If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve likely seen “manifestation” all over TikTok, with over 27.2 billion posts under its dedicated tag. While it’s the latest trend, manifestation isn’t new—it’s been around for centuries, actually. It goes as far back as the 19th-century New Thought Movement, where the idea that your mind shapes your reality first took hold.
Since then, plenty of authors have expanded on this idea, but it was Rhonda Byrne’s infamous The Secret, published in 2006, that completely brought things up a notch. She popularized “The Law of Attraction,” claiming that by simply focusing your thoughts on what you desire, and by feeling as though you’ve already achieved it, you could bring those desires into your life. Sounds simple, right?
But as with many powerful ideas, manifestation has been oversimplified and distorted on platforms like TikTok. One video I came across summed it up perfectly: this girl claimed she manifested her ex texting her by just visualizing it.
The next day, a huge car crash allegedly happened right outside her house, and guess what? Her ex texted her to ask if she was okay. Now, I’m not saying she caused the accident, but it makes you wonder—is this really how manifestation is supposed to work? Is it magic, science, or something in between?
In this article, we’re going to break down what manifestation really is, what it isn’t, and how you can actually make it work—without falling for the quick-fix hype.
She Blinded Me with Science!
Let’s get one thing clear before anything else: manifestation is not just “wishing” things into existence. And quantum physics is here to back it up!
The so-called “Observer Effect” says that things don’t exist in a solid form until somebody actually observes them. Before we look, everything is just a bunch of possibilities. But once we focus our attention, those possibilities turn into something real.
Sound familiar? When it comes to manifestation, the idea is that what you focus on can become reality. By directing your energy towards something you want (rather than something you don’t), you’re helping bring those possibilities into existence.
But here’s the catch: manifestation is about acting as well. Quantum Entanglement, also known as “spooky action at a distance,” suggests that everything in the universe is interconnected, no matter the distance. Think of entangled particles like an object and its shadow: whenever one moves, so does the other.
Manifestation is no different. You want to be rich? Merely wishing for it will not bring it to you on a silver platter—start acting like the rich! Look to people who have made it, study them, and pick up some of their habits—you have to align your actions with your intentions. It doesn’t have to be something big; what I like to say is when you lift a third of a finger, God will do the rest of the lifting for you. All it takes is that one step.
So, by consciously channeling both your intentions and efforts towards one goal, you’re entangling yourself with that future. You get pulled towards the reality that you want—great, right?
It gets even better: words and emotions have a say in it as well. This brings us to an interesting experiment by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese pseudoscientist. It’s a pretty solid example of how our thoughts, emotions, and words can influence our reality—at least on a spiritual level.
In his famous experiment, Emoto placed labels with positive or negative words on two glasses filled with pure, distilled water and left them overnight. Then, come morning, he froze the water and looked at both glasses through a microscope. He claimed that water labeled with “love” and “gratitude” formed beautiful crystals while frozen. Meanwhile, water labeled as “you make me sick, I will kill you” had “ugly” shapes—it actually looked very similar to a sample of polluted water.
And since our bodies are made up of 80% water, it makes you wonder…
Words and Emotions Are Magic!
Now, Emoto’s findings haven’t been scientifically validated to be considered hard science—some scientists heavily dispute his claims. But I do think they make an important point: the energy you put out into this world matters. Our thoughts, words, and emotions toward others, as well as toward ourselves, carry energy. When you’re setting out an intention into the universe, the emotions you attach to that intention are the building blocks for what will come to pass. It’s important that we pay a little mind to the headspace we’re in before we set out to completely change our lives.
That is a lesson I learned on my own. A few years ago, I was (very) tired of being single, so I set out to manifest my ideal partner. One day, I just grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down all the qualities I wanted him to have. Then, I hid it so I’d forget about it and went on with my life.
A few months later, I met my ex-boyfriend, and what do you know—he checked 97% of the items I’d written on that list! But we still broke up. So, what did I do wrong?
Well, for one thing, I didn’t set the intention with the right mindset. I was so desperate to just be loved by somebody, so tired of being lonely… it was also during lockdown, so you can imagine how wiggly the building blocks I was trying to build this Ideal Partner Jenga on were. Then, I focused on the details too much and actually ended up losing the desired outcome from sight: to have a loving, healthy relationship, with whoever it may be! It’s actually funny, because some of the characteristics I wrote on that list went completely against me. I wrote that I want him to be close to his family and his mother, and it ended up being part of the reason why we broke up in the first place! Ouch, lesson learned.
So, what did I learn? Manifestation isn’t just about thinking—it’s about aligning your mindset, intentions, and actions. But if you’re wondering why your manifestations aren’t working, let’s look at the most common mistakes people make.
Manifestation Mistakes to Avoid
When we manifest from a place of desperation or fear, our energy is misaligned. Instead of attracting what we want, we end up reinforcing the feelings of lack that we’re trying to escape. And when you focus on manifesting a specific person or outcome, it limits the universe’s ability to bring you what’s actually best for you.
The overload of information on the internet is not really helping either. We see all sorts of fancy words thrown around such as “law of detachment,” “release control,” “let go” without any substantial explanation or actionable steps to take. Allow me to cut to the chase: if your manifestation is not working, answer these questions honestly…
- What is the desired outcome?
- Do you think you deserve it?
- Really. Do you think you deserve it?
- Do you think you’re capable of achieving it?
If all of your answers are a resounding “yes,” then take a look at your visualization. You’re manifesting a healthy relationship—are you focusing on a specific person? A rich lifestyle—are you focusing on a specific field of work or method of getting to it? Focusing too much on details when manifesting is like going to an Italian restaurant and ordering pasta, and then giving the chef step-by-step instructions on how to make it—exactly the way you do it at home. Your mind often puts limits on what you think you can achieve because it’s trained that way. When you let go of the details, you allow the universe to bring something even better than you imagined.
Now, for those of you who answered “no” on any of the questions above, here’s what you can do.
How To Manifest Correctly
- Believe you deserve it
Change how you think by flipping negative thoughts. Write them down, cross them out, and replace them with positive ones. For example, if you’re thinking, “I’ll never find love,” replace it with its polar opposite, “I’m worthy of so much love!” (pro tip: it helps writing it down and crossing out the negative thought). - Manifest from a positive emotion
Like I’ve told you before, it’s important to feel good when you’re setting out an intention. But often a “feel good” state doesn’t come from the mind. Anxiety, for example, doesn’t come from the mind; it’s stored in the body, and it activates when the nervous system perceives a pattern similar to a past pattern that caused you trauma. I won’t bore you with too many details, but the gist of it I think is pretty clear: you’re not going to solve that kind of nervous system breakdown with a journaling session.
So, the best way to quickly release any stress before you set out an intention is to do breathing exercises, or even meditate. If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, try breathing in for 4 seconds, out for 5 for as long as you need.
Insecure or feeling unworthy? Stand up tall, puff out your chest, hands on your hips. You’ll probably think you look ridiculous, but trust me, it helps. - Stop tryna be God
Trust that whatever mighty power you’re asking of has your back. The Universe knows how to get you where you want it to. All you have to do is stay open to possibilities you might not have even considered (such as, there’s probably someone way better out there than the guy you’ve been pining on for the past year). - Gratitude & Forgiveness
Take a moment to be grateful for something or someone in your life today—big or small. It’s not about the logistics; it’s about the feeling. Just saying “thank you” makes you feel good—remember Emoto’s water experiment?
Speaking of which, in one of his experiments, Dr. Emoto had a Buddhist monk pray over polluted water, and the results were amazing. According to him, the prayer helped purify the water.
Prayer is a lot like this little ritual. After gratitude, practice forgiveness—take a moment to forgive those who’ve wronged you, and ask for forgiveness from anyone you may have wronged. It doesn’t have to be specific—just say, “I forgive all who have wronged me,” and “I ask for forgiveness from all I’ve wronged.”
It’s less about the exact words and more about truly meaning it. For many of us who grew up with prayer on autopilot, reframing it as a cleansing ritual helps keep it authentic and meaningful. - Language matters
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) teaches that the language we use shapes how we experience the world, including when we manifest. If you’re using negative phrasing like, “I don’t want to be broke,” your subconscious focuses on the “broke” part, not the “don’t.” Instead, reframe your thoughts positively: “I attract abundance.” When your mind believes it, your actions will follow! - Do it!
Every day, try to make a small step towards your goal, be it watching a video on it, buying something… I promise you, it will not feel like a chore—the secret lies in the intentions you set and the emotions that back them up. If they’re coming from a good place, working towards your goal will soon start to feel effortless.
Manifestation requires the right mindset, action, and emotional alignment. Believe you deserve the life you’re asking for, let go of control, and trust that the universe will deliver what’s best for you—even if it doesn’t look exactly like what you imagined.
The universe is working with you, but you need to take the first step. Start small, stay consistent, and stay open to the endless possibilities that will unfold.
Now go out there and make it happen.
