i finally understand what manifesting means and you can too.
a simple guide into what manifesting, attracting, and frequencies mean in terms of self-improvement and how you can apply it into your own life
what does manifesting mean?
the Oxford Dictionary says that manifesting means to show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; to demonstrate; to be evidence of; to prove.
by my definition, it’s the same thing as saying that by acting and thinking a certain way, you can obtain what you desire.
however, for a lot of people, it just means wishing something into existence.
though obviously, that’s not the whole story.
where the confusion lies.
when i first heard of the term, i was skeptical of it all. in my head, it was the same thing as blowing out the candles on a birthday cake; akin to a fortune teller relaying your future based on a deck of decorated cards. (apologies to people who believe in forms of character analysis through mysticism, etc.)
basically, i thought manifesting was complete bs. but i longed for the results of it. the people i saw online accredited their success to the process, asserting that manifesting changed their life.
so then i wanted to understand, but still found everything confusing. how does simply wishing for something bring it into existence?
it doesn’t.
nothing will change if you yourself don’t. your mindset, behavior, habits, perception of yourself, etc.
manifesting is deciding that you will become the person that already has attained your wish to then attract it, but never actually chasing after it. what’s the difference? let’s break it down.
how to get on the same frequency as what you desire.
i believe the best way to understand something is through analogies. so imagine this:
Alex is a college student looking for an internship, specifically at Company X. so he cold emails a recruiter from the company asking for a position. the recruiter replies saying that Alex is not the type of student they are looking for.
upset and hurt, Alex keeps emailing the recruiter, listing his achievements and promising that he’s the hardest working student at his college.
→ what Alex is doing is chasing. focused on a singular goal, he uses the wrong approach, causing the recruiter to essentially run away.
Alex realizes that he needs to try something different. he starts building experience through personal projects, learning on his own, and starts connecting with upperclassmen, professors, and company professionals.
→ Alex is changing his frequency. by changing his attitude and behavior, he’s also changing the opportunities that are available to him.
one of the professors that Alex connected with also happens to be good friends with a high-standing employee at Company X. when the employee mentions that they’re going to start looking for interns, the professor thinks of Alex. later that day, the professor talks with Alex and ends up being the reference that lands Alex an internship at Company X.
→ Alex attracted this outcome. by becoming the type of person for it—and of course with a little bit of luck—he ‘brought into existence’ exactly what he wished for, and the opportunity came to him.
still confused? let’s try a simpler analogy
Lucy wants to listen to her favorite music on Chanel 20 on the radio. She’s currently listening to Station 10. She waits and waits for the radio to change channels, but it never does. She shakes the radio, yells at it, and complains. The channel still doesn’t change. Lucy knows now that she needs to try something different. So, she turns the dials on the radio. The first dial changed the volume. The second changed the interface. The third changed the channels and after searching for a couple minutes, she finds the channel she’s looking for.
try to find the parallels in Alex and Lucy’s stories.
both had something they desired, tried the wrong approach at first (they were on the wrong frequency), changed their behavior (manifested + changed their frequency), and then achieved what they wanted (attracted & attained the desired outcome).
people often think that manifesting is this: want → wish → get. that’s what i though too at first. but there’s something crucial missing in that equation. there’s no doing. thinking does nothing, so it changes nothing. only by taking action through what you can control, are you able to cross that missing step.
so really, manifesting = desire → act → attract → attain.
and remember when i said that Alex had a little bit of luck on his side? well, if you think about it, Alex really achieved that on his own by putting himself out there more (connecting with more people) and therefore gained access to more opportunities (this is what they mean when they say “sending out a vibration”), one of which led to the desired outcome. (side note: network is net worth, people!)
the basic laws.
law of attraction: you will attract into your life what you focus on. e.g. positive thoughts will attract positive results.
law of vibration: everything is in a constant state of movement, living on a specific vibration.
these are the two most basic laws that are talked about, the rest of the laws are essentially follow-ups/subtopics. if you’re interested to learn about more, links have been provided at the end.
manifesting in your life.
now that you know what it means, it should be much easier to see how you can manifest in parts of your own life.
essentially, it boils down to changing how you do things. this includes your habits, your interests, how you spend your time, who you spend your time with, and what priorities you set.
want to be rich? act like a millionaire: take up meaningful hobbies, read the technical books, learn how to invest, apply advice from the people you look up to.
want to get the girl? act like a dependable person: listen and pay attention, learn to communicate well, be more kind with everyone, express yourself authentically.
manifesting works to end something in your life too!
want to stop doom-scrolling? act like someone who enjoys being in the present moment: love doing the hard tasks, delete social media, interact with people face-to-face instead of through comments, learn to love your own company.
no, it’s not as simple as blowing out a candle and yes, it takes effort. it takes sacrifice of old habits, an old life, your past self.
but that’s what makes it all the worth it in the end, no?
how i understand it.
i still don’t completely associate myself with the spiritual aspect of manifestation. what i mean is that i think manifesting is just a way of categorizing things and essentially saying that you control the life you live and what you have access to—which is obviously true because it’s your life.
i write this article to help others like me that need to view things through a more logical lens. more step-by-step and sorts.
i absolutely do believe in the application of manifestation, because i see proof of it everyday in others and in myself.
subconsciously, you’re actually always manifesting. for example, if you believe one thing, your brain will try to find evidence for that belief.
however, once you realize you can choose to think and believe in certain things, you can then change those effects in your life that you didn’t realize you were in control of earlier.
all in all, it’s YOU. it will always start and end with you!
you are the one in control of your life. never forget that.
it’s just that sometimes we tend to shake the radio instead of using the dials. <3
resources to learn more about the laws of the universe/manifestation:
12 Universal Laws for Life - Let's Keep The Ball Flying
12 Universal Laws, explained with real world examples
The 12 Universal Laws & How To Practice Them
below i’ve listed some people online that talk about these types of ideas and explain how to apply them practically:
(if anyone has any other recommendations, leave them in the comments! i will also try to come back and add to this list if i come across any more)
this was really inspiring actually, thank you. this made me realize that i do need to change my mindset because mine is kinda uh