Manifestation—otherwise known as the Law of Attraction—is the idea that your thoughts will eventually become your reality. In more scientific terms, the Law of Attraction is this:
“Under the Law of Attraction, the complete order of the Universe is determined, including everything that comes into your life and everything that you experience. It does so through the magnetic power of your thoughts. Through the Law of Attraction like attracts like.” – The Secret
I’m living proof that manifestation works—I actually manifested my current car (true story)—and am a big-time believer in the whole process. From business to life, manifestation has been shown widely to have massive benefits, no matter how hokey it might sound. Here’s how it works:
How Does Manifesting Work?
Manifestation and the Law of Attraction aren’t new concepts—not even by a long shot. Way back when (I’m talking… 390 B.C.), Plato spoke about the idea that “likes tend toward likes.” Essentially, he proposed that similar things are attracted to similar things. That Plato concept led to the bones of manifestation as we know it now: like attracts like, positive attracts positive, and negative attracts negative.
Manifesting works when you visualize and conceptualize what it is you’re working for by sending out similar energies into the world. It might sound crazy, but it DOES work. The idea is that the energies we send out will attract the energies we’re looking for.
While simply thinking that you want a black BMW probably isn’t going to leave you with a black BMW moved in your driveway overnight, consistently thinking about how much you want a black BMW tends to lead you towards actions that could actually result in said black BMW.
Whether you ask for a raise at work, start contributing towards a down payment fund, or begin test-driving them at dealerships, your intentions affect your outcomes.
So.. Manifesting Actually Plays Out? Prove It, Sonja.
You may very well be reading this with your brows crinkled, and I get it! It sounds far-fetched—but there’s some actual science behind meditation and how it actually plays out to positive outcomes.
A lot of people don’t believe in the actual science around the law of attraction and manifestation, since there’s so much confirmation bias around it. But, I’ll ask you: What do you have to lose? Here are a few resources to dig into that back up this wild phenomenon:
- A study behind mirror neurons—neurons that fire off when an animal mirrors another—showed that mirror neurons can fire when people recreate their own actions.
- There are studies showing legitimate connections between physical and mental strength, which hints toward the idea that focus and intentional thought on part of the mind *actually* leads to payoffs in the body.
- The act of mental practice through visualization is known to be a highly powerful tool, alluding to the fact that you can, quite literally, train your body to react by thinking of it as something already done.
- The amygdala—which is in your brain, nestled in your temporal lobe—is the almond-shaped bundle of nuclei also known as the “fear center.” There’s brain imaging research showing how fear in others inspires a fear reaction in different people, all stemming from a reaction in the amygdala. However, that same research also shows that the same reaction can light up when it comes to an expected positive outcome (hello!).
My Favorite Ways To Practice Manifestation
There are a lot of ways that you can practice manifestation, and there are benefits to each of them. From journaling affirmations to speaking mantras, these are some of my favorite ways to manifest:
- I write it down and then repeat it. In probably one of the simplest ways to manifest something, I love to write down my goal—for instance, I am closing $200,000 in sales this quarter—and come back to it at least once a day, speaking it out loud into the universe. Saying something in the present tense, as though it’s already happening, is KEY. Do I think that the universe is genuinely listening to me and ready to give me what I demand? Not necessarily, no. But, when I focus on my goals in that way, I’m much more likely to create mini-goals and smarter steps to get to them.
- I create mantras for myself. The idea of mantras might create a vision in your head of laying down in a dark room and repeating om’s to yourself—but that’s not really what I do. Instead, I take the goal or dream I’m attempting to manifest, roll it into a bite-sized mantra of three to five words, and then repeat it to myself as I go about my day, whether that means on my commute or as I brush my teeth. Some mantra examples include: I am strong and confident. My clients respect me and are willing to pay my worth. Good things are happening.
- I visualize it, down to the tiniest little details. There’s insane power in visualizing something, and I think that the power grows as the specificity does, too. When I visualize my goals coming true, I don’t stop at a general idea. I picture what the air feels like that day, what I smell, the gentle hum of the hair in my ears, the outfit I’m wearing, the shoes on my feet, and even the mood I’m in. That way, I’m not just visualizing something abstract—instead, I’m visualizing something concrete, reachable, and scalable.
- I work. While some people might think that the Law of Attraction is simply whispering an affirmation and waiting for the universe to make it true, that’s not how it goes. When you’re truly manifesting something, you’re working toward it. You’re changing your life to make space for your new reality. That, my friend, is how you make things come true.
I’m a big believer in the power of our energies, our actions, and our thoughts—and the wild impact that they can have on our lives. If you made it to the bottom of this blog post, I’m going to guess that you do, too. I encourage you to get super specific about your values and goals, send them out into the universe with intention, and watch what happens. I promise, my friend… you’ll be amazed at what happens.
