from mind to reality

You may have found yourself feeling confused about what manifestation actually *is*…

What do people really do when they say they “manifested” something?

Just the fact that we use the word “manifested” instead of “achieved” or “worked for” or “found” makes it sound like a totally different process.

Like something otherworldly and magical, with little to no effort involved.

And quite frankly, it sounds pretty darn great… I mean, who *wouldn’t* want to unlock a secret portal where you funnel everything you want into your life through the power of your mind?

But the question is, is manifestation actually all that different from “making something happen”?

Let’s take a look at both of these approaches and what the differences are.

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Approach 1: Manifesting

Wherever it goes, the word “manifestation” sure gets reactions!

Billions of likes on TikTok… eye rolls from your down-to-earth partner…

It’s hard to find someone indifferent to this concept.

And that’s because it’s presented in such an outlandish way, it dares you to either believe in the supernatural or be a realist and reject it.

Manifestation has this magical aura of meaning you attract things into your life just through the power of your thoughts. People often suggest:

• Visualization, feeling the feelings of having what you want to match your vibrations to your goal
• Doing rituals or exercises like writing your manifestation 33 times for 33 days
• Working on your beliefs that you’re worthy and deserve it, often using affirmations
• Matching your energy to the energy of what you want

If we assume that manifestation is different from putting in the work, then the definition ends here.

And the problem is, many sources agree with that. I see ads on Instagram from a woman who says you can get your ex back if you match your energy to having them in your life… and another one gushes about how she “manifested” a 7 figure business by using EFT and affirmations.

Even the book The Secret talks about mindset, beliefs, energy work… and barely about actually *doing* anything to get what you want.

So that, when we look at how it’s presented, is what manifestation appears to be. And taken in this way, it’s not hard to see why so many people struggle to see results with it.

Approach 2: Making it happen

On the other hand, we have the good ol’ traditional “doing the work”, or in more extreme cases “hustling and grinding” to make your goal happen.

And the truth is, this approach is indeed difficult and uncomfortable at times. It includes:

• Getting started even with no knowledge, no help, no support, and sometimes almost no belief
• Taking full responsibility for you and your actions creating what you have and don’t have in life
• Persevering through obstacles and challenges, never giving up

In other words, relying entirely on the notion of 3D “cause and effect” and doing the work no matter how it feels — as Nike would say, “just do it.”

This idea has been around since the beginning of time. If you want a fire, you must collect firewood and start one. If you want a fish, you have to catch one.

And we as people used to get that.

Never in prehistoric times would you find a caveman standing in the forest, visualizing and affirming “I have a roasted fish! I have a roasted fish!” He’d just get to work to get the damn fish and roast it.

But in the modern world, when it’s no longer about survival but about having a life that’s good versus one that could be better, we’ve become much more reluctant to work for things.

There’s even an emerging line of thinking that sounds totally against this notion. “Being rich doesn’t require working hard,” “You should always follow your heart and release things that don’t light you up”.

So that explains “doing the work”… and why we’re trying to turn our backs to it as a culture.

The golden middle way: ManifestaCtion

As with most things, the best answer lies “somewhere in the middle.”

And as you’ll see is the focus of this blog, I believe “manifestation” is really an amalgamation of other words: mindset informed action.

Or, in shorter terms, “manifestaCtion“.

This is personally what I call manifestation in my head, as a reminder that you can’t create anything in the 3D world without putting energy into the 3D world. (And what’s 3D energy? Action!)

This is the approach that’s the golden middle between the 2 approaches we’ve explored, and it’s the one that brings the most powerful results.

Here’s an example to illustrate:

Approach 1: “Manifesting” a 7-figure business

• Reprogramming the subconscious mind with audio tracks, NSR, and meditations
• Affirming things like “I am worthy of financial success”, “I welcome millions into my life”
• Using EFT tapping to regulate the nervous system

(Based on the social media account of a multi-million dollar business owner and “mindset mentor”. Her account talks about these things and makes no mention at all of any specific actions she took to reach her success.)

Approach 2: Doing the work to get a 7-figure business

• Working 12-hour days
• Learning through trial and error
• Hitting obstacle after obstacle and keeping going

(This is what the social media account above specifically said she does NOT do… and what many successful people say they did with pride.)

The golden way: ManifestaCting a 7-figure business

• Taking action to build your business like you accept full responsibility for making it happen — creating an offer, publishing a webpage, posting regular content, pitching leads, etc.
• At the same time working on your beliefs and matching the energy of what you want, to guide you in taking action aligned with that vision.
• And, staying receptive to intuition (or “the universe”) that shows you shortcuts, breakthroughs, and new possibilities you hadn’t considered before.

Recap & action steps

• “Manifesting” is considered to be purely energy & mind-work based, and because of this many people struggle to see results with it. (Because you can’t create something in the 3D world without taking action in the 3D world).
• On the other hand, “making it happen” is seen as purely action & hard-work based. It’s effective, but obviously not very appealing, especially when our survival is not at stake anymore.
• The most powerful and truest form of manifestation is actually a combination of these 2 approaches — something I call “manifestaCtion” or “mindset-informed action”.

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I’d love to hear from you too — does this new understanding of “manifestaCtion” resonate with you?

Tell me in the comments below!