MANIFEST YOUR BEST
Manifestation — or the laws of attraction — may be a concept you are familiar with. Essentially, manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief, i.e. if you think it, it will come. However, there is more to manifestation than willpower and positive thinking. As Angelina Lombardo, author of Spiritual Entrepreneur, said, “Manifesting is making everything you want to feel and experience a reality...via your thoughts, actions, beliefs, and emotions.”
Keep in mind: It does not happen overnight. Although manifesting is about turning your dreams into reality, it does require you to take proactive steps toward whatever it is you desire. Also, do not expect it to happen instantly — however, that time is a small price to pay for a (hopefully) profound impact on your life. Let’s get started.
- Think. While everyone approaches manifestation differently, most follow the same basic principles. First — and perhaps most importantly — you need to know exactly what you want. You are the only one who dreams your dreams, so whether it is a new partner, a healthy relationship, a better job or money, know it and own it.
- Next, make your intention or what you desire as specific as possible. The more clear and concise, the better. Instead of, for example, saying, “I want to meet my soulmate,” visualize a picture of what that person would look like (think: qualities, characteristics, values, etc.).
- Now that you have an idea of your future, you need to start making it a reality through rehearsal, a key aspect of the law of attraction. You can do this by simply using statements that pretend the situation has already occurred, such as “I am in love with my new car.”
Repeating your statement(s) is a key aspect of the law of attraction. As strange as this may seem at first, rehearsing is a big part of breaking down the self-limiting internal behaviors that prevent us from manifesting. Your statements influence your subconscious mind, where our deep-rooted beliefs are stored, which ultimately affect our actions and the outcomes in our lives. You can choose specific times of the day to rehearse your statements, such as when you wake up each morning or before you go to sleep. It takes practice but soon it will become a part of your everyday routine.
- Now ask specifically for what you want. When you have pinpointed exactly what your hopes, dreams, and goals are, you need to ask the Universe for exactly what you want. This can be done in a variety of ways — prayer, meditation, in writing, visualization, speaking your intentions out loud, and/or a vision board. There is no hard and fast way to do this — what matters most is that your thoughts and intentions are crystal clear. You might say your desires out loud, or use the preferred method of writing it down. Above all, focus on stating or presenting your goals in a really clear, concrete way.
- The next step is to be mindful of — and thankful for — what you receive. While you may not get everything you envision in the order and/or the time frame you want, you should receive and acknowledge what you do get — no matter how big or small it may be. Gratitude is key.
To do this, consider creating a gratitude journal. Before bed, spend five to 10 minutes writing down a few things for which you are grateful, as well as anything that happened that day to bring you closer to whatever it is you are trying to manifest.
- Let go of any resistance and limiting beliefs. In addition to changing your mindset and behaviors, you will need to remove any obstacles or limiting beliefs that may cloud your vision, including fear and negative self-talk. Telling yourself you are not good enough, you are not worthy enough, or not smart enough, — is a tape that is playing for a lot of people. If you are not conscious of that, then you end up acting out of that belief system and not what you know to be the truest for yourself.
To move past your limiting beliefs, it is essential that you first identify what exactly they are. To do this, ask yourself: “What are the beliefs I have about myself that may be inhibiting my progress?” Jot down your answers, and then replace any negative feelings with positive ones. If your limiting belief is “I am incomplete without a man,” reverse it with “I am complete as I am.” If your limiting belief is “I'm not good enough,” reverse it with “I am wonderful as I am today.”
Perhaps, you may not manifest exactly what you want, no matter how hard you try. Life rarely works out exactly how we want it to. So what's the point in manifestation, you might ask? Well, in my experience, you start out wanting something in a very specific way but that vision evolves. You will grow as a person as the journey unfolds and will be a very different person with different opinions and expectations when you arrive. You will look back and see that what you thought you wanted was not quite what was best for you. You will see how your experiences along the way shaped you into who you are now. The likelihood is that you will end up in a much better place, both physically and spiritually. And you will be happier for it.
