As someone who’s new to the world of modern self-improvement, I’m still getting accustomed to the term “manifesting.” It’s one of those words that wasn’t commonly used during most of my life. Back in high school and college, while we may have been trying to “manifest” a good time or a date, we certainly didn’t use that word.
How many times did I have to manifest a ride to somewhere? That was my constant goal. And then there’s “blogging”—another buzzword that some people still struggle to understand. Or what about “cell” phones? How many of us truly know why we call them “cell” phones?
I digress, though.
So, if you’re like me and still find “manifesting” a bit unfamiliar, don’t worry. The practice itself isn’t new—it’s been around for thousands of years. It’s just the term that’s recently become popular. Many philosophies and religions throughout history have promoted faith and the practices that help maintain it.
I’m not about to dive into a religious discussion here, though. Let’s keep things simple. Most of us would agree that we’re constantly bombarded with negative news and drama from the media. It’s overwhelming and, honestly, it can be depressing. Maybe that’s why so many people turn to antidepressants. If we had more positive and constructive input, we could relax more and feel more optimistic. After all, most of the drama we see in the news revolves around three things: money, health, and relationships. We watch it, and before we know it, it starts affecting us.
We can believe what we see, and we also tend to see what we believe. That’s where manifesting, visualization, the law of attraction, and faith come in. These practices are all about creating a better, more positive reality for ourselves.
Think about a child playing in a sandbox with toy trucks. They’re “pretending” to be an adult, building roads and moving earth with real equipment. No one thinks the child is delusional or out of touch with reality, right? In fact, we don’t even have a name for this behavior—thankfully, there’s no “Sandbox Deficiency Syndrome” (SBDS) yet. But the child is keenly aware of reality while also embracing an alternative one, full of imagination.
As we grow older, though, we tend to stop pretending. We get stuck in the mindset of what we call “the real world.” It becomes silly to think about alternate realities, doesn’t it? It feels childish, like something out of a movie. But honestly, what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with dreaming big?
If you feel stuck in life and are settling for less than what you want, it might be time to start manifesting a better reality. After all, where you are right now is the result of what you’ve manifested so far. So, why not return to the sandbox and start “pretending” again? Grab the Tonka trucks, dream big, and get creative. When you do it enough, it starts to feel real. Every day is a new opportunity to create the reality you want.
Don’t rely on the media to do it for you. Have you ever seen that bumper sticker, “KILL YOUR TV!”? Sometimes, it might not be a bad idea!