by LK Weir

I’ve been reading a book on manifestation and it’s not the first one I’ve entertained. I love the concept of believing in something enough that it actually comes true. And, I’m embarrassed to say, I tried it out with the lottery. I’d convinced myself that if I believed completely and entirely without a single doubt, I would win the jackpot. With this belief came dreams of grandeur. I dreamt of a future full of freedom: starting a publishing company, helping out my friends and family, invoking my inner philanthropist, and travelling the world free of any restrictions. My head was high in the clouds, planning out how I would spend my money in my perfect future.

 To win, I picked my numbers carefully and methodically and paid too much for a lottery ticket. I held firm to the belief that my ticket would be the winning one. From picking the numbers, to buying the ticket, to driving home. The thought of winning was never in doubt.

As soon as the numbers were released online my heart pounded and adrenaline rushed through my veins. In that moment, checking the numbers on the slip in my hand against the winning ones, I realized I’d been duped. It wasn’t a winning ticket. In fact, only 2 of the numbers matched, not even enough for the measly $2 prize. I felt like a fool, believing that I had any control over my future and my destiny. Afterall, I had completed the perfect test by believing with every ounce of my being that it would happen, and I was wrong. 

I told myself to get my head out of the clouds and that just believing wasn’t enough. Because after all, it’s easier to assume that we’re not in control, that the world is pure chaos, and that our only job is to duck out of the way of flying debris. I was completely at the mercy of shifting winds and stormy weather. And, at least with this way of thinking, I didn’t need to feel disappointed when things didn’t work out.

Then the clouds parted, and the debris settled. 

Manifestation isn’t about picking the right lottery numbers. That’s like standing at the bottom of the lowest valley, protected by a stone roof, surrounded by super tall trees, and hoping to get hit by lightning when there isn’t a cloud in the sky. Manifestation is about taking what you have, using who you are, and turning it into who you will be.  

The only proof I needed that manifestation was real, was that I’d already done it in my life. As I reflected on my experiences, I realized that they were things I believed in, things I poured effort into (winning and loosing), and things I knew deep inside myself that I wanted to complete. I’d manifested finishing a novel, travelling over the ocean, and creating a better place for my family. I’d done these things because somewhere along the lines, I’d decided that these goals were worth fighting for. This realization led me to understand that manifestation is a three-step process (combined with a little patience and an open mind). I must also point out that these are not my ideas, I have read about it many times but it FINALLY sunk in. The three basic steps are: 

• Think what you want to achieve and hold that thought because manifestation takes time. 
• Speak what you will be and believe you can achieve it because honestly you can.
• Act on those moments of opportunity that come your way, they are the path to manifestation.

It is not simply enough to want something. Wanting something keeps it as just a want and nothing more. To make it into reality we must believe that it is who we will become. We have to speak it out loud to ourselves and to others. And, when that whisper of opportunity comes, we must act on it.  

I have started repeating daily mantras to myself. Things that I will become. I didn’t realize it until recently, but this is something I have always done unconsciously. I would fumble something at work and say to myself, “I’m so dumb.” Or I would see a beautiful vacation spot and think, “I want to go there but I’ll never be able to afford it.” Now, when I tell myself something negative or self-belittling, I immediately correct it. “I am smart, I am capable.” And if there is a future that I want, I say it out loud. “I am an entrepreneur, I am a novelist, I am a leader.” I repeat these daily because manifestation only works if we believe it will work.  

Think it, speak it, act it.