A new year, a new you… you’ve heard that cliche a thousand times and yet here you are; same you, different day. Perhaps, you’ve tried before yet didn’t get anywhere, or gave up after a valiant but short effort. Maybe you started the journey to a new you, but unexpected obstacles, such as a global lockdown, blocked your success, and the motivation faded away.
If you’re looking to make new moves in 2022 which have a positive upward trend, then you're in the right place. In this blog post, we take a look at ways to prepare yourself to be successful and the increasingly popular theory of Manifestation.
Do you want to get a new job or move up the ladder? Do you want to slim down? Do you want to get fitter? The New Year always marks an opportunity to change things up and set new objectives.
Whatever your goal is, you need to know how to give yourself the best chances to achieve it. For some, including internationally recognised people, Manifestation is the way to do so.
Read on for tips on preparing for success and the secrets behind manifestation.
Top Tip For Achieving Your Goals: The 6 P’s
Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
The famous six P’s motto used by the military may well be the most useful starting point for a successful new year. The reality is that success comes much easier when you have a plan.
Just like the military, you must plan and prepare before going into battle. Charging the guns blindly is extremely unlikely to end with victory unless lady luck is on your side. Courageous yes, but there is a thin line between bravery and recklessness.
Therefore, the first tip is to get planning and preparing.
This means researching, mapping out a schedule, finding the right tools and, where necessary, getting advice.
Treat it like a military operation. Strategise and organise.
You may also want to follow in the footsteps of extremely successful personalities by using manifestation.
What is Manifestation?
There are many famous people who stand by the belief that positive thinking and the law of attraction can help you manifest your dreams into reality. Oprah, Deepak Chopra and Jim Carrey are all firm advocates and openly share their stories of how they achieved the success they have had through manifestation.
Jim Carrey recounts how he used to sit, pre-fame, in his car on Mulholland Drive daily, looking at a blank cheque for $10million dollars and repeating his desire of becoming a successful actor. Two years later, he gave his father the cheque to cash.
Essentially, manifestation is the belief that you can turn your dreams or objectives into reality through attraction. In other words, you create a state of mind that acts like a magnet for the thing(s) you desire.
The Law of Attraction or ‘New Thought’, is a pseudoscientific theory which states that our thoughts are made up of pure energy and that if we think positively, we will attract, naturally, others who think the same way and/or draw the resources we need to manifest our desires. Likewise, if we think negatively, this energy will bring things or people who have that same undesirable energy.
It’s not a new theory either, although it has been popularised in the early 21st century. Ralph Trine, an American philosopher, and close confidant of none other than the business magnate Henry Ford, was one of the pioneers of the idea and wrote in 1897:
“The law of attraction works universally on every plane of action, and we attract whatever we desire or expect. If we desire one thing and expect another, we become like houses divided against themselves, which are quickly brought to desolation. Determine resolutely to expect only what you desire, then you will attract only what you wish for.”
He believed, like many others, that the key to manifestation is clarity of ideas, objectives and expectations regarding the outcome. It’s one thing to have a clear goal, but if you expect nothing to come from it, then it won’t.
How To Manifest Things You Want
Oprah, the most successful and possibly influential woman in America, if not the world, states that for Manifestation to really work you need to follow these 7 steps:
1) Be clear about your goals
Saying to yourself you want to be rich is not enough. Imagining yourself thinner or stronger or more successful won’t cut it. You need to be as concise as you possibly can about what it is you want. It needs to be detailed. If you want a loving relationship, you need to be clear and precise about the type of person you want in your life; physical characteristics, hair colour, personality attributes and so on. If you want to be rich you need to detail the type of wealth you desire, your lifestyle, your work-life balance, the relationship with your colleagues and your position.
You need to create a clear picture in your mind of what your goal is and how your life will look - like a photo, in which you can see details clearly.
The more concise your goal is, the more details that are included, the more your thoughts and positive energy can focus on it.
2) Ask for what you want—and write it down on paper
Once you have got a clear and detailed goal in your mind, you then need to ask the universe for it, out loud. We'd recommend you do this privately. Also, write down in as much detail as possible what it is you desire; the complete vision of your life as you want it. This is both symbolic and practical. Having a written vision with you helps you to stay focused and motivated. When you feel low on energy, or the day seems to be going against you, taking 5 minutes to read what you're working for, what you're aiming for, can re-energise and motivate you.
3) Start working towards your goals
The 6 Ps will come in super handy here. Researching and reading about strategies to get where you want to go; getting advice from career or health and fitness experts for the best ways to achieve your goal; will give you the chance to strategise and set milestone objectives and deadlines.
4) Be mindful of—and thankful for—what you receive
It is easy to overlook mini, everyday successes. However, when they happen, you must take note of them and be grateful for achieving and/or receiving them. Be mindful of the people and events that are around you, and how they are working with you to achieve your objective, knowingly or not. Coincidences are a thing of the past for you now, and each and every thing which occurs is pushing you in the direction you want to go. Recognise that and accept it gratefully.
5) Let go of any resistance and limiting beliefs
This is the real crux. For Manifestation to work, you can't go into it thinking it's all hocus pocus nonsense. This will be the biggest challenge for many of us. However, if you really open your mind to the possibility that it's real, and you choose to believe in it, then you will remove the inbuilt cynicism, and perhaps pessimism, that many of us have, and replace it with a positive outlook on all of life's ups and downs. This is because they are pushing you in the direction of your goals.
Jim Carrey's international reputation has changed a lot over the years, with him now being seen as a little eccentric and 'out there'. However, he has had incredible success, his bank balance has at least 6 digits, and he is seemingly very happy. He believes whole-heartedly in Manifestation and that this was the reason for his success. I'd also argue he is still a very popular and loved person.
Additionally, we all have our own inner-voice which can both be encouraging and discouraging. This needs to be edited. Whenever you hear yourself thinking that ‘You’re not good enough” or “there’s no way I can do that”, you need to erase this negativity and replace it with phrases such as “I’m wonderful as I am” or “I can do anything I like”. These self-taught limiting beliefs inhibit your progress, and therefore they need to be crossed-out and replaced with new positive affirmations.
So… it is up to you to take that leap of faith. If your inner-voice is saying something like “what a load of rubbish” at this very moment, try replacing it with “Why not if I stand to gain everything I desire?”
6) Check (and change) your energy.
According to Oprah, energy is everything.
“The energy we put out is the energy we get back.”
If you are feeling positive and happy, this energy will come back to you. On the other hand, if you are feeling negative and sad, that’s what you will get in return.
Changing your energy output from negative to positive can be done simply by doing or thinking of something that you love. Starting the day right helps too; meditating; yoga; or a good healthy breakfast; listening to music which makes you happy; exercising; or a day at a spa; helping someone out; or spending time with loved ones. All of these things can cultivate positive energy which will attract further positive energy.
7) Be flexible—and trust the process
It is vital that you have a goal and an objective. However, you mustn't focus solely on that on your journey to it.
Old American Indians used to say:"let's go toward that river" or "let's go toward that mountain". The key word here is 'toward'. The goal is the river or the mountain but you must remain flexible and open to change, unexpected obstacles or opportunities along the way.
Again, remaining mindful of events and people around you is essential, both to avoid a potentially harmful situation or an unexpected opportunity for improvement.
To sum up, preparation and planning will help you incredibly to reach a goal. Being organised with a clear objective and strategy will give you more chance of success. Following the 7 steps laid out above will certainly change your outlook and make you more mindful of your surroundings on the journey toward your goal. And just maybe, if you trust and believe in the process of manifestation, the universe and its energy will help lead you to where you want to go.