Manifesting: A Trivial Pursuit or Transformational Practice?

Manifesting is visualizing your goals by purposefully focusing your thoughts and actions on making your dreams come true. This process helps us harness our most powerful tool—our minds—to unlock our full potential.

Sounds a little crazy, right?

Have I seen the power of manifesting in action? Absolutely. Have I used manifesting to reach aspirational goals? Definitely. Have I always been a proponent of manifesting? Not exactly.

Confessions of a non-believer

The truth is, I was once a manifesting skeptic. When manifesting entered the zeitgeist about 20 years ago, my take was that reaching goals by sheer force of belief was ludicrous. I had experienced the level of dedication and effort that was needed to achieve what I wanted. Visualizing success and thinking happy thoughts didn’t fit the paradigm.

Honestly, manifesting seemed a little “woo-woo,” and that’s not me. At the time, I thought the only way I could achieve was by working hard and aiming for perfection.

The truth that our minds can be as powerful as the manifesting gurus of the new millennium suggested never occurred to me. I thought the concept oversimplified how we achieve goals, focusing only on the positive and glossing over the inevitable setbacks.

I let cynicism get the best of me. Humans are skeptical by nature. Who hasn’t seen a positive story on the news and reacted by assuming something sinister was lurking beneath? What I learned, though, is that we don’t always have to assume the worst.

The art of changing my mind

One of life’s greatest challenges is changing someone’s mind. Understanding the finer points of persuasion helps, but nothing is more compelling than a story. Ultimately, storytelling is what changes our minds. In this case, I know stories certainly changed my mind.

As the popularity of manifesting grew, I started wondering what the fuss was about. So, I researched the reasoning behind the concept, and eventually, changed my attitude toward manifesting forever.

I discovered that those with aspirational goals have better performance and output rates than those who don’t. I learned that optimism is linked to a strong sense of self, fueling the motivation to set and achieve goals. I saw how manifesting directly impacts positive outcomes. Most of all, I heard the stories of those who directly benefited from manifesting their dreams.

The intersection between manifesting and negotiations is undeniable—success is often driven by setting goals and manifesting a positive outcome. Before long, I found myself, the former doubter, teaching the tenets of manifesting to my students.

The ripple effect was incredible. Students who used these manifesting techniques started experiencing positive results—achieving goals they had thought were out of their reach.

Manifesting for the masses

Human beings are compelled by stories. Not only do they help us change our minds, but they also inspire and ignite, giving us a glimpse, no matter how fleeting, of what our own story could be.

This is why I love when students share their positive testimonials. These tales of triumph often start in a place completely different from where they want to be. And yet, manifesting helps them realize what they once barely thought possible.

If you go looking, you’ll find numerous stories of actors, professional athletes, and other celebrities who manifested opportunities they initially thought were improbable, if not impossible.

A few of the most famous manifesting mavericks include Oprah, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Viola Davis, and even Jim Carrey. Long before Carrey was a successful comedic actor, he wrote himself a check for $10 million, with a date five years in the future. With a few weeks to go before the five years were up, Carrey signed a $10 million contract for his role in Dumb and Dumber.

Manifesting also plays into professional sports. Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have shared publicly that they practice manifesting to reach their goals whether through visualization techniques, recorded verbal affirmations, or an accountability partner.

Another great example is LeBron James. One of the most successful professional basketball players of all time, he always visualizes the next best thing he wants to accomplish. According to his trainer, his process requires quiet time spent alone to truly organize his head and set his heart on what he wants to make happen.

To succeed at a high level, you need talent, hard work, good timing, and luck. To succeed at the highest level, I think you have to take advantage of the power of manifesting, too. Manifesting provides momentum, helping focus your raw talent, inspire your hard work, and push you to take daring actions that might feel uncomfortable.

Throughout the years, I’ve heard countless compelling examples of goals reached using the power of manifesting. Each one strengthens my resolve to manifest my own aspirational goals and see how high I can soar.

So what about you? Are you ready to give manifesting a try? Unleash the power of possibility by manifesting your most audacious ambitions.

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