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Jump to section What does “manifest” mean? How to manifest things 14 ideas of things to manifest Misconceptions about manifestation Harness the power of intention in your life “You can do anything you set your mind to.” “Believe it and it will happen.” “You are your thoughts.” If any of these phrases ring a bell, you’ve encountered the concept of manifestation. For some, staying positive about your future means visualizing and focusing on what you want to achieve — and manifesting is one way to keep that focus.
But figuring out things to manifest can be more complicated than manifestation itself. We’ll explore some inspirational life goals you could devote your positive energy toward to make manifestation work for you.
What does “manifest” mean?
To manifest something means to think about it often and with focus until you receive it. It's the idea that if you want something, you can mentally attend to it and will it into existence.
While different versions of the term “manifestation” have been floating around for centuries, manifestation went mainstream in 2006 with Australian TV producer Rhonda Byrne’s bestselling book and film “The Secret.”
According to Byrne’s “law of attraction,” if you ask the universe for something and genuinely believe you have it already, the universe eventually fulfills your request. Few people believe that simply thinking about something makes it happen, but a more helpful way to think of manifestation is as a method that changes your thought patterns to change your behavior.
When you focus on certain goals, you direct your actions toward achieving them. And picturing yourself having something you want — be it a promotion or more financial security — can cut through shame, dismantle self-doubt, and shift a scarcity mindset.
Thoughts can become a reality if you put in some hard work along the way.
How to manifest things
Every manifestation method has three principles at its core: ask, believe, and receive. Here’s how you put these into practice:
Think of something you want
Visualize it in detail, being as specific as possible, as though you already have it
Ask the universe for it
Say or write positive affirmations in the present tense (e.g., “I’ve landed my dream job.”) or look for images that capture what you’re trying to manifest
Let go and trust the process
Repeat this process as often as you like, using a vision board, or writing down the things you want to manifest in a manifestation journal — whatever feels best.
14 ideas of things to manifest
You can use manifestation to focus your mind and emotions on whatever you most deeply desire. But if you’re struggling to pinpoint exactly what you want, here are a few manifestation examples to use as jumping-off points.
Things to manifest at work
1. A successful presentation: If you’re nervous about public speaking and have to give an important presentation, use manifestation to calm your nerves and envision how you want the talk to go.
2. A promotion or new job: Use manifestation to open yourself up to new opportunities at work. Focusing on getting a promotion will open your eyes to opportunities in your current workplace, while thinking about taking on a new job will prime you to pay attention to external options.
3. Your own business: Your dream job might actually be working for yourself. The detailed visualization process in manifestation can help you determine the type of business you want to start and infuse the process with positive energy instead of worry and stress.
Things to manifest in your relationships
4. More harmonious relationships with family members: It’s normal to experience rocky patches with family members, and you might even deal with toxic family dynamics. Using manifestation techniques can help you drop long-standing resentment and identify what you can do to encourage healthier connections.
5. New friends: If you’ve outgrown friendships, relocated, or lost touch with people over the years, you might feel lonely. Envisioning yourself enjoying time with new friends will show you what you’re looking for in a friendship and what kinds of activities you want to do with friends, opening the door to finding these relationships in real life.
6. Your soulmate: For some, being in a healthy, loving relationship can be an enriching and emotionally fulfilling gift. Manifest love and support in your romantic life by visualizing yourself with your ideal partner.
Ask yourself what this relationship looks like and then stay open to that feeling when moving through your daily life.
Personal qualities to manifest
7. More confidence: If you struggle to stand up for yourself or get stuck in cycles of self-sabotage, manifesting confidence will transform your personal and professional life. With more confidence, you’ll take more risks, learn to say "No" when saying “Yes” would overburden you or cross your boundaries, and put yourself out there when it comes to making new friends.
Manifest confidence by imagining the doors that confidence would open for you and then visualizing yourself walking through them.
8. Resilience: Sometimes life serves you lemons. While it’s best to seek professional help for truly traumatic events, manifesting resilience will help you get over everyday disappointments and turn negative experiences into opportunities for growth.
9. Calm: Chronic stress and anxiety can have serious physical and mental consequences. If you feel mild to moderate anxiety about small things or find you can’t focus due to constant worry, spend some time manifesting calm.
Visualizing yourself handling your daily tasks in a relaxed way can snap you out of unproductive thought loops, putting you in a position to take charge of your mind and your life.
Money-related things to manifest
10. A raise: It’s hard to ask for a raise, especially if you tend to avoid confrontation or suffer from imposter syndrome. Manifesting a raise can help you feel you deserve more compensation for your efforts, which you’ll communicate unconsciously to your bosses through a more confident, authoritative demeanor that’ll make them take notice.
11. Less debt: Debt stress is a serious mental health risk, and being in debt poses a significant obstacle to planning for a fulfilling future. Manifesting freedom from debt can connect you with a feeling of financial wellness, lifting the stress long enough for you to investigate and implement concrete steps toward clearing your debt and building a strong financial foundation.
12. Financial abundance: Manifesting financial abundance might help you think through your financial goals and remind you why you want to achieve them to foster a millionaire mindset.
Things to manifest in your relationship with yourself
13. Self-care: If you’re juggling various responsibilities, you might struggle to find time to focus on yourself. Manifesting windows of time for self-care will prompt you to examine how you can improve your time management skills and give yourself some much-needed “me time.”
14. Travel: Travel exposes you to new ways of seeing the world and helps you reflect on your life. And if you’re feeling stuck, time away might be just what you need. Manifest your dream trip to discover what type of travel will hit the spot.
Misconceptions about manifestation
Beware of manifestation methods that seem empty or too easy, and avoid the following common misconceptions.
Thoughts and good vibes are enough
Manifestation isn’t magical — a positive mental attitude is one thing, but you need to use this attitude to propel you to act in ways that help you achieve your goals. Just fantasizing about what you want without taking action toward it can even backfire and result in worse outcomes.
And you don’t want to shift into toxic positivity, where you’re not being realistic about the challenges and hurdles that come with any lofty goal pursuit.
You have to aim big
Your manifestation goals don’t need to be big — aim wherever you want. Staying realistic and starting small might even make it easier to believe that you already have what you’re trying to manifest. And with practice, you’ll become more comfortable aiming high and expanding your comfort zone.
The law of attraction will work as expected
Sometimes manifestation’s positive outcomes appear in unexpected ways.
If you’re manifesting a promotion and your employer lays you off, that doesn’t look like a great result — but losing the job could prompt you to apply for other jobs that interest you more. Eventually, you might land a more senior position than the one you had.
Harness the power of intention in your life
The greatest benefit of manifestation is that it makes your actions intentional. You consciously consider what you want to achieve and direct your actions accordingly.
As your things to manifest change, you use the same positive results you experienced with previous goals to encourage you to focus and work hard. That develops mental fitness and resilience, which is priceless.
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Well-being
Published June 1, 2023
