Gratitude, Upfront: Is Manifestation for Real?

Michael Phelps has won more gold medals than any other human.  What most people don’t know is that before each of those races, he had already seen himself win thousands of times.  One of the keys to his success was visualizing the perfect race, something he did for many years each morning and evening.  Visualization has become more popular in sports psychology over the last few decades, and the results have been robust.  It makes sense that mentally rehearsing what you want to have happen is helpful.  When Michael’s goggles failed in the 2008 Olympics in China, he remained calm, and reconnected with the 1000’s of times he had seen himself win the race already in his mind.  Unable to see at all the last lap, he went ahead and set a world record anyway.

A related practice to visualization called manifestation has become a more popular concept and practice for many.  Manifestation is essentially visualization coupled with heightened emotion.  The practice of manifestation asks us to visualize what we want and go ahead feel what we would feel if we already had what we were visualizing.  “As if it has already happened” is a refrain you’ll hear a lot if you start poking around the manifestation scene.  I think there is serious merit in this idea.  

After spending 3 years seriously focused on sports psychology, the best possible advice I could give is to see exactly what you want and then feel grateful for it having already happened.  This technique gives a clear instruction to our body and relaxes our mind - a formula for peak performance.

However, I think many manifesters take it one step too far.  The technique has enough power that some get carried away.  They begin to assert that nothing needs to be done other than manifestation.  Manifest correctly (i.e. with zero doubt) and things will happen spontaneously.  You can find thousands of social media shorts claiming people received mysterious checks in the mail after manifesting with total confidence.  These reality warping claims are misguided in degree but not in direction.  Manifesting is a powerful tool; it just won't build your business by itself.  Let’s not lose touch with reality, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water either.

It is noteworthy that most of us do not visualize or manifest.  We generally do not stop and sit down and use our mind’s capacity to imagine exactly what we want.  Even meditation usually makes no effort in this direction.  Almost everyone would agree that it is better to be intentional, and yet so much of our lives seem to unfold without intentionality.  Does visualizing what we want make that outcome more or less likely?  I think the answer is obvious.

When it comes to the newer practice of manifestation, I encourage you to try it!  Visualize just what you want, then combine that intention with an elevated emotion.  What emotion?  The emotion you would feel if what you were visualizing had already come into being, namely, gratitude.  In other words, pay upfront in gratitude for life’s gifts.  Instead of waiting to receive the blessings of life before being grateful, try being grateful and then see what happens.  While I wouldn’t expect miracles without additional action, the results may surprise you.

The practice (i.e. regular exercise) of manifestation has two key benefits.  First, I wager that doubt stops more people than ineptitude.  By visualizing and giving thanks, we greatly decrease our doubt and increase our confidence, faith, and trust.  We obviously still have to do the work.  No one is winning gold medals from visualization alone.  But no one is winning gold medals with confidence either.  Second, it reverses the tendency to get caught up in a rat race of never ending pursuit without fulfillment.  Tony Robbins says achieving without fulfillment is the worst kind of failure.  By giving thanks before we receive, we receive in a greater state of abundance.  After all, we say thanks for our meals before we eat them.

All of this is useless without experimentation.  Try it for yourself.  Take 2-3 minutes in the morning or evening and visualize exactly what you want.  It can be broad or highly specific.  Then imagine your visualization is already fulfilled.  Give thanks.  See what happens.  And let me know.