newbie to this, manifesting is about concentrating your intention to bring into your life something that you want. There are varying ideas about how this happens.
One school of thought is that by concentrating your thoughts on what you want, you are concentrating energy on that, and so the Universe will respond by giving you the energy that aligns with that (i.e. giving you the thing you want).
Another school of thought is very similar but related to the prosperity gospel (in short, faith will be rewarded). Yet another way of understanding manifestation is related to our neurology and brain plasticity (which I’ve also previously written about here and here).
The bottom line of all these beliefs is the same. If you focus on your intent, and believe it will happen, you will be rewarded with that thing coming into your reality.
This post isn’t about whether manifestation works. You can read about that in a previous post here. Rather, this post talks about three really important things to do if you do manifestation work.
Big shiny thing
By all means, work on manifesting what you want, with harm to none. But what is it that you truly want?
This is where things can be a bit tricky. Sometimes, people are enamoured by one particular aspect of their intention. The big shiny thing.
But they forget about 1) what the big shiny thing actually means and 2) what flows from that shiny thing. Plus what to 3) actively do to bring that shiny thing into their life.
1) What IS your intention? Be specific.
For example, let’s say someone is working on manifesting financial abundance. But what does that actually mean? Financial abundance could mean many things.
It could mean having lots of money. But what is lots?
- By global standards, me from 17 years ago living below the poverty line in small town Ontario had “lots” of money relative to someone living in abject poverty in an underdeveloped nation. But that was an exceptionally stressful, vulnerable, access-limited time.
- Is “a lot” a million dollars? And a million dollars in what sense? A million dollars in judicious savings and diverse investments is very different from a million dollars that won’t buy a fixer-upper semi-detached home in Toronto or other “world-class” cities.
- Or is financial abundance never having to think about how much your day to day living costs because you always have enough? But then what is “enough”? Does enough mean you can meet necessities without stress? Or does it mean you can meet necessities and discretionary spending needs? Or does it mean you can live comfortably now and not have to worry about your future?
The point is that it’s important to think about what you actually want.
2) But really, what DO you want? The benefits.
The second issue is related. That is, what benefit is it that you want? In other words, what do you want from having that thing you’re manifesting?
Take the money example. Let’s just say you get the money. Great, you did it! You got the thing you were manifesting! Hurray!!!
Now what?
What will you do next? How will it feel? What will this bring to you? What is the benefit that you’re after?
In other words, what is the thing you are actually getting out of whatever you’re manifesting?
- It’s unlikely that you simply want lots of money for the sake of it. Is it security you want? Stability? Greater choice? Status? A comfortable future?
This can especially trip people up when it comes to relationships.
- Lots of people know they want a relationship. But what is it from being in a relationship that you actually want? What is it about the day-in, day-out of a relationship that you want as your lived reality? Is it security? Companionship? Sexual freedom with someone you fully trust? Status or identity as a partner?
If you don’t know what it is that you want from your big shiny thing, how can you possibly focus your intention sufficiently to bring it into your reality?
And how will you know when you’ve actually achieved it?
3) What are you DOING? Practical efforts.
When manifesting, it’s completely possible for wonderful things to just happen. For that new special person to walk into your life. For you to have financial abundance (however you have defined it).
But what are you doing practically to support it?
Wanting to manifest a lot of money means nothing if you have a fraught relationship with money.
- If your relationship with finances has baggage, it’ll never matter how much money you gain. No amount of money will ever bring you stability, security or safety if your relationship with money is unhealthy.
Same thing applies to love relationships.
- If you avoid being in a relationship with yourself, a relationship with another person will never be able to bring you love, acceptance and security, if those are the things you want from a relationship.
I am NOT saying you have to have it all figured out. And I’m NOT saying that the reason you don’t have something is that you somehow haven’t earned it.
What I AM saying is that you need to land on what it is you truly want, and you need to be willing to make changes in your life that align yourself with that.
Why is change relevant?
If you’re working on manifesting something into your life, you are looking for things to be different from how they are now.
That is change.
Which means you need to be willing for things to change from how they are now.
This also means that if what you really want is to avoid discomfort, then you’ll continue to get what you have now.
This also means that if what you really want is to avoid discomfort, then you’ll continue to get what you have now.
Acorn + Burdock
We now come full circle to what your intention is when you’re manifesting. Working to manifest good things for yourself is a great practice that can encourage you to keep your thoughts in a positive place, to keep working toward a goal.
So make sure you’ve put in the effort and thought to be clear on what you truly want, what you want out of the thing you want, and the change you’re willing to make to bring these good things into your life.