What Does it Mean to Manifest?
To manifest, you intentionally think, act, and live in a way that ultimately leads to what you want. You can learn how to manifest love, money, your perfect home, a dream job – anything you desire! Manifesting your dreams and working toward your goals requires you to trust the process, stay positive, dip into a little meditation, and perhaps practice the law of attraction.
As famed author Rhonda Byrne puts it:
"See the things that you want as already yours. You are the one who calls the law of attraction into action, and you do it through your thoughts. Food cannot cause you to put on weight, unless you think it can. If you're feeling good, then you're creating a future that's on track with your desires."
The law of attraction seems simple enough: By visualizing your desires and focusing your thoughts on what you want, the universe will present you with those desires. There are many conflicting thoughts about whether the law of attraction is helpful or harmful, but it all boils down to the fact that you simply can’t wait for the universe to show you what you want; you must actively play a role in manifesting what you most desire.
The good news is that’s absolutely possible! Manifesting works, though perhaps not in the ways you expect. We've got the how-to manifesting guide that should help you get started:
8 Ways to Manifest Anything
1. Be clear about what you want.
This is the foundation of learning how to manifest. To get what you want, you have to know exactly what it is that you want! And the key word here is exactly – get really specific about what your desired outcome is.
For example, if your desired outcome is a new job in a field you’re passionate about, outline all the details, including roles and responsibilities, salary, and even if you want to be in an office or remote. You can also think about what kind of team structure or environment you wish to work in. Do you want a team reporting to you? Are you looking for a flexible work schedule? The more details, the better! You will know when you achieve your goal because it will look exactly like what you wanted.
2. Figure out how what you want makes you feel.
In addition to visualizing all the details of your desired outcome, determine how you want this manifestation to feel. This is an important step because it helps you clarify the why behind your goals. It will become very clear through this exercise if you’re learning how to manifest something that doesn’t enhance your life or uplift your well-being.
Let’s stick with the new job example. before we manifest how to get a job, there are a few things to consider: Aside from this amazing new job that pays the salary you want and deserve, how do you want to feel in this job? Do you want to feel freedom and autonomy in your work and schedule? Do you want to feel inspired by the people around you? Do you want to be in a different city or locale? What kinds of experiences do you wish to have as part of this job, like travel, networking, or otherwise?
Determining these kinds of details will take longer than just stating what you want, so remember to be patient. Some of the best ways to manifest this full picture include creating vision boards, meditating, and writing these feelings in a journal.
3. Create a plan – and stick to it.
Creating a plan to manifest your dreams will not only keep you accountable but also serve as a roadmap for any future manifesting process!
To get your dream job in the city you’ve always dreamed of living in, you’ll have to work backward from this goal to figure out the steps that will get you there. The first step may seem like it’s to simply move to the city, and if you’re spontaneous and have the means to do so, that’s amazing! However, even that step requires some planning, which could look like analyzing your finances to create a budget for your move, making shifts in your current schedule to make time for apartment/house hunting, and connecting with friends or family in your eventual destination to start building a foundation for support.
Stick to the plan as best you can, but don’t get too discouraged if a hiccup in your life necessitates a change of plan (that’s life, after all!). The great thing about mapping out things ahead of time is you can try to predict these hiccups and come up with contingency plans.
4. Practice gratitude and radical kindness.
It’s easy to get caught up in the motions necessary to manifest and reach your goals, and it can sometimes lead to frustration and a need for a morale boost. Cultivating a daily gratitude practice, as well as showing radical kindness to yourself, can help revitalize you on your manifestation journey.
Gratitude can help you shift your mindset from “lack” to “abundance,” which means you’ll choose to focus your energy on everything you have as opposed to what you don’t. This is incredibly powerful in the manifesting process because in order to focus your long-term energy on a positive outcome, you need to stay positive in the short term. Even though you’re learning how to manifest something you don’t currently have, you’re relying on what you do have to get you there.
Practicing gratitude on your manifesting journey can look like:
- Writing one thing you’re grateful for every day, such as your ability to remain calm, cool, and collected during an interview.
- Reaching out to thank someone for their unconditional support, such as a friend helping you tweak your resume.
- Showing radical kindness to yourself, such as engaging in regular self-care to nourish your mental health.
5. Address limiting beliefs.
Limiting beliefs are those thoughts that swirl around your head saying you can’t achieve your goals! These beliefs create the story you tell yourself when you fail at something, like you weren’t smart enough, determined enough, or capable enough to reach your goals. The notable thing about these limiting beliefs is that they become truth when you perpetuate the same story enough times – our thoughts have immense power over our well-being!
Limiting beliefs can cause you to (inadvertently) stop working toward your goals, whether that’s procrastinating on a to-do list or letting your doubts rule your inner conversations and decision-making. One of the best ways to stop these limiting beliefs from halting your manifestation progress is to address these thoughts as soon as they come up.
For example, you’ve told yourself many times that you don’t deserve the salary you desire, which made you never ask for a raise, keeping you in roles at the same salary and perpetuating this belief. When this thought comes up – “I don’t deserve...” – talk back to it: “I am qualified and I deserve the salary I want.” You can also write these positive thoughts on sticky notes and leave them around for you to see, constantly challenging your limiting beliefs.
6. Trust the process.
Even though you’re actively working on how to manifest your dreams, part of the process actually requires a bit of letting go. This can be difficult, especially for those who love to plan from A to Z, but practicing trust in the universe can go a long way in realizing your desires.
Similar to your limiting beliefs, distrust of the manifestation process can create unwanted experiences or situations. You create distrust in the process by focusing on what can go wrong instead of what can go right, creating stress, tension, frustration, and disappointment that realizing your dreams is taking way longer than you want it to.
To trust the process, you must trust that everything you are doing is working toward your larger goal and that any roadblock, hiccup, or curveball thrown your way is meant to teach you resilience and determination.
7. Raise your vibration.
Everything in the universe is made of energy, or the vibration of molecules constantly colliding with one another. All of us also give off energy, which you can tell from someone’s body language, tone, attitude, and behavior. Similar to the concept of karma – “what goes around comes around” – raising your vibration and exuding positive energy send signals to the universe that you’re open to new opportunities, which is central to the manifesting process.
To raise your vibration, it’s important that your attitude, thoughts, and behavior are all aligned with your ultimate goal. It’s difficult to trust someone when they say one thing and do another, and the same goes for learning how to manifest. To know how to manifest your dreams, the energy you put into everything you do must be consistent and in line with your manifestation plan.
8. Don't be afraid to receive and acknowledge signs from the universe.
When you do all these things while learning how to manifest, don’t be surprised if you receive signs from the universe that your plan is working. If you’re skeptical about the universe’s ability to send you signs, chances are you’ll chalk everything up to coincidence. But what do you have to lose by shifting your mindset to believing you’re receiving signs that you’re on the right path toward manifestation? That’s the main idea – to realize that anything is possible and you are capable of achieving anything.
Important Takeaways
How long it will take to figure out how to manifest your dreams will depend greatly on what those dreams are. However, following these steps can reduce the time it will take to learn how to manifest exactly what you want. Remember, the clearer you are with what you want and the path it will take to get there, the better positioned you will be to manifest your dreams.
Part of manifestation is acknowledging signs, and perhaps this very post was shown to you at exactly the moment you needed it! Here at IIN, we believe that such signs can be pivotal to someone’s health journey. Learn more about IIN’s Health Coach Training Program and how we help people realize their dreams every single day.
