What it Means to Manifest: Methods and Techniques

The word manifestation, along with all sorts of manifestation methods and techniques, is everywhere these days. Big names like Dr. Joe Dispenza, Vishen Lakhiani, the Proctor Institute, Esther Hicks, and Lacy Phillips’ To Be Magnetic all teach some version of the same idea behind the idea of manifesting: your thoughts create your reality. Think small, limiting thoughts and you will live a life of scarcity. Think big, positive thoughts, and you will create a life filled with abundance.

On the surface, manifestation appears to be a process you can use to get money, a nice house, dream vacations, your soulmate, weight loss, even your ex back. But what it really boils down to is taking full ownership of your life. Acknowledging that you can let life happen to you OR you can create exactly the life you want.

And beyond that, manifesting is using your thoughts and intuition to bring your deepest desires to life. Become crystal clear about what you desire, believe beyond a doubt that you will get it, then sit back and watch what unfolds.

So how can you start using manifestation to bring abundance and other desires into your life? Before diving into manifesting methods and techniques, it helps to know a bit of history about the concept and how it came into popular culture.

History of Manifestation & the Law of Attraction

At its core, the concept of Manifestation is centuries old. In Mark 11:24, Jesus says “Whatsoever things ye ask for when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”  In 1937 Napoleon Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich, in which he states, “Anything the mind of man can conceive, and believe, it can achieve.”

However, manifesting as a practice came roaring into popularity in 2006 with the release of the movie The Secret. The film and subsequent book introduced the concept of the Law of Attraction to the general public, attracting famous followers and making “manifesting” a household word.

The Law of Attraction is one of the 12 Universal Laws of spirituality, and it teaches that like attracts like, or more specifically, our thoughts and feelings govern what we bring into our lives.

Proponents of the Law of Attraction point to quantum physics as proof. The idea is that all matter in the physical universe is actually energy vibrating at various frequencies. And just as physical matter is vibrating, so are our thoughts. Thoughts are waves of energy, similar to the waves that your cell phone receives or the radio frequency your FM stereo picks up. You can’t see a cell signal but you know it exists because you use your phone every day. In the same vein, just because you can’t visibly see thoughts as waves of energy, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Everything in the universe, including our thoughts, is vibrating at a specific frequency. The Law of Attraction states that like vibrations attract the same vibrations; thus, by raising the vibration of your thoughts (and more importantly your emotions, more on that later) to the same level as what you desire, you will attract it into your life.

Bear with me, I realize this may all sound crazy and confusing. Perhaps some examples might help.

Examples of Manifesting

In one of my favorite books about manifesting methods and techniques Make it Happen, Jordanna Levin writes that using her manifestation equation based on the Law of Attraction, she was able to manifest “$20,000 not once, but twice” as well as “a new car, my ideal clients, sell-out events, unbelievable business opportunities, great parking spots [and] all-expense-paid holidays.”

“You control a lot by your thoughts. When I started to figure that out…I was like, What else can I do? What else can I manifest? Because I have seen it work. I have seen it happen over and over again.” – Oprah Winfrey

I personally have used the Law of Attraction and my own manifestation process, which I describe below, to manifest a large and very specific amount of money, a new home, and a dream vacation. Others have used it to manifest their soulmates, new jobs, weight loss, and spontaneous healing. I’ve even heard of women who have been told they can’t have children manifesting miracle babies.

For more examples of manifestation, a fun book on the subject is Rhonda Byrne’s How the Secret Changed My Life: Real People. Real Stories.

The Secret to Manifesting

While successful manifesting requires time, patience, and bit of effort, the process of manifesting boils down to a simple formula:

DEFINE – RELEASE – CREATE

You must first Define what it is you truly want. Then you must Release all limiting thoughts and beliefs that are preventing you from getting it. And finally you must apply and practice various techniques that allow you to access the universe and Create the life you desire.

Step 1: Define

You must know what it is you want before you can ask the universe to send it to you. The more detailed and precise the better. If you ask the universe for a soul mate, how will the universe know who to send you without some guidance?

Not sure where to start? My Self-Assessment Questionnaire is a great tool to get your creative, self-aware juices flowing.

Journaling is another good way to get clear on what it is you want. Looking for a life partner? Jot down all of the traits of your future partner, from what they eat for breakfast to how much money they have in their 401k.

Step 2: Release

You’ve heard it before: to change your life, you must first change yourself. We’ve all spent a lifetime crafting a story about who we are and what we can and cannot do. A belief is simply a thought that we’ve told ourselves – or been told by our friends, parents, and society – so many times it begins to feel like a truth.

Limiting beliefs are beliefs that do just that – limit us from reaching our full potential. And in order to start manifesting, releasing those limiting beliefs is an absolute necessity. If you believe that you will always live paycheck to paycheck, there is no room for new, higher vibrational thoughts to enter in and create a future in which you have a seven figure savings account.

But before you can begin releasing these old, ingrained limiting beliefs, you’ll need to define them. Use the Identify & Release Limiting Thoughts Worksheet Limiting Belief worksheet to help identify what’s holding you back. Then take those limiting beliefs and rewrite them. After all, you are the only one who can revise the script.

Step 3: Create

Now the fun starts. Once you are crystal clear on what you want to ask the universe for and have released your resistant, limiting beliefs, you can start creating. This is where the magic happens. Below are 5 powerful techniques for manifesting your dream life.

5 Powerful Manifesting Methods and Techniques

Meditation

In my opinion, meditation is absolutely fundamental to mastering manifestation. While achieving zen master status isn’t required, a solid and consistent meditation practice will amplify all other manifesting efforts.

Meditation allows you to tap into the energy of the universe and access the creative source that powers your soul. Through meditation you can access your subconscious mind, strengthening your intuition and aligning with your soul’s true purpose.

There are hundreds of meditation and visualization techniques out there. If you are just getting started, I suggest exploring one based on buddhist or vedic traditions that uses mantras, like those taught by the Chopra Center. The mental-training techniques based on Jose Silva’s Mind Control methods are a good alternative if you prefer guided meditation. Both Dr. Joe Dispenza and Vishen Lakhiani’s Mindvalley offer programs that use this method. Additionally many apps exist for all levels and styles of meditation.

Gratitude

One of the fastest ways to raise your vibration and amplify your abundance is through gratitude. When you are feeling grateful for something, you tend to also experience joy, contentment, and connectedness – all high vibrational feelings. As a key to the Release step in the manifesting process, gratitude relieves stress, improves physical and mental health, helps you sleep better, and decreases depression.

Take a few minutes each night to be grateful for all of the abundance in your life, and each morning be grateful for all the abundance that is coming to you.

Write a check to yourself from the universe

I love this simple and fun technique for manifesting money. Why? Because I can tell you from personal experience, it works!

I used this method to manifest $1.3 million. To the penny. I thought I was writing a check for $13 million (13 is my favorite number), but I accidentally left off a zero, so it ended up as $1,300,000. I kept the check on my desk for weeks before I noticed my error. One year later, guess what I made from the sale of my house. Yep, $1.3 million. Crazy.

So, simply fill out the check and place it somewhere you will see it each day (on your mirror, in your wallet, next to your computer). When it catches your eye, imagine what it will feel like to receive that money and take a minute to be grateful for it, as if you already have received it.

Get a downloadable check here: Mindful Midlife Check from the Universe

Visualization

Another great way to raise your vibration is through visualization. By imagining how it feels physically and emotionally to experience what it is that you are trying to manifest, you change your vibration. I like to combine visualization with my daily meditation. Since I’m already sitting there quietly, it’s easy to spend five or ten minutes visualizing after I finish the meditation. Right after waking up or right before falling asleep are also good times to practice your visualization.

To start you’ll want to know exactly what it is that you want, and again, that is where my Self-Assessment Questionnaire or Design Your Life Worksheet can be helpful. Spend some time imagining all the details. If you want to manifest a new car, imagine its new car smell, how the steering wheel feels in your hands, what the engine sounds like. Imagine what you are listening to on the stereo and what the scenery looks like out the window. Most importantly, imagine how you feel driving that car, your sense of excitement, joy, and – this is a biggie – gratitude.

Don’t concern yourself with how you got the car, only the end result. The “how” is up to the universe.

Once you have crafted a detailed visualization for yourself, spend at least ten minutes every day practicing it. Close your eyes and settle into yourself. If it’s a new house you want to manifest, imagine what it feels like to walk through the house, opening a closet and selecting a brand new outfit. Open the blinds in the living room and admire the view. Go to the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of coffee. Take that coffee out to the pool and feel an immense wave of gratitude rushing over your body as you relax on your lounger and sun shines on your face.

End the visualization with the request “this or something better.” Send it up to the universe and then do your best to forget about what you visualized until the next time you practice it. You have to let your subconscious do its work. This detachment can often be the hardest part. Wayne Dyer uses a great analogy: it’s like you placed an order online, and now you just sit back and wait for UPS to deliver it.

The 55×5 Method

I was pretty skeptical the first time I heard of the 55×5 method, but it is another concrete example of a simple technique for manifesting that worked for me in a very specific way.

The concept is straightforward. You write an affirmation 55 times every day for five days. Your affirmation should be short, specific, positive, and in the present tense. Some examples are:

• I am a thin and fit 130 lbs.
• I am grateful for my soulmate.
• I am a New York Times bestselling author.

You must write by hand and trust me, it will cramp. This is a good time to practice your meditation technique and just breathe through the pain. After the five days, fold up the sheets of paper and seal them in an envelope. Address the envelope the universe or your future self and put it away, somewhere out of mind.

Putting it All Together

So, you’ve defined specifically what it is you most desire, you’ve released all limiting thoughts around it, and you’ve begun practicing the various manifestation techniques…what now? The next best step is to take action. Figure out what small steps you can take immediately to start down the path toward your dreams.

But remember, the universe works on its own time and will send things to you as you are ready. You can’t force it. You also must try your best not to focus on your manifestation desires at any time other than when you are actively practicing your manifestation methods. Doing so only reinforces what you don’t currently have. Remember, in order to raise your vibration, you need to live (and feel gratitude) as if you have already received what it is you desire.

And in the meantime, start looking for small synchronicities, coincidences, or the appearance of angel numbers or spirit animals in your life. These are all signs that you are on the right path. Keep on it and you may very soon be living your wildest dreams.