Teachers constantly tell you to set long-term goals, your parents tell you to think about the future, your Pinterest shows you your dreams in picture form. When you watch something or when you read something, more often than not your mind wanders to thoughts of how you wish you had the life of a specific character or person. Brainstorming, Pinterest boards, journaling, just thinking about anything you want in life falls under the idea of manifesting.
Recently, you may have noticed a lot of media coverage, especially on TikTok, about what protesting is, how to do it, and what people essentially gain from coming forward. As the title suggests, manifesting is simply a practice you can incorporate into your daily life to turn your dream Pinterest boards and journals into reality. It seems like a chore, having to repeat your dream life over and over again just to make it happen, but manifesting isn’t like a task, it’s more of a state of mind that uses positive energies to enhance your vision of life, achieve your goals more accessible.
What is manifestation?
In the simplest way to explain, manifestation is simply thinking about what you want and intending to achieve it. It’s not as simple as dreaming, because even though there is a science behind manifestation, you have to put your thoughts into action to achieve them. Manifestation is a practice that falls under the law of attraction.
The Law of Attraction is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a philosophical study suggesting that with every positive thought you have, you attract positive energies into your life. Manifestation uses these positive energies to understand the path you want your life to take, and then paves the way for you. It’s not magic, it can be spiritual, but more than anything, it’s just that you use your truest thoughts to guide you towards your end goal.
The different techniques
Like any practice, there are many ways to manifest. Some of the more common manifestation techniques include the 55×5 technique and the 33×3 technique where you write down your specific goal 55 or 33 times over 5 or 3 days, depending on which technique you are using.
Other more specific techniques include scripting, which is writing a story about what you want your life to be like. There are also more obscure methods, like the two-cup method where you write your current situation on one cup and your desired situation on the other. Then use the water as a vehicle of spirituality and pour it from cup to cup. Afterwards, you drink the water which symbolizes the consumption of the energies necessary to make the desired situation a reality.
Some of these techniques may sound like detention or a science experiment with water and cups, but there are easier ways to implement manifestation into your daily life, especially if you’re at a stage where you can’t find the time. or the energy required to use elaborate methods.
Integrate it into your daily life
I’m an IBDP student so just like you I can barely find the time to do things like the methods mentioned above because with all the stress that comes with school I’d rather not have to do anything thing i like to feel like another mission. This is where the most natural ways to manifest come in. Manifestation is all about determination and positivity, so the only way to keep it centered around that is to connect it to things you love.
If you are a more creative person, then bullet journaling and creating vision boards are all methods of manifestation because they come under visualization. If you prefer to write, then having dream journals and a journal where you can empty all your thoughts is also manifestation, just with more creative freedom. If social media is more your vibe, then Pinterest, or even apps like Twitter and Instagram, allow you to post photos of life and use them to visually organize your thoughts. Half the time we manifest, without even realizing it, and by learning to recognize it, the sense of self-awareness brings a whole new perspective to our goals.
Its roots
The concept of manifestation dates back to early Hinduism. The Hindu Vedas, which are part of ancient Indian culture, seem to have some of the earliest mentions of beliefs identical to manifestation. The idea of Manifestation has been mentioned in the Hindu Vedas, which are texts composed between the 6th century BC and 1000 BC. The early Hindu scriptures constantly speak of visualization, which is a form of manifestation itself.
Since the manifestation originated in Hinduism, does that mean that people of other religions cannot practice it? The truth is that anyone can practice manifestation. I come from a predominantly Hindu family but am agnostic and still practice manifestation because it’s not inherently religious it’s just a state of mind no matter how hard people may do it sound complicated.
Use it the right way
Although manifestation is so simple, it is natural for people to make mistakes while practicing it due to the scope of the subject. When you first encounter the subject of manifestation, you can believe that it is 100% guaranteed and that by simply writing down your goals, they will come true immediately when they are not. You must put your manifestations into action. If you have good grades, then you need to put more effort into your schoolwork. If you show your love for yourself, then you must make an effort to get to know it.
Protest is also not an excuse to wish bad things on others. It revolves around positive energies, so by conjuring up negativity, you risk bringing those negative energies into your own life. The universe knows when you’re ready for something, so when you manifest something, don’t expect it to happen the next day. Keep showing up and striving for your goals, and they will all happen when they need to, as long as you are authentic.
My experience with the event
Just as you probably did, I also discovered the protest via TikTok. I used to try to manifest things, but they never worked due to the lack of information people on TikTok provide. I started doing extensive research on the manifestation for a school project. I’ve read several articles, watched YouTube videos, and even read the book called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (highly recommend reading it if you’re interested).
After doing my own research, I realized that I needed to work positively towards my goals, while simultaneously manifesting myself. By doing so, I was able to de-stress and become more organized, which helped me improve my grades, find more time to write, and feel comfortable in social situations.
