The truth about manifestation

Building the life you want takes more than positive thought. It requires positive action too.

by: E.B. Johnson

There’s a lot of talk about manifestation out there, but so much of that conversation only centers on one part of the process: positive thinking. Some of the biggest voices on the market promise you total transformation if you just change the quality (and quantity) of your thoughts. Can you really create the life you want from thoughts alone, though?

In short: No. While changing the quality of your thoughts can definitely help to enhance your life — and get you back on the right track — it’s only part of the equation. Completely transforming who we are or where we’re at in life requires us to take action and big chances in the name of our happiness. The real secret, when it comes to manifestation, is learning how to be a proactive part of life rather than a helpless spectator who only reacts to the surrounding environment.

Manifesting a better life isn’t a secret recipe.

It’s nice to think of a life that can be built by thought alone, but that just isn’t the world we live in. We have to be active if we want to change things in our future, and we have to be sure about what we want and the plans we’re making as well. No matter what secrets others might try to sell you, there’s really only one main secret you need to grasp: change requires a melding of both thought and action.

If you are stuck in a pattern of struggle or you just feel like you’re frozen in place, it’s time to manifest a new life for yourself. That’s a process you can kick-start by getting real about who you are and what you want, as well as getting focused on embracing your right to happiness.

Stop imagining that your life will change with your thoughts alone. Stop putting in the least amount of effort possible while expecting world-altering results. The only way you can change your future is by actively changing it. Figure out who you want to be in this life. Then figure out what you want to fill that life with. Those two things in our possession, there are few obstacles we cannot overcome.

The truth about manifestation.

True manifestation cannot be built on changes in thought alone. There are some core truths that we must first embrace which can lead us forward into better and brighter horizons.

It can’t happen without clarity

Hearing the word “manifestation” usually drives people to think of vision boards packed with expensive cars and mansion homes. This is a wide generalization, though, of what we really want from life. Rather than fast cars and nice houses, what we really crave is continued stability and success. Everything else that comes to us is just a result of those two things. We have to be very clear about what we actually want to manifest, lest we find ourselves moving in the wrong direction to our dreams.

It won’t happen without confidence

Knowing what you want and visualizing it is powerful, but it’s not enough. Do you actually believe you’re going to achieve those things? Do you see yourself living in the nice house? Sitting at the head of a boardroom table? Until you believe you can do those things (and that you deserve them) you won’t have the confidence you need to take the right action for them. You must believe — intrinsically — that you are worthy and capable of everything that you want from life in love.

Action plays a crucial role

Most manifestation articles and gurus preach the power of thought, but rarely do they put emphasis on the next stage — action. Manifesting isn’t a drive through. It’s an obstacle course. One which requires us to dig deep, sweat, cry, and even bleed in the name of what we want. We have to put in the good work if we want the big results. The universe rewards those who put themselves on the right path. When was the last time you teleported to a destination? Never. You have to get up, pack your bags, walk to the car, the bus, the train, and then get on the road. Action plays a crucial role in manifestation.

So does emotional awareness

What level of emotional awareness do you currently reside in? Are you keenly in-tune with your emotions, where they arise from, and how they impact you? Do you realize these emotions in other people and strive to understand them in a similar way? Our emotional awareness (or EQ) impacts every aspect of our lives. It helps us to better understand ourselves and our thoughts, but also those of others. We can also build more stable and workable relationships, as well as better communication skills by cultivating this aspect of self.

We are who we surround ourselves with

You can hope for a mansion in the hills and the fancy cars that come with it all day long. It won’t happen, though, if you continue to surround yourself with those who bring you down or keep you stuck in their pain. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. Find yourself cheerleaders who believe in what you’re doing and who you are. Attach to the people who support you even when you’ve lost sight of your vision or the steps you need to take in order to thrive.

Be a proactive part of the process

Life is not a spectator sport, and it wasn’t made to passively experience. You have to get your hands dirty. Especially if you are someone who wants to attract more wealth and abundance into your life than you enjoy now. Stop waiting for life to hand you something it doesn’t even know you want. Life doesn’t speak to us through telepathic emotion. It speaks to us through action. So stand up and get engaged in your life if you want it to offer you more opportunity and joy.

How to manifest a better life for yourself the right way.

It’s nice to believe that our lives can change simply by changing the quality of our thoughts alone. While this is certainly a big part of the process, on its own, it’s not enough. We manifest better lives for ourselves and our families by getting clear on what we want, while also creating a plan of action that allows us to move forward with confidence.

1. Figure out what you want

Many who hear about the power of positive thought and manifestation launch themselves into instant campaigns of gratification. Without thinking too much about, they start focusing on a lot of superficial goals and standards — without taking into consideration why they really seek those things in the first place. Just thinking about money and a big house won’t do it. You need to be specific about what you want in this life, and ensure it authentically aligns to your truths.

Before you start striving and manifesting all the wrong things, save your energy and spend some time getting clear on what you actually want. Think deep. Who are you? And what opportunities, people, and experiences do you need in order to feel as though your life is fulfilling and worthwhile?

Leave out all the expectations that other people have for you. Leave out their opinions and any of the pressure you might feel from society at large. Be brutally honest about what you want. Be realistic, but don’t see yourself short either. You have plenty of time to build a life that is abundant and true to you. You don’t have time to waste, though, so you need to be sure you’re doing things right for yourself the first time. Align your values and needs to what you want.

2. Make a plan of action

Once you know what you want, you have to create a plan of action. This plan of action should be organized, prioritized, and considerate of all the various hurdles like can throw in our path. Within that plan, we should seek to change our thoughts and the way we see the world, but we should also seek to change the steps we’re taking in day-to-day life. Manifesting, after all, requires us to change our outward environments as much as it requires us to change our inward patterns.

Sit down with a list of the things you want to accomplish and break them down from simplest to most complex. Within these categories, you should also prioritize your goals from most important to least important. Tackle the easier, more important tasks first — then work your way up in complexity or difficulty. Take things step-by-step.

Maybe you begin by getting your health back into shape, so that you can boost your confidence and feel more comfortable branching out into new friend groups. Perhaps your first steps are about cultivating more positivity, so you begin a gratitude journal that you write in every morning. There’s no right or wrong way to develop a plan of action. We only need assure ourselves that we feel comfortable enacting it, and that it moves us (always) toward the places we want to be.

3. Boost your self-esteem

Self-esteem is such a crucial part of manifesting the things we want, but it’s very often overlooked. You don’t focus on the Porsche for 3 months and poof! It’s there in the driveway. Manifestation is a much more holistic approach. If you want that Porsche, you need to have a lifestyle that allows for that. That requires moving yourself upward, which requires changing your life, and moving into unfamiliar territory. None of that can be done without confidence.

Rather than only changing the way you see the world, spend some time changing the way you see yourself. Believe in yourself. See how powerful and worthwhile that you are. Understand that you deserve to manifest the Porsche, and the happiness, and all the good things that you want in this life.

Only when you begin to believe that you deserve these things will you take the action that leads you to them. Manifesting doesn’t work if you think you don’t have a right to something which is divinely yours. Find better ways to celebrate your strengths and find ways to celebrate and love every inch of your body. Fall in love with yourself and all the many things you’re capable of achieving.

4. Take a leap of faith

Like it or not, manifesting a better life requires us to take action. While we can certainly plan this action to an extent (thus keeping things comfortably) — getting somewhere new requires you to travel to different places. Sometimes, you’re going to have to take risks or put yourself out there in ways that are unfamiliar. You have to allow and empower yourself to take more risks, and take a leap of faith in the name of your happiness.

When you come to a crossroads, don’t automatically opt for the most familiar path. Sit down and look down the road for a while. Lay out the pros and the cons you can see, and formulate a Plan B for everything else. Trust yourself and know that you have the strength and the skill to overcome anything life throws at you.

After establishing some confidence in yourself, spend some time establishing some faith in your dreams. Embrace your right to a life that is authentically in-tune with the prospects and opportunities that bring you joy. Engage in calculated risks and know that there is no such thing as “failure”. There are only the things we do, and the things we don’t do. Some of those things go well, some of them don’t. All experiences offer learning opportunities, though, and that’s where the real growth and manifestation happens.

5. Embrace your right to happiness

Striving for a better life is pointless if you don’t believe you have a right to be happy or enjoy yourself. Holding on to those beliefs, everything you achieve will become tainted or lacking in joy; life will feel like a struggle and never a victory. You have to embrace your right to thrive, succeed, and enjoy yourself. Before you can manifest anything in your life or take any action, you have to believe that you were meant for something better than what you have right now.

After thinking things through, re-establishing some confidence, and learning how to take some risks — we then have to shift our thinking in a dramatic way. Look up at all the people who have what you want. That’s where you belong. How are you going to get there?

Your mindset will make all the difference as you begin to dip your toes into the seas of new possibility. Know that there is no one on this planet who was made exactly like you. No one has your vision, or your experience. But you do belong beside them. You do deserve to be successful, and you deserve to build a life that makes you content and secure. Embrace this truth and put it into action. Shut down your negative thought patterns and replace them with something positive.

Putting it all together…

Manifestation is a hot topic, but many of us get the wrong end of the stick when it comes to thinking up what we want. True manifestation doesn’t come off of the back of positive thought alone. It requires a combination of positivity and action, which can only be facilitated by shifting your own perspective and where you see yourself within your future.

Figure out what you want from your life and the relationships and experiences you fill it with. Be honest and clear, and don’t hold back because you feel like your dreams are “too big”. Make a plan of action and reassure yourself by focusing on creating a stronger and more self-possessed inner confidence. Get comfortable taking more steps into the unknown and understand that living a good life sometimes requires us to take calculated risks. Take more leaps of faith and embrace your right to live a life as fulfilled and successful as anyone else’s. Manifestation is real, and it can transform your life for the better. You must combine it with action, however, and a vision that is too strong to be denied by fate or adversity.