By Leah E. Reinhart
Negative Talk Surrounding Manifesting
I love the idea of manifesting so much it’s in the title of my memoir, Manifesting Me. https://wellnessgardentoolshed.com/product/manifesting-me-a-story-of-rebellion-and-redemption/. It almost always comes up in any type of self-help videos or books when it comes to entrepreneurship. The first time I was introduced to the concept, which is law of attraction, was the time Bob Proctor’s book, You Were Born Rich was introduced to me around 1993. It gained popularity when Rhonda Byrne came out with The Secret, movie and book back in 2006. I am blessed, (maybe cursed), to have a pretty good memory and be able to review my actions and feelings, and see how the law of attraction worked in my life. That’s why I’m surprised when I hear influencers, motivational speakers, or entrepreneurs poo poo the notion of manifesting.
Most entrepreneurs and successful people had to start somewhere, like the beginning. What makes you think about starting anything? The answer is simple, your thoughts. Everything is energy and energy is everything, this includes thoughts. According to the definition of the law of attraction is like attracts like, meaning that different energy has a particular wavelength. Whatever that wavelength is, the matching energy will find it. So what’s up with the negativity with manifesting?
Manifestations and Affirmations
Most people associate manifestation with affirmations and I believe that is where the negativity lies. They believe staring into a mirror lying to yourself about being something you’re not, will hardwire your brain into more negative thinking and really wreak havoc on your self-esteem. I would agree to that to a degree. Yet sometime, it’s good to force yourself into looking into the mirror and forcing you to see and appreciate all the good you’ve done and what you are able to accomplish. Of course it’ll feel unnatural, most things do when you’re new at it.
We’re taught that praising ourselves and our achievements is a form of bragging which is considered self-absorbed or stuck-up. There’s definitely a difference. Bragging is constantly letting everyone know how great you think you are and always trying to one-up someone when they want to share their fabulous news.
The real issue comes down to how you feel inside. It’s never been about the accolades you’re given by others, but your own approval. Remember true happiness comes from within. If you struggle with self-love, that’s where you might have to force yourself to stare in the mirror and tell yourself how great you are and how you deserve the best life. After all, you’d say it to your bestie.
You Have to Start Somewhere
You have to start somewhere. Did you see what I did there? This is the part where law of action plays a major roll in manifesting. Law of attraction doesn’t work without some form of action. You can manifest until the cows come home, but if you don’t take action on an opportunity, nothing will come to fruition after all that work of staring into a mirror or thinking of all the things you want to manifest. Hence, that’s why there’s a bad stigma surrounding manifesting.
Start, in of itself, is an action word, a verb. Affirmations help you get used to someone complimenting you. It also aids you to be able to receive a compliment, and we all know how hard it is receiving kind words. Yes, it’ll feel weird at first, and you won’t believe it, but think of it like brainwashing yourself. Eventually it’ll sink in. When you actually start to believe your words, think about what it is you want to manifest.
Manifesting works best when your energy is excited about the outcome and the how you’ll achieve it. That’s when the magic begins. I’ve seen it in my life time and time again. That’s why I want to share this so you can do this too. It isn’t for a few people to know, it really works for everyone.
So Why Hasn’t Worked
You’re probably thinking this is all great cheerleader stuff, but you’re thinking “why can’t I manifest?, “This is why people poo poo the idea of manifesting” The answer to that, is you might not be manifesting with intention. You might be like me when I was younger only responding to stimuli. I never had a clear plan, I was only working on whatever was being thrown at me at the time. That can leave you frantic and also drawing in more of that chaotic energy in your life. If you’ve never been taught how this stuff worked, you may have inherited this behavior. The good news is you can teach an old dog new tricks, not saying you’re a dog, but you get the point. Anyone can learn something new, depending on how badly you desire a change.
The other thing is timing. Did you know most people give up too soon on their dreams? Yes, it’s true. People overestimate what they can do in a year or two and underestimate what they can do in a decade or two. I am paraphrasing what others have said, so I can’t take credit for that statement. And I use that phrase all of the time. Think of that dream client or relationship you’ve desired. It didn’t appear after the first date or job. (If you’re really good at manifesting it might’ve happened right away, but usually not the case.) Would you give up on dating if your first relationship ended at 25 years old? I’d hope not.
Some dreams are big and some small, no matter the size each of them, they have a gestational period. Again with the analogies, think of a pregnancy, African elephants is 22 months whereas humans 12months. In this day and age, we all want things to happen at our fingertips or overnight, patience is a virtue.
Review
If you want to give manifesting a try, I challenge you to look at your past. See if you can remember what was going on at that time and try to remember the feelings you had whether good times or not so good times. The key is did you focus on what you feared or what you desired. Did you have a clear idea of what you even wanted? I know for myself when I prayed to get good grades on my math test, or prayed to be kept safe, or prayed to get a horse, it all worked out.
Yes there was effort on my part. I saved money and worked to get a horse, I made sure to be aware of my surroundings at all times to be safe, and I studied for my math tests. Again, focus on the desired outcome and take some intentional action and it will look like miracles are happening.
With that said, in the last paragraph, I’ve also done the opposite. When I was afraid of something or focused on something I didn’t want, I got that too. When I left the church that I used to belong to, they said bad things would happen to me if I chose to leave. I was afraid they were going to be right, and I had some pretty dramatic self-fulfilling prophecies happen, because of my belief. But when I looked back and reviewed my intentions or lack there of, I realized my power.
You Have Power, But Not Always
You have quite a bit of control over yourself and your life, but not total control. Life can happen unexpectedly and it’s beyond anyone’s control. Some experiences can be debilitating, leaving you in bed for days on end. That is not a good time to do any sort of manifesting. Take the time you need to process your feelings. Life comes with varying seasons and not all are going peaches and cream. I’m pretty sure we all went through a rough season with the pandemic. Thank God were coming out of it. With that being said, this year feels like it has some good juju in it. I hope the season is turning good for most of us.
It is imperative to state that while you are in the process of manifesting, you should keep it to yourself or at least be mindful of whom you share with. The reason being, is not all people want you to live your dream. It’s not that they are bad people, they may even be your family or friends, but they aren’t aware of their own power and let their ego take over. They may try to throw doubt into your thought process. And you don’t need that energy going into your desires. Positive energy is what fuels your outcome, i.e.. enthusiasm, excitement, encouragement.
Conclusion
There will always be the Negative Nellies or Debbie Downers, but you don’t have to listen to or share their views. I was shocked at some of my favorite self-help gurus have negative things to say when it comes to manifesting, but I can see their point of view. Only thinking about something or talking to yourself in the mirror, won’t bring planes flying over your head, dropping money on you.
Nothing will ever get done or manifest without some form of action. But isn’t saying and affirmation or taking the steps to get in front of the mirror, an action? We all learn differently and resonate with different teachers. Thank God for that or we’d all be fighting over the same classes. Not everyone will agree with everything I’ve written, and that’s okay. Whatever works for you and gets you to the life you desire, that’s what it’s all about. And if you have manifested something great, let’s read about it in the comments. I know I’d love to hear it.
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Within all of us is a divine capacity to manifest and attract all that we need and desire.
Wayne Dyer
2 comments
Terrific article 🙂 I want to add that I have manifested many times in my life to great success.
But my caveat is you have to be mentally prepared because you have to really pour ALL your
energy into it. No joke ! There are issues I’d like to manifest now, but my head just not into it.
Isn’t that the truth?! I know you, you’ll be able to manifest whatever you’re desiring, the only thing is it might take awhile. It took me 5 months and 2 days of praying and manifesting and concentrating on the prize. If I can do it, anyone can. Thank you for reading and sharing.