Does manifestation really work?

Manifestation has become a huge buzz word lately. So the big question is: does manifestation really work? HELL FUCKING YES*. I'm going to start this post with a story and then share the goods on how to use this as a tool in your own life.

A few weeks ago, I saw this beautiful necklace pop on my screen. I had been wanting a crystal triangle necklace ever since Gabby Bernstein started wearing one. I just loved how it looked on her neck, the presence it invoked, the shine - I was instantly attracted to it. So when Tiny Devotions came out with one, I got UBER excited. I immediately went to their website, and was all ready to pop it in my cart when I saw the price tag. $412 CDN. Oops. Hubby gonna kill me. So instead, I popped it on my vision board and said "one day".

As fate would have it, a week later Tiny Devotions popped up in my instagram feed with a giveaway. For that very necklace. Woah. I gotta win this. Instant negative self talk popped in my head: "you never win anything", "don't even bother, you aren't going to win". Instant lack mentality. Its a huge problem for me, and one I am diligently working on fixing. A couple days before this, I watched Gabby Bernstein free workshop on becoming a super attractor (I'm going to share my notes and lessons in this post), and I decided to really put this manifestation stuff to the test.

So I entered the giveaway. And boy, did I enter. In order to enter, you have to have followed Tiny Devotions (duh, already done), and comment with a tag of a friend you want to win with you. SO I nominated all of the beautiful women I know and follow on instagram. Near and far. Then I worked on my mindset. I got super woo-woo. I've learned that in order to get what we want we have to do a few things: have a mindset that we already have what we want, that we deserve it and that we are insanely grateful for it, AND take inspired action towards what we want.

If you have ever seen Eat, Pray, Love, you will remember a scene where she mentions a story: this man kept going to this fountain and saying please please please, let me win the lottery. He kept going back day after day, praying to this fountain and the statue above it. One day, completely frustrated the statue comes to life and simply says, "sir, please please please, buy a ticket". Oh. So that's what I was missing. And what I think we all miss when we want to manifest something. We assume that simply wanting it and wishing it, means we will get it. But this is not the case.

So I had taken inspired action. I tagged like 75 of my closest female friends (aha, some of these people I just love on instagram to be honest). But next, I had to change my mindset. I stepped into my heart, and I imagined how it would feel to wear that necklace. How it would shine in the sun, the compliments I would get for it. I imagined it was on my neck and it was happening right then and there. I imagined the feeling of winning as I sat there holding my heart. And then, I let it go. The morning of the announcement, I tagged some more people and I journaled. I simply took out my phone and wrote this:

And then release. I went about my day. I went for a chiropractic adjustment, I went for a massage. I had a wonderful day. And then, sitting in traffic on my way home from my massage, totally blissed out and jamming to music. My phone went off. It was an instagram message. My heart fluttered, and I began to get excited. I picked up the phone while stopped, and there it was. The DM letting me know I had won. OMG OMG OMG. I immediately started dancing in the car, cranked up the music - I was on a high. It happened. I manifested that shit. I was getting this beautiful necklace. And I felt all of the things I had imagined, and more.

Even thinking about it now, I get a rush. It felt so amazing to have won. But even more amazing to know that this shit worked. I was a believer. I was a super attractor. Woah. And by the way, that necklace is stunningly beautiful. And it brought me so much joy, that I won it and that I won it for a friend. It was like a Christmas present for the both of us. Heart so full of gratitude.

So I want to share the lessons that Gabby shared in that workshop here with you. Here is all the little nuggets of wisdom I took away from it:

First and foremost: be unapologetic about what you desire. You are worthy.

Vision board it. Gabby suggests having a vision board for each area of your life: personal, romantic and biz in particular. Make sure that you feel really good about each and everything that goes on that board. Feel it. Say: this is what I affirm. And practice patience. This is key to being in alignment with your super attractor power.

Remember: I create the world I want to see, AND I create the world I don't want to see. This is a big lesson. We create what we think. We will manifest more negativity if we are constantly in a vibration of negative energy.

There is only one difference between being in alignment and not being in alignment: how you feel. When you are in alignment, you feel good.

Here are her steps to becoming a super attractor:

1. We dictate this power: the universe is always saying yes. What are you a YES for? What are you a yes for that you don't want? Shift your yes. You have to believe in what you want. No one will do this for you. Start by slowing down the momentum of what you don't want. Shift downstream, where everything flows. Recognize when you are out of alignment with what you want - when your thoughts are not in alignment redirect back to alignment. Simply say: I forgive that thought. I forgive myself. It is OK to be out of alignment, just take a moment and step back. Do not judge yourself for being out of alignment. Sometimes the small stuff (think about when you are out of alignment, maybe you are saying I am not worthy of that thing) is revealing to us the big stuff (I am not worthy of that thing, because I am not smart enough or pretty enough, etc).

"In the absence of resistance, all the cells in your body have the capacity to be restored"

Substep: Be kind to yourself. Use your breath to come back into alignment with what you DO want. With what you want to be a YES for. 5-5-5 breath : 5 second inhale, 5 second hold, 5 second exhale. Use this to redirect your focus to positive thought and alignment.

"If you are feeling helpless, help someone. Be of service" - the quickest way back into an abundance mindset

2. It's good to feel good. We often feel more comfortable in fear versus faith. We have an addiction to the fear of good. When we fear good, we fear god. But when we allow ourselves to feel good, and ride the momentum of that energy, there is a ripple effect. Be the light and stand in the truth of who you are. Go deeper in the feeling of good - go for more. Give yourself and others a LOVE BOMB. You don't get what you want, you get what you are. So be good, be happy, be positive, be radiant, be abundant.

3. Take spiritually aligned action. Get into alignment before you start. Like I did with the giveaway, I took action and entered and then believed in my capacity to receive.

Some myths:

Myth 1 - The harder I push, the more I receive. The truth? The more you allow, the more you receive. By trusting the universe, and honouring your desires and saying you are worthy - the universe becomes a yes with you.

Myth 2 - The more you do, the more your worth. The truth? The better you feel, the more you allow. When you feel good, you feel worthy of more. You don't settle. You allow more abundance in.

Myth 3 - There is not enough to go around. The truth? There is an infinite stream of wellbeing. A common misconception, is that there is never enough. Not enough money, health, men, etc to go around. But there is. When you take spiritually aligned action and trust, everything flows.

It's in these moments that alignment is key. Focus on what you desire. On how you want to FEEL. And take a moment to get back into alignment. Meditate. Say to someone "I will get back to you", so that you don't act out of alignment, connect to prayer. Ask yourself this: Am I in joyful alignment, before any action. Slow down.

Speak as if what you want is in the process of coming. Speak about what you want and claim it. I took this advice, and spoke my desire into existence. I allowed my mindset and my desire to be in alignment without judgement, and without attachment to the outcome.

4. Follow the fun.

How do you want to feel? When we ask this, everything changes. Focus on whats thriving.

The appreciation game: get into a dialogue of all the things you appreciate. This gets us into a vibration of joy. Write 3-5 pages everyday of positive aspects or things you are grateful for (I personally write a half page every night, this is more doable for me). Whatever you need to get back into the positive momentum or alignment, to get into that flow.

Have fun along the way. It's sexy to be fun. Everything will happen in perfect time.

5. Put out what you want to receive. Follow the fun becomes important for this step, because it allows us to be in an abundant and joyful mindset. It allows us to put out what we want to receive because we are energetically in alignment. Claim what you want. Put out a positive intention. Example: I desire financial freedom.

Direct your positive intentions to what you want. Get a clear intention. Write 3-5 pages of positive aspects (or your half page, or even three things you are grateful for), and think about them for at least 17 seconds. Place your hand over your heart, and express deep gratitude. If you believe it, you will receive it.

Those were her steps. And they work. Remember: everything is simply energy.

Some other nuggets of wisdom I loved:

+ letting someone vent, can let them hear their own crazy (you can hold space for someone, just protect your own vibration while they vent. Their thoughts, are not your thoughts)

+ sometimes we detour for a reason. Sometimes we hit bottom to see what we really want.

+ My fave: speak your truth. It is in your truth that they will recognize their own. Speak from your heart. Don't speak unless you are aligned. When you do feel aligned, go BIG.

+ when you teach, you heal yourself >> everything is a spiritual assignment for growth. When the teacher is ready, the student will appear.

+ This question: what is the difference between ego and your intuition? Ask this when a thought pops up. Is this thought coming from my head or my heart? This will always guide you back into alignment.

Practice these steps. You can start small. Maybe you want to manifest a giveaway, or $100 or a new job. Practice these steps and report back to me.

In love + light,

XO

* A note on profanity - for the longest time, I avoided using profanity and swearing in my posts so as not to offend people. I had this underlying belief that it wasn't professional. BUT there are a ton of entrepreneurs and soul leaders out there preaching and swearing, and I love it. If it's not for you, that's fine. But I'm not gonna lie, I tend to swear like a trucker in real life - so no more hiding my true authentic self from YOU my dear reader.