How to manifest
A guide to manifesting
We look beyond the positive affirmations and vision boards for a practical guide to manifesting when it comes to your career.
Many of us will have come across the concept of manifesting particularly in the wellness world. But what does it mean? It essentially refers to the belief that your thoughts, intentions, and positive energy can influence your reality and ultimately bring about what you want to see in life. It involves practices such as visualisation, seeing yourself in the life that you want and doing the things that you want, positive affirmations, and saying out loud what you are and want to be, for example, “I am successful”, “I am worthy of this promotion”. It’s also about keeping a positive mindset to attract the right kind of opportunities and experiences. It is rooted in the idea that the power of the mind can manifest your reality.
Now, if we are honest, we did originally approach this with some cynicism around the concept and, well, it doesn’t matter how much I manifest winning the lottery, it doesn’t seem to happen, does it? But, if we dig a little deeper, that’s not necessarily what manifesting needs to be about. Manifesting shouldn’t be about willing something to happen, and then it happens, it’s about being clear on what you want and then putting yourself in a positive place to achieve it. If you are clear and focused on what you want, figure out what you need to do to get there, check in with yourself and how you feel about it, and take action to get there, then, getting what you want looks a lot more like putting the work in to achieve something rather than thinking it into reality.
If you want to try out manifesting but are not sure how, or are feeling a bit cynical about it, here are some practical steps to take when it comes to manifesting the career that you want.
Have clear goals
Just saying “I want a promotion” or “I want more money” isn’t enough. You need to clearly define your professional goals and write them down with specificity and detail. So, it’s “I want to be promoted to X job”, I want to earn “X% more money because then I’ll earn enough to rent/buy the house I want.” This is where you can create a vision board or other representation of your goals if you want - this can help reinforce them in your mind. We recommend you write them down at the very least to keep you focused but skip the vision board if you like. The key to making manifesting work for you is to do the parts of it that work for you.
2. Decide the steps you need to reach your goal - then take them!
This is where manifesting needs to translate into practical action because just saying you want something or want to get somewhere isn’t going to make it happen.
Break down your larger goals into smaller, actionable steps. This makes them more manageable and achievable. Develop a detailed plan with timelines, milestones, and deadlines for each step. Prioritise tasks and focus on completing one step at a time, moving progressively toward your ultimate goals.
3. Identify and Challenge Limiting Beliefs
A big part of manifesting is challenging limiting beliefs, being positive, and saying positive things, such as those positive affirmations we mentioned. Those affirmations won’t have much impact if you don’t know why you’re saying them, or they don’t feel personal to you. We recommend paying attention to any negative or self-limiting thoughts that come up around these goals and why you might feel like that. Challenge them by asking yourself if would you speak to a friend like that, and what advice would you give a friend, then try to follow it. For example, if you feel you’re not good enough to go for a job, if you met a friend for coffee and they said they weren’t going to apply for their dream job because they obviously wouldn’t be good enough to get it, what would you say?
4. Be Aware of Your Feelings
One danger of the concept of manifestation is that it can feel like there’s no room for feeling any negative emotion and it’s about “good vibes only”. But sometimes we just don’t feel confident, we feel low, and demotivated. There is room for these feelings when it comes to manifesting, but the key is to be aware of all of your feelings and why they might be surfacing for you. Do you feel uncomfortable and irritable because someone got the job you want? That feeling of envy can then help you identify your next goal, e.g. a new job. Feeling exhausted and run down? That can help identify that you need a break to reset and revisit your goals. You don’t need to push the negative feelings down, but figure out what they mean and what you can do with them that can eventually help you get to where you want to be.
Equally, a positive element of manifestation is being grateful for what you already have as a starting point. You can also identify what puts you in a positive mindset and invest time into those things, such as meditation, exercise, and spending time with supportive friends. We’re not saying that positive thinking will get you there, but, it can put you in a stronger place to take action. We are more likely to take positive action when we feel good about ourselves, are well-rested and feel motivated. So it’s about figuring out what gets you to that place and doing it.
5. Be Flexible
If you believe that if you just think positively, and, even put the work in, you’ll get what you want, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment, because, well, life doesn’t always work that way. People from marginalised backgrounds in particular know all too well that you can put in just as much, if not more work and energy into something, and still not achieve it or be overlooked. Be mindful that the path to your goals might unfold differently and you will need to adapt and adjust your approach. Have some plan B’s in mind, embrace unexpected challenges, and work on being resilient to change and setbacks - and challenge them when you feel it’s been unfair. See them as temporary and focus your energy on the element of the issues that you can control, rather than remaining upset about what you can’t control.
Finally, remember that applying these principles involves consistency, it won’t happen overnight and it’s something you need to continue to do throughout your career.
