How to manifest your desires — a simple, 3-step approach

One moment they're describing their ideal life partner in hyper-specific detail, the next they're walking down the aisle with someone who perfectly matches that description. 

Or, perhaps they're buying the exact house they picked out in a catalog a few years earlier, or starting a job that matches their desired salary to the last digit. 

It's easy to put this good fortune down to luck, or even being a bit 'psychic.' In reality, these people have likely mastered the art of manifestation. 

Manifestation is the process of getting intentional about your goals, and then subconsciously bringing them to life through a series of daily practices. Rather than hustling hard to make things happen and getting burned out, manifestation allows you to surrender some of the process and wait for things to materialize.

In this article, you'll find practical manifestation methods you can integrate into your everyday life. By making these exercises a daily habit, you'll soon start to notice little synchronicities that lead you toward your dream life.

What is manifestation, exactly?

The idea of manifestation stems from the law of attraction, also known as LOA. Originating from the 19th-century New Thought Movement (a group of philosophers, authors, and other thinkers with shared thoughts around metaphysics, positive thinking, and consciousness), it's one of their proposed universal laws of nature.

This particular law proposes that like attracts like. So if you embody a positive mindset, you will attract positive experiences in your life. 

Rhonda Byrne, author of the bestselling book The Secret (which was later turned into a documentary), took this one step further by sharing specific stories of people who have used the LOA to 'manifest' money, health, relationships, and more.

Today, the concept of manifestation has taken on a new life. You only have to open Instagram or TikTok to see content creators promising that you can turn your deepest desires into reality simply by saving a specific sound or video.  

While this is just as unlikely as it sounds, there is plenty of credibility behind the concept in its original form, that you can attract things into your reality through the power of your mind.

The science behind manifestation

Contrary to what you may have heard, manifestation isn't about waving a magic wand, crossing your fingers and hoping for a miracle. There are scientific processes that explain why it works so effectively for many people.

There's a network of neurons in the brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) which is responsible for regulating awakeness, alertness, and arousal.¹ 

The RAS also plays a huge role in filtering in and out the vast amount of sensory information we're exposed to every day. 

Anthony Lombardo gives this example of the RAS in action:

‘Imagine you’re walking through a busy airport. Think of all the possible things going on around you: hundreds of people walking and talking, planes landing and departing through the windows, announcements coming over the address system, luggage carriers, etc. How much of this is brought to your attention? Not a lot. While we might notice some of these things, for the most part, we are focused on getting to where we are headed. But now imagine a new announcement coming over the address system about something regarding your flight. Suddenly your attention is full-on and you are ready to spring into action if necessary.’

Essentially, the RAS tells our brain what's important. We can consciously program it through practices like visualization, self-hypnosis, affirmations, journaling, and more. By doing so, we can begin to notice potential opportunities around us. 

Ever noticed that when you want to buy a red Tesla, all of a sudden you see red Teslas everywhere? The same begins to happen when you set your sights on a particular manifestation goal.

Beyond neuroscience, manifestation is also tied to some of the mysteries of the universe. There's still a lot we don't know about consciousness, matter, and the connectedness of it all. However, research in the field of quantum physics suggests that time and space are less linear and more collapsible than the lens of our current reality would suggest.² 

Manifestation experts believe that it's possible to 'quantum leap' by embodying the energy of the version of yourself who already has the things you desire. 

Whether or not you believe this, even scientists like Albert Einstein acknowledge the importance of vibrational energy on our earth. The theoretical physicist once famously proclaimed, ‘The medicine of the future will be the medicine of frequencies.’³

How to manifest your desires: a simple 3-step process

Ready to merge psychology, science, and spirituality and see what's possible through manifestation? To get you started, we've broken the process down into 3 steps, which each have their activities, rituals, and practices. 

Step 1: Get clear on your desires

Imagine you're getting your groceries delivered through DoorDash or your local supermarket. But rather than giving your shopper a list of what you need, you've left them to their own devices. When the shopping turns up at your door, you end up with a pear, a can of spam, sardines, and some washer fluid. What are you supposed to do with it?

The same applies to your goals. At the end of the day, the universe isn't a mind-reader. It's important to meet it halfway, so you don't wind up pursuing a series of random paths that aren't meant for you. This starts with getting crystal clear on what your dream life looks like.

Uncover your core values

Most of us have some idea of what we want, whether it's a shiny job title, a new car, or even a dream vacation. But, we also have blindspots that prevent us from seeing what truly matters to us. 

This is where it's useful to use external self-discovery tools. With Fingerprint for Success (F4S), you answer a series of questions about what motivates you, and gain insights on how you measure on 48 core traits that define how you live and work. 

This is particularly useful for career-oriented manifestation, as it gives you unparalleled insight into what drives you at work (vs. what you might think drives you). 

For example, you might discover through F4S that you're sky-high in entrepreneurial traits, and would be better suited to launching your own venture rather than working for someone else.

You can answer as many questions as you have time for and answer more whenever you like (after all, this is important stuff and shouldn't be rushed). The more questions you answer, the more accurate and insightful the results in your F45 dashboard will be, and the clearer you'll be on what you want to manifest.

Set a manifestation target

When it comes to setting goals for your manifestation, there are different ways you can approach it. Some people are very specific, such as calling in a certain amount of money, an item, or an experience. 

This works best if you have one very tangible thing you're trying to manifest, and it's easy to know whether or not you've achieved it.

Example: I have $30,000 in my savings account

Others prefer to set a target that is more of a desired end state. This approach makes sense if you have a clear vision of the type of person you want to be or what you want your life to look like, but it's difficult to pin it down to just one specific thing.

Example: I am a healthy and wealthy digital nomad

While there's no right or wrong way to do it, there are a couple of rules of thumb to keep in mind when setting your target. 

First, you'll notice from the example above that goals are written in the present tense as if you're reflecting on something that has already happened. This is important for allowing you to align with the future version of yourself who has already achieved your goal, so you can take action accordingly.

Secondly, unlike your traditional SMART goals, you don't need to know how you're going to achieve your goal or when. In fact, it's more beneficial if you don't, as it allows you to stay open to unexpected opportunities and prevents you from becoming disheartened if your manifestations are taking longer than you'd hoped. 

Once you've decided on your target, you can pop it into the goals tab in your 'me' dashboard inside F4S. Not only will it serve as a visible reminder of your manifestation, but our AI Coach Marlee can give you a personalized recommendation on a coaching program that will get you there faster.

For example, for the above goal, Marlee has recommended the programs 'incremental change', 'empowering habits', and 'reflection and patience', all of which would help you stay on track with making it a reality.

Step 2: Set yourself up for manifestation success

We've all heard the expression, ‘What you repeatedly do, you become.’ This rings true when it comes to manifestation. Acting 'as if' you have already achieved your goals is crucial for making them happen. 

But equally, the information you repeatedly consume plays an essential role in priming you for success. The key is to set up your environment with plenty of reminders of what you're manifesting so that it can make its way into your brain's RAS.

You're probably familiar with the idea of creating a vision board. Whether it's a digital or physical board, this is an excellent way to keep your desires front of mind. It also happens to be a fun and creative process. However, it's not the only way to stay aligned with your manifestation.

Record audio affirmations

Perhaps you're more of an auditory learner, or even someone with aphantasia (the inability to create mental imagery in your brain).⁴ You may find it more effective to create audio affirmations to connect with your goals.

For example, you might record yourself saying: ‘I am in a loving relationship with the person of my dreams’ on repeat, accompanied by one of your favorite songs in the background. 

Not only is the act of saying it out loud powerful in itself, but listening to your recording every day makes an excellent daily ritual for step 3.

Write a letter from your future self

Don't underestimate the power that stories have in creating powerful momentum in your life. Our brains love narratives (after all, humans have been storytelling for thousands of years), and tend to latch onto them to make meaning of the world around us. 

You can use this to your advantage by writing a letter to current you from future you. This could be one year, 5 years or even 10 years down the track.

What does your future life look like? Where do you live? How do you spend your time? How does your life feel? Let your imagination run wild and don't police yourself as you write. 

You'll be re-reading this letter every day, so it should be as inspiring, exciting, and emotive as possible.

Create physical and digital reminders

Just like with creating habits, it's important to have plenty of 'anchors' to your manifestation in your daily routine. These serve as constant reminders of what you're working towards. Even if the novelty wears off and you become accustomed to them your subconscious mind will still pick up on them and keep you moving in the right direction.

The most famous example of this is Jim Carrey, who wrote himself a check for $10 million years dated 10 years into the future. Carrey kept this check in his wallet until it actually become a reality.⁵ 

Other people like to take it a step further and create manifestation boxes, filled with inspiring items that connect with that future, successful version of themselves.

Another approach is to set your computer, email, or software passwords to something that motivates you, such as 'multimilliondollarbusiness.' As you're inputting your password multiple times per day, this gives you plenty of opportunities to reconnect with it. 

While it might sound a little wacky, you could even send yourself emails from future you (or, emails from a 'lottery company' letting you know you've won the jackpot!). The sky's the limit here.

Step 3: Integrate manifestation into your daily life

Now that you're clear on your vision and have introduced plenty of touchpoints into your environment, it's time to do the daily work. While your manifestations may not arrive overnight (although, in some cases they do!), committing to these practices will certainly expedite the process. 

Create a daily gratitude practice

Manifestation and gratitude go hand in hand, for a number of reasons. Firstly, reflecting on the things you're grateful for is essential for getting into a positive mindset. And, as the law of attraction states, embodying that positive energy attracts more good things in your life.

Secondly, gratitude helps get you into a state of abundance. Focusing on all the things you already have in your life, rather than what you don't. This more closely aligns with the future version of yourself who already has all their desires met. 

By tapping into gratitude now, it's easier to show up as that easy, breezy version of you who effortlessly achieves everything you want.

Finally, research shows that grateful people are happier and more successful which is a good thing, whether you believe in manifestation or not.⁶ 

To start a gratitude practice, all you need is a pen and paper. Or, you can use the 'journal' section in your F4S dashboard, which is completely private and allows you to add images. 

Some people also like to start gratitude practices with their partner, by sharing 1-2 positive things from their day. The things you're grateful for don't need to be big or profound. It could be as simple as starting the day with a great cup of coffee. 

Make space for intuition

A big part of manifestation is making the decisions that are going to lead you closer to your destination. The trouble is, many of us make decisions based solely on logic, without paying much attention to our gut feeling, or intuition, about things. 

The future version of you already knows how to achieve your goals, so it's essential to carve out space and time to connect with this inner wisdom.

This might look like a daily meditation or breathwork practice, if those are things you enjoy. Otherwise, you might prefer to go for a long walk in nature (preferably without music). 

The important thing is that this time is free from distractions, so you can quiet your mind and truly listen.

Write your manifestations daily

Just like any skill, repetition, and consistency are key to mastering manifestation. So, to ensure your manifestation target doesn't become a distant memory, consider writing it down multiple times each day. 

While 'writing lines' on the whiteboard was once a punishment doled out to misbehaving kids at school, this is a much more pleasant version of that. You can write your lines in a notebook, in a digital document, or in your F4S journal.

While there's no exact number of times you need to write down your manifestations, the 3-6-9 method is popular because it's easy to remember. This involves writing down manifestations 3 times in the morning, 6 times in the afternoon, and 9 times before bed. 

Whatever amount you choose, it's best to keep it consistent so you can turn it into a habit.

Manifest your desires by combining energy with action

Completing these exercises and activities will go a long way in setting your manifestation journey up for success. But, at the end of the day, there's no substitute for taking action. 

After all, universal forces can conspire in your favor, but you need to be there ready to seize opportunities as they come. 

Working with a coach like Marlee will develop skills like resilience and patience so you can keep going when obstacles emerge, as well as the tools necessary to take consistent action.