We see the world through our belief systems. Often when we seek change, we pretend to believe such a change is possible - but dig deeper and we don’t. It reminds me of a quote from the movie What the Bleep Do We Know?:

“It’s a wonderful idea, positive thinking… but what it usually means is that I have a little smear of positive thinking covering a whole mass of negative thinking.”

If you want to manifest something in your life, you need to not only believe it is possible, but believe it is already coming into being. And truly believe. I can pretend to believe I can fly… but I know physics doesn’t work that way. I can believe I can win the lottery… but I still know the odds are very slim. I can’t truly believe either.

I think manifestation is most effective in small steps. Looking for small changes in your life that are achievable and then focusing on them. When you truly believe, you start acting as appropriately, and you naturally make it happen.

Daydreaming is usually considered lazy, unproductive and childish. As adults, we ought to maximize our productivity and the use of our time. Even worse, the multi-tasker is the modern-day business hero - we are encouraged to multi-task, jumping back and forth between multiple tasks and stimuli at an alarming rate.

Stepping back from this insane drive and getting in touch with our dreams can help us to understand what gets us excited. Daydreaming is free, easy, and relaxing… and opens up a new creative realm where we can free our imagination from the daily rules and expectations.

Idiot’s guide to daydreaming:

• Find a quiet space.
• Eliminate all possible distractions. (People, phones, computers, deadlines, etc.)
• Make a commitment to yourself to refrain from thinking about work and what needs to get done.
• Take a moment to breathe deeply into your abdomen. Watch your breath for a minute.
• Watch your thoughts for minute to become even more present. If you have trouble with this, ask yourself, “what is the next thought that is entering my mind?” and observe what comes.
• Let go. Let your mind wander freely.

Any questions? Shoot me an e-mail. I am an expert.

What was the last thing you tried to change in your life? How well did it work? Did it have a lasting effect?

Did you say, “I want to lose ten pounds. I must go on a diet.”
Or, “I want to be productive. I better start working hard.”
Or, “I want to be rich. I need to a better job and to start saving.”

These three have something in common: they require you to force yourself to change behaviors to achieve your goal. They reinforce that you are not what you desire:

• you are overweight (or why would you need a diet?)
• you are unproductive (or why demand the extra effort?)
• you are lacking money (or why would you need more?)

Attempts to change behaviors usually fail. Why? Because they aren’t in line with your belief systems about who you are.

Instead, become the change you desire. Imagine it. Start acting like it. Your behaviors will naturally reflect yourself and bring you goal to you effortlessly.

Effortlessly does not mean without work or action. It means you stop forcing yourself to be something you are not.

Manifestation is the art of making your dreams appear in your life. Here is a fun technique for creating miracles. Disclaimer - you may have to temporarily suspend your beliefs.

Creating Miracles

1. Pick something you would like to have enter your life.
2. Visualize what it is going to feel like to have this wish come true.
3. Give thanks to the universe for your wish being fulfilled at some point in the future. Feel gratitude now for receiving your wish (or something even better) in the future.
4. Let it go. The universe is working on it.
5. Keep your eye open for opportunities that could be related to your wish, and for evidence that the universe is acting on your behalf.
6. Take action as you see possible opportunities.
7. Allow your wish to come true when the time is right. Watch out for craving. If you are craving something, then you are pushing it away. Let yourself have complete faith that it will occur exactly as it should, and let it go.

Be careful with this. The point is not to prove that this technique is right or wrong. There is no need to prove whether a magical force exists in the universe that is acting on your behalf. That would seriously be missing the point.

The point is to try it, and see how it makes you feel. Personally, I find it extremely entertaining - it helps me to relax and live in the present moment.

An article by Caroline Miller has inspired this week’s topic on manifestation.

“The Secret” would have us believe that all we need are powerful intentions and a positive attitude to get more of what we want in life. […] The problem is that having powerful intentions is only a fraction of what is required to achieve important goals, and it overlooks one of the most important factors: getting what you really want is often just HARD WORK.

I think “The Secret” would respond by saying that if you believe your goal requires hard work, then that is what you will attract in pursuit of your goal. If you haven’t heard of the movie “the secret”, and the controversial law of attraction, the basic premise is that you can attract what you desire into your life by:

• asking the universe for that which you desire
• visualizing it
• feeling appreciation and gratitude for having it
• experiencing the emotions of having it

Caroline makes an important point that there is more to manifesting than lazing about waiting for the universe to fulfill your dreams. Creating positive intentions is the first step. Taking action is the second. Although in my experience, taking action does not equate to hard work. I think of hard work as something you force yourself to do.

When I focus on something I wish to manifest, I give thanks for it coming into my life and let it go - I stop craving it and return to living in the present moment. The moment I accept that my wish is coming naturally into my life, I open myself up to the possibilities present in the world around me. I see new opportunities, and it is an exciting place from which to act. The journey becomes easy and natural, and not an unnecessary burden to reach my final goal.