Teachers constantly tell you to form long-term goals, your parents tell you to think ahead, your Pinterest shows you your dreams in picture form. When you're watching something or when you're reading something, more often than not your mind will wander to thoughts about how you wished you had the life that a specific character or person has. Brainstorming, Pinterest boards, journaling, simply thinking about everything you want in life fall under the idea of manifestation.
Recently you might have noticed large media coverage, specifically on TikTok, about what manifestation is, how to do it, and what people essentially gain from manifesting. Like the title suggests, manifestation is simply a practice you can incorporate into your daily life to turn your Pinterest boards and dream journals into a reality.
It seems like a chore, having to repeat your dream life over and over again just to make it happen, but manifestation isn't like a task, it's more of a mindset that uses positive energies to improve your outlook of life, making your goals more attainable.
What Is Manifestation?
In the simplest way of explaining, manifestation is just thinking about what you want and intending to make it happen. It's not as simple as daydreaming, because even though there is science behind manifestation, you need to put your thoughts into action to make them happen. Manifestation is a practice that falls under the law of attraction.
The law of attraction is exactly what it sounds like. It's a philosophical study suggesting that with every positive thought you have, you attract positive energies into your life. Manifestation is using these positive energies to understand the path you want your life to take and then paving the way for yourself. It's not magic, it can be spiritual, but more than anything, it's just you using your truest thoughts to guide you towards your end goal.
The Different Techniques
Like any practice, there are multiple ways to manifest. Some of the most common manifestation techniques include the 55x5 technique and the 33x3 technique where you write down your specific goal either 55 or 33 times for either 5 or 3 days, depending on which technique you're using.
Other more specific techniques include scripting, which is when you write a story about what you want your life to look like. There are also more obscure ways, like the two cup method where you write your current situation on one cup and your desired situation on the other. Then, use water as a vehicle for spirituality and pour it from one cup to the other. After, you drink the water which symbolizes consuming the energies required to make your desired situation a reality.
Some of these techniques may sound like detention or a science experiment that has to do with water and cups, but there are simpler ways to implement manifestation into your daily life, especially if you're at a stage where you can't find the time or the energy to use any elaborate methods.
Incorporating It Into Your Daily Life
I’m an IBDP student, so just like you, I can barely find the time to do things like the methods mentioned above because, with all the stress that comes with school, I would rather not have to make something I enjoy feel like another assignment. Here's where the more natural ways to manifest come in. Manifesting is centered around determination and positivity, so the only way to keep it centered around that is by connecting it to things you love.
If you're a more creative person, then bullet journaling and making vision boards are all methods of manifestation because they fall under visualization. If you prefer writing, then having dream journals and a diary where you can dump all your thoughts is also manifestation, just with more creative freedom.
If social media is more your vibe, then Pinterest or even apps like Twitter and Instagram, allow you to post pictures of life and use them to visually organize your thoughts. Half of the time we manifest, without even realizing it, and by learning how to recognize it, the sense of self-awareness brings a whole new outlook to our goals.
Its Roots
The concept of manifestation can be traced all the way back to early Hinduism. The Hindu Vedas, which are a part of ancient Indian culture, seem to have some of the first mentions of beliefs that are identical to manifestation. The idea of Manifestation was mentioned in Hindu Vedas, which are texts composed ranging from around the 6th century BC to 1000 BC. Early Hindu scriptures constantly talk about visualization, which is a form of manifestation itself.
Since manifestation originated with Hinduism, does this mean people of other religions can't practice it? The truth is, anyone can practice manifestation. I’m from a predominantly Hindu family, but I am agnostic, and I still practice manifestation because it's not inherently religious, it's just a mindset, no matter how complicated people might make it seem.
Using It In The Right Way
Despite manifestation being so simple, it's natural that people might make mistakes while practicing it because of how broad the topic is. When you first come across the topic of manifestation, you may believe that it's 100% guaranteed and that by just writing your goals down, they'll immediately come true when that's not the case. You need to put your manifestations into action.
If you're manifesting good grades, then you need to put more effort into your schoolwork. If you're manifesting your crush liking you back, then you need to make an effort to get to know them.
Manifestation is also not an excuse to wish bad things upon others. It revolves around positive energies, so by bringing negativity into manifestation, you are at risk of bringing those negative energies into your own life. The universe knows when you are ready for something, so when you manifest something, don't expect it to happen the next day. Keep manifesting and putting effort into your goals, and they will all happen when they need to, as long as you're genuine.
My Experience With Manifestation
Just like you probably did, I also discovered manifestation through TikTok. I used to try manifesting things, but they never worked because of the lack of information that people on TikTok provide. I started researching manifestation in-depth for a school project. I read multiple articles, watched YouTube videos, and even read the book called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (I highly recommend reading it if this is something you’re interested in).
After doing my own research, I realized that I needed to work towards my goals positively, while simultaneously manifesting. By doing so, I was able to destress and become more organized, which helped me bring my grades up, find more time to write, and also help me become at ease in social situations.
