How to manifest your dreams is in essence a spiritual desire. My spiritual journey started many years ago and included a time when I read The Power of Intention by the remarkable Dr. Wayne Dyer. I was always naturally a driven, motivated person and routinely set goals. But intuitively I knew there was a better way.
Goals vs. Intention
Setting goals culturally is looked upon as a positive life-enriching activity. However, as I have grown spiritually, I have found that there is a significant difference between goals and intention. Goals are things you want, typically driven by culture or selfish self-aggrandizing want. Things like best job, big house, more money, etc. These things are not bad desires, in fact, they are most often very good things. However, if the ego is involved and you desire them at the expense of others, then they are not divine. They ultimately include competition and thoughts of scarcity, a my-gain-is-your-loss attitude.
Intention or manifestation on the other hand, is completely driven by feelings of gratitude, joy, and love
and a compassion and concern for the well-being of others. Ego driven selfish feelings cannot co-exist with feelings of gratitude, joy, and love. Intention typically is meant to enrich the lives of others through service and feelings of abundance. Goals are normally meant to enrich you. Period. Intention and goals in reality then, are opposite, conflicting principles. How to manifest needs to start in the understanding that it blesses the life of others as well as yourself.
As I now look back at my life, I recognize that I raced past many things that I now I see were meant to enrich my life and the lives of others. Things that were divinely inspired. I zipped right past beautiful opportunities on my path to my “goals,” those things that were red herrings for success and joy.
I no longer set goals. I set intentions.
I frequently get blank stares of confusion when people ask me about the practice of setting goals. Libraries are full of books by leaders of thought extolling the virtues of goal setting. I’m here to tell you that unless the goals are divinely inspired rather that ego-driven, which they rarely are, they are leading you down a path that is ultimately empty and filled with regret.
Goals are typically things you want in your life. Again, in and of themselves not bad. We all want a successful career, a nice home, a beautiful car, etc. The problem is that we use those things to define our own value, and to diminish the value of other people. They are outward desires. Your value is inside you. We use those things, outward things, to tell us we are important. We use those things to divide us from other people, i.e. the rich neighborhood, the country club, the private school. They become things laced with ego, and where ego is you will not find love. Where love can’t be found, God can’t be found. It really is that simple.
The Disease of Competition
Competition is culturally accepted. In fact, competition is considered virtuous and those who are competitive are viewed frequently as people to admire and follow.
The best athlete wants his opponent at his best.
The best general enters the mind of his enemy.
The best businessman serves the communal good.
The best leader follows the will of the people.
All of them embody the virtue of non-competition.
Not that they don’t love to compete,
but they do it in the spirit of play.
In this, they are like children
and in harmony with the Tao.
Lao Tzu
(Tao Te Ching, chapter 68, translation by Stephen Mitchell)
I am naturally highly competitive. For me, winning was always a top priority, regardless of the arena. In sports, academics, work, and truly in every area, I sought to win and, in fact, relished knowing I had beaten an opponent. As I have grown and listened closely to the divine spirit in me, I have learned that competition simply drives that which is divine from my life. That then leads me to traditional “success” that isn’t where God wanted me to go and, therefore, I lost out on the growth and joy found in achievement that is divinely inspired. How does a person know that they are in a place that is not divinely inspired? Simply, do a gut check. How do you feel? Am I feeling joy, love and gratitude? Or am I feeling ego? Your gut will always tell you where you stand. Listen!
What Powers Manifestation?
Earlier I mentioned the impact that the book The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer had on my spiritual growth. It was the foundation of my understanding and implementing how to manifest into my life. According to Dr. Dyer there are seven “faces” of intention. In other words, there are seven foundational characteristics to learning how to manifest something into your life.
- Love
Love should be the start of any desire to manifest something into your life. Simply, love is the strongest, most influential power, known in this world and the next. What you desire must be rooted in love that transcends your own desires. For example, if you desire to manifest money into your life, you must attach the use of that money to benefitting others for it to truly engage the power of the law of attraction.
Love for others, nature, and literally all things, is the primary fuel for how to manifest something into your life.
- Creativity
I love using the word Creativity in the context of spiritual matters. Creativity is the act of creation. People often label themselves as non-creative. They don’t play music, paint, write books, therefore they aren’t creative. I would like to re-define what is meant by creativity in the context of the divine and how to manifest your desires. Creativity is understanding that creation of something is at its core what God or the Divine does. All things tangible and intangible are the result of creativity. You as you are in this moment have the ability of creation. That is manifestation. You are Creative.
- Beauty
Beautiful thoughts build a beautiful soul. I love that. What you think is what is created. Whatever is rooted in love and kindness, simply must be beautiful.
- Kindness
When a person is unkind, they are blocking the power of intention. In other words, if you are unkind, you are thwarting your ability to manifest your desires. Kindness to all things is a expression of love. Not only does kindness impact that which you are kind towards, it impacts you tremendously. The serotonin levels in your brain increase giving you a sense of joy. That sense of joy fuels manifestation.
- Embrace Expansion
The universe is continuously expanding and growing. The Divine Source allows for ongoing and permanent expansion. Manifesting is simply the mechanism with which God uses to do that. All things, whether physical, intellectual, material or spiritual, were at one time non-existent. They didn’t exist (as we know them now). It was only through the Divine originating power that permeates through all things, including you, that thoughts, intention, and ultimately creation happened. Understand that embracing expansion joyfully sets the stage and is a critical part in how to manifest your dreams.
- Abundance
Understanding expansion naturally leads us to the principal of abundance. For some reason, the prevailing culture is that there is not enough to go around. There is not enough money, land, food, jobs, blah, blah, blah. The reality is the universe is fully and completely unlimited in all things. When we focus on scarcity or limitations, that is what is manifested. When we focus in on abundance, that is what you manifest. It is that simple. The next time you say “I can’t afford that,” recognize it for what it is, manifesting scarcity.
- Receptivity
Lastly, we must be curious, excited, and most importantly, open to how the desires you are manifesting will unfold. This goes back to the first of this article when I discussed goals vs. manifestation. We really have no way of knowing how our manifestations will occur. We just need to know that they will occur and let the Divine handle the rest. When we seek to outline or otherwise determine how things will unfold, we may not recognize the opportunities that are all around us. Be open, be receptive.
Now that we have established the foundational elements that are required to truly manifest, let us discuss how to manifest.
How to Manifest Your Intentions?
We all have dreams, desires, and hopes for our lives. We also have a divine journey that those dreams are meant to fulfill. Manifesting, therefore, is a realization of the divine plan that you came here to fulfill. It is important stuff!
How do you manifest your desires?
- Get focused, I mean very focused, on what it is you want.
It is critical that you really dial in on what it is you want. Visualize what you are wanting to manifest. If it is someone to love, see them, feel that love, visualize your times together. Drill down to the most detailed expression of them. Then you must feel them emotionally. How you feel is what fuels manifestation. Saying what you want is important, but ultimately empty unless you feel deeply what you want.
I have found that the best way to get deeply focused is through meditation. It takes practice but can truly be life changing.
- Eliminate limiting thoughts
Your thoughts are the first steps in manifesting your desires. Check them often. Unknowingly we often allow limiting thoughts to creep in. I have found that positive affirmations supporting what I want to manifest are very helpful. Memorize a couple of them and repeat them five times a day. Additionally, when you hear in your mind a limiting thought, repeat the affirmation. You will find that your mind will start automatically cutting off limiting thoughts by replacing them with a positive thought.
- Is the desire, rooted in the 7 faces of intention detailed earlier?
Review this list often. Ultimately, ask yourself if what you are wanting to manifest is rooted in love and kindness and will benefit others. If you want to be rich, focus in on how that money will be used to bless others lives, not only on your big house.
- Use present-tense language
There is power in saying “I Am.” Not only does it suggest that whatever you are feeling or desiring is here now, it represents the power of God or The Divine (“I Am, That I Am”). When you are thinking or speaking about what you are manifesting, use language as if it is already here.
- Act as if you already are experiencing your desire
Using present-tense language is important, but words are empty unless feelings and actions accompany those words. Act as if you already have what you desire. The way you walk, talk and otherwise behave should represent a life with your dreams already there.
- Practice relentless gratitude for receiving your desires
Gratitude is truly the fuel to generate all positive things. We all have things we can focus on that we are grateful for. Gratitude puts you in a state to feel love and kindness. It generates feelings of joy. Simply, starting every day and ending each evening with thoughts of gratitude will change your life, and fuel your ability to manifest your dreams.
- Be patient
Once you have done all of these things, it is now in the hands of God. Do not continuously focus on that which you are manifesting. It inadvertently can turn into focus on your lack of that thing in your life, which ultimately manifests not having it. Have faith that the wheels of heaven are in motion and that which you desire will be here at the right time.
How to manifest your dreams and desires is a beautiful pursuit. The reality is, that you are manifesting the things in your life, whether you know it or not. By controlling what you manifest you will truly enhance your life and ensure you are on the divine journey meant for you in this life. In fact, I believe that the very fact that you are spending time with me reading this, you are learning the next steps into expanding your awareness and spiritual journey. By learning to manifest you are embracing your role as co-creator with God a life filled with joy and fulfillment. Now that is something to be grateful for.
If you enjoyed this article, you may like Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book The Power of Intention. You may also like my article titled Finding Joy in the Journey.
