These Common Manifestation Mistakes are Blocking Your Success

I made these mistakes so you don’t have to.

The Law of Attraction is having a moment right now. Although not a new concept by any stretch, this resurgence has taken Gen Z and Millennials by storm we’re now in the thick of the bonafide culture of speaking your ultimate desires into the Universe in hopes they’ll be answered. And let’s be honest, even those who think manifestation is too esoteric or gimmicky have raised an eyebrow or two.

But like all trends at their peak, some key points of manifestation — which is basically speaking your visions into your reality — have gotten lost in translation — causing confusion, misunderstandings, and a whole lot of doubt in its value.

If you’ve dabbled in manifestation, we’ve likely shared the same concern at one point: why doesn't it work?

You’ve bought a manifestation journal, jot down your idyllic job, partner, and creative opportunity. You’ve even spoken about your dream life as if you’re an imposter — so what’s the deal?

If you feel as though manifesting just isn’t for you, it’s possible you might be making some serious (and common) manifestation mistakes. Fear not! I’ve made plenty of errors throughout my journey with manifestation — and while I still have a lot of kinks to work out, I’ve mustered enough experience to round up some very common (and fixable) mistakes that may have stood in the way of your idyllic reality.

You’re thinking too hard about it.

A surefire way to accidentally stray away from a plan is to pay too close attention to it, it hinders any focus outside of it. Thinking too hard about your manifestations will lead you down a destructive cycle of hows, whys, and what-if-it-doesn’t-works. You might find yourself so far off the track, you’ll lose sight of the beautiful blessings in your life and opportunities that you’ll encounter along the way.

The best way to overcome this is to let go of the wheel. When a goal you want to manifest first crosses your sphere, there’s no need to fixate on the logistics all day. When you think about your ideal life long enough to spiral down those thoughts, it helps to remember a mantra that will ground you back to earth. Try a mantra like, “what is mine will always be mine.”

You’re not specific enough.

I would love a million dollars. Like most people who need to earn money to survive, financial abundance is always at the forefront of my goals. But according to the Law of Attraction, the specifics matter, a lot. Your intentions are the drivers of the fulfillment of your manifestations. If you’re too broad about what you want, you’re eliminating any chance of your goals actually taking off.

When asserting your list of desired objectives and investigate your intentions behind them. What do you want a million dollars for? Is it to have enough to survive the rest of your life without having to answer to CEO’s? Say that. Get to know the motivations not only to secure your manifestations to true but to better understand what your motivators are for being happy.

You’re ungrateful.

Not quite what you wanted to hear, I know, but this is one of the hardest lessons to come out of manifestation for me. And I committed this wretched crime so you don’t have to. I often get lost in creating magical worlds I lose touch with the reality I’m actually in. There are so many things I’ve unwittingly manifested and didn’t show gratitude or acknowledge the hard work I did to make it happen. What ensued was feeling thankless myself. If you’re unappreciative of the blessings you have now, you’ll have a hard time feeling satisfied with anything else in the future.

Dedicate an entry in your manifestation journal to gratitude lists. It can be as simple as being thankful for iced coffee or the sound the trees make during a warm summer breeze. Verbally express your gratitude or do so through honoring your community, the earth, or whatever speaks to you, and this will keep you magnetic.

You don’t actually know what you want.

Remember when I mentioned the importance of intentions? Most of the time we have a hard time seeing our visions through because we don’t actually know what we want or even why we want it. It’s common (and very easy) to feel stuck about what moves you to be happy. On one hand, you might be overly practical through your practice, it limits what is possible for you. On the other, you’re overly ambitious and eager about being a success story.

Lots of planning needs to go into your personal goals before you can get it off the ground — lots of doodling, brainstorming, and inner work to figure out what’s most important to you right now. Take a day to brainstorm circumstances you’d like to see come to fruition for you in chronological order: what you’d like to manifest a month from now, six months, then a year (or whatever chronological system works best for you).

You’re not proactive.

Probably one of the most defining mistakes that make or break your experience is the lack of effort put forth by your manifestations. Visualizing is a huge part of manifestation and is what makes it so magical, sure, but it’s only part of a bigger machine. Nothing will come to be if you don’t have sincere confidence in your abilities and apply yourself.

Is it fear, doubt, or lack of confidence that keeps you from asserting yourself to be proactive? If it’s a little bit of everything, trust me, I can empathize. What helps is to create an attainable game plan. You have your set of goals for the year, so now it’s time to identify what metrics need to be hit in order for you to fulfill them. If you want to manifest living in a new city next year, what actions can you take now that will help you get there? Open a savings account or look for side hustles that will steer you in the right direction. Whatever is yours will always be yours, but how important is it if you’re not willing to set it in motion?