I used to believe that manifesting was totally effortless, easy peasy, but the reality is it takes focus and clear intention. And here’s the thing, my friends: affirmations, scripting, acting as if, visualization, and so forth are simply tools. I like to think of them as our preferred ways to reach the end result.
Let’s say you are taking a trip to the beach, you may prefer to fly to the beach, or you may prefer to ride the train to the beach, or you may prefer to drive to the beach, or you may prefer to rideshare with others.
However you travel, your result is enjoying the soothing sounds of the waves with the sand between your toes. Your preferred mode of transportation will afford you the opportunity to experience the fun in the sun.
For many years, I confused the tool (affirmations, scripting, visualization) as the way—the way to get the goods I so desperately wanted in my life. I drilled affirmations into my brain with force and rigidity and no concern for how it would make me feel.
I bounced from Law of Attraction tool to tool, thinking each was a magic bullet for my desires. However, the tool helps us get clear and get into the feeling of having it now, feeling excited and oh, so good! There are many tools, so we can align with the tool that feels the best to us. Remember, all we have is the present, the now.
Once I fully embodied that manifesting is simply consistent, focused thoughts saturating my mind or aligning my thoughts with what I truly wanted, it was a done deal. What we focus on expands, and so often we expend countless hours being married to our self-limiting thoughts.
According to recent research, our brains think more than 60,000 thoughts per day, although many of our thoughts are the same repetitive, limiting thoughts we thought the day before, the week before, the month before, the year before, and so on.
Manifesting deliberate creation takes effort—there I said it. It requires us to become aware of our feelings and how we want to feel. We can only focus on one thought at a time. And remember our brains are like butterflies: flying from flower to flower, never standing still.
Our brains are trained to seek evidence, so let me share my story of how I used my focus and the power of God (we co-create friends—it’s not all in our hands) to heal my body.
In April of 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer—the dreaded Big C. From the day I received the diagnosis, I thought and believed I was healed. Here’s how I used my thoughts and co-created a beautiful healing journey:
When I received the phone call and was told I had breast cancer, in that moment I chose healing. As I spoke to my beloved husband and heard his fear-filled voice, I made a choice to believe in my healing.
Therefore, I advised my husband to stay at work after learning the news of my diagnosis so that I could go to my Friday afternoon nail appointment and Costco shopping trip. There was no time for tears, fears, and all those things. I did what I felt a healed me would do—get my nails done, LOL!
I shared my diagnosis with very few people as I didn’t want anyone fussing over me; I wanted as much normalcy as possible for my family and myself. I didn’t need the belief of a hype team.
Often we share with others for their encouragement, but I believed with every fiber in my being I was already healed. I also didn’t want to hear the stories of doubt, worry, and have to use my precious energy to build the belief of others. In my mind, I was clearly healed—boom!
I got super clear on how I wanted my treatment plan to go. I met with a team of doctors and listened attentively to all of the options. I wanted a double mastectomy with reconstruction. I didn’t waiver in my clarity and treatment plan.
I was told, “Mrs. Owens, our insurance specialist will follow up with your insurance to determine coverage.” I thought of this as a “done deal” and was always grateful for the insurance approvals being handled swiftly and efficiently (or better). They were!
Even when I thought about staying in the hospital after a five-hour double mastectomy, I set the intention to come home after a smooth surgery the very next day—and I did! I set the intention for a smooth treatment and for God to bless and support my healing in ways beyond my imagination—He did.
And even when things seemed to be getting derailed (for example, having to wait to have the surgery scheduled due to the coordination of the doctor’s schedules) I believed this was divine timing and perfection serving me well.
As I moved forward with a chemotherapy regimen, I believed in my mind I was the caregiver and not the patient. I bought wigs and planned for outfits for chemo in advance.
I am a total girly girl and love the latest fashion, so, to me, being the caregiver supporting someone with chemo meant wearing cute sundresses, and I did. I loved hearing the staff compliment me. This catapulted my determination to act as if I was healed and believe fiercely in my healing.
As I sat and had chemo, I didn’t do puzzles or read mystery novels—not me; I was healed. I thought about what would bring me joy and planned trips. I looked at resorts, hotels, condos and basked in the joy of traveling.
Remember, I was healed! It made my heart leap with excitement and made the time pass faster. And, of course, I set the intention to experience these amazing places with my family, and we did!
Manifesting takes concentrated effort to clearly focus on what you want. You don’t have to obsess over what you want all day, every day, but basking in the end result of your manifestation should bring you joy.
It doesn’t matter what you see in your 3D. As you focus on what you want and learn to give gratitude in all things, the 3D doesn’t even bother you because you are so firmly planted in your manifestation. You have a calm yet clear knowingness that your manifestation is coming.
For me, the stronger the knowingness, the less attached I am to the how, because I know it’s happening. Release your attachment to your painful past and self-limiting thoughts, and firmly plant thoughts of who you want to become and how you want to feel in your head. Hold those thoughts, water them often, and allow them to grow as you co-create the life of your dreams!
