Manifestation for Beginners: A Guide to Realizing Your Dream Life

Deciding to manifest can be game-changing, leading to the life you’ve always dreamed of. But where to start? What techniques to use? What does progress look like? The great thing for those getting started with manifestation is, there’s a lot of information out there. The problem is that there’s a lot of information out there. Whether you’re a newbie or have tried and lost your way, we’ve got you covered. Our manifestation for beginners guide will cover what you need to know, sans fluff, to get you moving in the right direction.

What is Manifestation?

Manifestation is about creation and transformation, making your dreams, wants, and desires a reality. The aim is to create a positive mindset, focus your thoughts, align your energy with what you want to achieve, and take action towards your goal(s).

The great thing about manifestation is that anyone can do it and the techniques can be applied to anything – e.g. experiences, relationships, life circumstances, material things, finances, career/job.

Like anything, there’s a learning curve. But once you’ve grasped the basics, you can start to make positive changes.

The Law of Attraction

A core manifestation principle, the Law of Attraction states that you attract into your life what you apply your energy, attention, and focus to.

Why? It’s the Universe responding to our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Like attracts like, meaning you’re a magnet for the vibrational energy you put into the world. When you put out positivity, you get positivity back. That also goes for negativity, and everything in between.

Read our article – What is the Law of Attraction…

“You are the vibrational writers of the script of your life–and everyone else in the Universe is playing the part that you have assigned to them. You can literally script any life that you desire, and the Universe will deliver to you the people, places, and events just as you decide them to be.”
– Abraham-Hicks

To use the Law of Attraction effectively:

Set clear intentions
Visualize your desired outcomes
Maintain a positive mindset to keep your vibration high

The Manifestation Mindset

Another core tenet of manifestation is mindset. For manifesting, that means focusing on the good in our lives and releasing negative thoughts and emotions. That’s important if we want the Law of Attraction working in our favor (like attracts like). The approach is two-fold: 1) The right mindset, and 2) Practical exercises to develop a manifestation mentality.

Mindset refers to our attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives that shape how we make sense of ourselves and interpret and react to the world around us.

Positive Mindset

Limiting beliefs about ourselves and the world we live in are a common barrier to manifesting, often leading to feelings of fear, self-doubt, and behavior such as negative self-talk. Cultivating a positive mindset involves identifying those stubborn beliefs and replacing them with positive, empowering ones. That might seem like an oversimplification of the process, but some activities can help achieve a more positive mindset.

Such activities, which we’ll discuss below, include:

Affirmations
Positive self-talk
Journaling
Practicing gratitude

“I have noticed that the Universe loves gratitude. The more grateful you are, the more goodies you get. When I say ‘goodies,’ I don’t mean only material things. I mean all the people, places and experiences that make life so wonderfully worth living.”
– Louise Hay

Abundance Mindset

An essential component of a manifestation-centered mind. An abundance mindset means having a plentiful perspective on the world. This is important for two reasons.

Firstly, you see the world as having enough resources, success, wealth, and opportunities to go around. Without that view, why even bother to manifest? Believe there’s enough available for you, despite what anyone else may have.

The opposite is a scarcity mindset, which sees everything as finite. There’s not enough to go around and therefore competition for everything, which can engender negative emotions such as envy.

When setting intentions, an abundant perspective is necessary to ensure your manifestation goals aren’t limited by a scarce worldview.

Beyond that, an abundance mentality can be nurtured.

Secondly, recognize the abundance in your current circumstances. What? But isn’t that why we’re trying to manifest a better and more abundant life?! Yes, but a critical part of manifesting involves gratitude, which raises your vibration. Once you recognize the abundance you have and are genuinely grateful for it, the Universe responds in kind.

“Grateful souls focus on the happiness and abundance present in their lives and this in turn attracts more abundance and joy towards them.”
– Stephen Richards

For more, read our articles on:

Getting Started with Manifestation: 5 Steps

Before anything, it’s important to be mindful of the manifestation process. In this section, we’ll walk through the order of things before looking deeper at the tools and techniques available.

Setting clear and achievable goals/intentions
Ask, believe, receive
Address negative thinking
Take action
Practice gratitude
Live a high vibration lifestyle

1) Setting Clear and Achievable Goals/Intentions

You must be crystal clear on what you want to manifest. Imagine you want a new job. Just saying that you want a role that’s better than the one you’ve got is far too vague. It’s time to get specific. Ask yourself questions include, but not limited to:

What would having a new job mean to you?
Why does career progression matter to you?
What responsibilities does that new job have?
What will you be doing day-to-day?
What type of organization will you be working in?
What sort of people will you be interacting with?
What does success look like in that new position?
How will success feel like in that new role?

What you want to manifest should be specific and authentic, allowing you to become emotionally in tune with the outcome. This will guide your actions and let the Law of Attraction work effectively. Without a clear picture, you’ll emit a mixed frequency to the Universe, and results will be patchy.

It’s important to be realistic, but also don’t be afraid to dream big. Push the envelope a bit. What does the ideal career move look like? What are the qualities you want in a soul mate? What’s the ideal layout and location of your next home?

2) Ask, Believe, Receive

Ask

Once you’re completely clear on what you want to manifest, it’s time to tap into the power of the Universe. This is two parts in one because asking is immediately followed by sustained belief, which lasts throughout the process.

How do you connect with the Universe to ask?

Convert the questions above into statement form, write it in a journal
Create a vision board
Meditate and visualize
Follow the 369 method

Choose any or all methods but again, the key is clarity, you must say exactly what you want to manifest with the level of detail…

“The thoughts and energy that you send out into the universe will always attract back to you, in one form or another, things and experiences that match those thoughts and energy. This is the Law of Attraction at work in your life.”
– Jack Canfield

Believe

Once you’ve communicated what you want to manifest, it’s important to believe that you already have it, albeit, in the unseen. This is because the Law of Attraction mirrors what’s top of mind. If you’re thinking about the lack of what you want, that’s the frequency you’re transmitting, and it’s what the Universe responds to.

“You must believe that you have received. You must know that what you want is yours the moment you ask. You must have complete and utter faith. If you had placed an order from a catalogue you would relax, know you were going to receive what you ordered, and get on with you life.”
– Rhonda Byrne

Receive

After asking and believing, it’s time to get into the mindset of receiving, which involves feeling good. Feeling good will ensure that you’re on the right frequency to receive. That applies to your primary manifestation goal but also to the little gifts you might receive along the way.
And that’s what the process involves from here on. So let’s move on to part three, addressing negative thinking.

3) Address Negative Thinking

In terms of the order of things, negative thinking is something that manifestors should be mindful of and take steps to address right the way through.

At the start of this process, you want to think freely and imagine what you truly want to manifest. Self-doubt and fear can inhibit ambition and a dream-big mentality.

Negative thinking can include fear and limiting beliefs such as thinking you’re not capable, worthy, or good enough. Firstly, it’s important to be mindful of these thoughts. What beliefs do you hold that might sabotage progress toward your manifesting goal(s)?

What techniques are there to help you let go of limiting beliefs:

Replace with alternative beliefs
Challenge limiting beliefs
Think best-case scenarios
Affirmations

4) Take Action

This is where things start moving. Getting the Law of Attraction working is important, but nothing will happen without action that aligns with your manifestation goal(s).

“You can have many great ideas in your head, but what makes the difference is the action. Without action upon an idea, there will be no manifestation, no results, and no reward.”
– Don Miguel Ruiz

Think about the actionable steps necessary to make progress towards manifesting. Let’s say you’re looking for your next career move:

Register for the right job search websites
Arrange networking opportunities
Contact recruiters that specialize in your chosen field
Take steps to improve your interviewing skills
Look back at your working history and articulate examples where you’ve demonstrated certain skills or gained experience
Update your resume
List the criteria for the type of company you’d like to work next

5) Practice Gratitude

A mission-critical activity, if you’re serious about manifesting, gratitude is non-negotiable as part of your manifestation journey.

I would think about gratitude in terms of three categories.

Firstly, the everyday things in life that you would acknowledge and be thankful for as part of a regular gratitude practice. Recognizing these things can help to shift you from a scarcity to an abundance mindset, get you thinking more positively, and generally serve to raise your vibration.

Secondly, appreciation for the things that bring you closer to what you want to manifest. If you’re looking for a new job, you might see an article about interview tips relevant to your industry. If you’re looking for your soul mate, perhaps a video on your YouTube feed provides new insights on approaches to dating and relationships. If you’re starting an online business, an e-commerce store for example, perhaps you come across a thought leader who offers articles, podcasts, eBooks, and tutorials on a range of relevant topics that can help you make progress.

Thirdly, there’s the grand manifestation itself, the big win.

Most gratitude takes place on the journey, rather than it being all about the outcome. Numbers one and two are about recognizing and appreciating the little things, the small wins.

Make it part of your daily routine by journaling. Just 10 minutes at the end of the day is fine. Go further, be thankful for the little things as you go about your day. Just a thought is all it takes.

For inspiration, check out our articles:

6) Live a High Vibration Lifestyle

The energy (or vibrational frequency) we send out into the world is reflected back to us. It’s like attracts like. You attract what you are, not what you want. Therefore, it’s important to live a life that helps you maintain a positive outlook and keeps your vibration high.

In practice, do stuff that makes you happy! Not just anything of course. Think about what wholesome activities you can slot into your schedule that will most positively impact your physical and emotional well-being.

What counts as a vibration-raising activity? Here are some suggestions:

Physical exercise (e.g. jogging, gym, a yoga class, team sports)
Creative activities (e.g. art, writing, sculpture, woodwork)
Acts of kindness (e.g. volunteering, donating to charity)
Decluttering
Meditation
Healthy eating
Spending time in nature
Self-care (e.g. treat yourself to a massage, take a relaxing bath)
Listen to music

Rather than any of these activities being special or a one-off. Bake them into your routine. This list is just a taster and there are many other things you can do besides.

Essential Manifestation Techniques For Beginners

Visualization

Creative Visualization

Creating a mental image of what you want to manifest is a powerful technique – it inspires you and communicates what you want to achieve to the Universe. An oft-cited example is athletes using it before and during competition. But the practice isn’t exclusive to elite sportspeople. It has a range of applications and everyday uses where a positive vision can help achieve an outcome, e.g. job interviews, preparing for a date, creative pursuits, exam/test performance, and managing stress.

For manifesting, it’s a method where it’s best to use all senses to make the vision as vivid as possible. Feel the emotions associated with what you want to manifest helps to raise your vibration by aligning your thoughts, emotions, and actions with the outcome by sending a clear signal to the Universe.

Vision Boards

A vision board is an area where imagery, text, and symbols can be placed, which represents aspects of how you see your future. It can be a general look at your life or focus on a specific outcome such as relationships, health, or a home.

Say you’re trying to manifest a career outcome, you might include:

Pictures of a competent-looking person delivering a presentation to an engaged audience
Two smartly dressed people shaking hands to represent successful business relationships
Quotes that reference achievement and career progression
Pictures of a networking event
The logo of a professional organization you hope to join
A certificate to represent an industry qualification you want to get
Images of real people who have been successful on that career path
A mock-up of a LinkedIn profile or resume that shows your experience in five years

A vision board is highly personal. There aren’t many rules to follow because it’s about inspiring you to progress towards your goals. Have fun with it and refer to it for motivation. Tinker with it to your heart’s content!

Read our article…

75 Visualization Quotes to Inspire You Towards Your Goals

Affirmations

Affirmations are short repeatable phrases that can alter how you think and feel about yourself, and how you perceive the world.

They can be repeated at any time or place, out loud, in your head, or written down, which is part of what makes them so popular.

The idea is that repeating these statements can overtake any negative thought patterns resulting in a mindset shift in a given context. For example, they can help with self-confidence (i.e. perhaps you’re going to make a presentation at work), resilience in challenging times, and general well-being.

In terms of manifesting, affirmations can raise your vibration. For those experiencing negative emotions (e.g. stress, anxiety, low self-worth), well-worded affirmations can help to shift your energy and turn those feelings around.

Use them to remind yourself that you’re worthy of the end manifestation goal, or to overcome adverse situations on the journey such as job interviews, exams, or public speaking. If you’re trying to manifest a new relationship, speaking affirmations to overcome nerves and other self-limiting beliefs before going on a date, for example.

They can be used for a variety of purposes such as:

Achieving success
Abundance and prosperity
Taking action
Love and relationships
Self-esteem
Motivation
Health
Weight loss and fitness

Gratitude

Authentic gratitude is about recognizing and being genuinely grateful for what we have in our lives. That could be things about yourself (e.g. health, abilities, etc.), things about your life (e.g. people and relationships, living situation, job, etc.), or the wider world (being in nature, a beautiful sunset, opportunities to travel, etc.)

Acknowledging what is present in your life helps shift from a scarcity to an abundance mindset, i.e. seeing the world as plentiful. There’s enough to go around and therefore you can manifest your desires.

Gratitude is one of, if not the most powerful techniques you can employ in the manifesting process. There are zero barriers to starting immediately and it can be practiced anywhere. It’s super low effort so the return on the investment of your time is immense.

We’ll keep this section short because if you want more on this topic, we’ve got an entire article devoted to the role of gratitude in manifestation >

Journaling

A manifestation journal is a working document to track all aspects of your journey from idea to outcome.

Positivity is a foundation of manifestation. To manifest, we must believe it’s possible and align our thoughts, actions, and energy to make it happen. Journaling reinforces that process by providing a place to record intention statements, affirmations, gratitude lists, progress, signs and synchronicities, planned activities to raise our vibration, and more. Daily morning and nightly entries can help to maintain a positive mindset.

For more information, read our article on manifestation journal prompts >

Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation is a great way to calm internal chatter and persistent thoughts. It creates the right conditions to raise your vibration and align your energy with your manifestation intentions.

For beginners, guided meditations are best and there are many to choose from that focus on general topics that can improve well-being and nurture a positive mindset, such as self-worth, confidence, self-esteem, self-love, gratitude, overcoming procrastination, reprogramming limiting beliefs, goal setting, abundance, and many more.

There are also manifestation-specific guided meditations that you can try straight away.

The best place to start…
Download the Insight Timer app to your phone or tablet and access a range of high-quality free guided meditations on manifestation, the Law of Attraction, and just about anything else you can think of!

Get a personalized start with Insight Timer here >

Scripting

An effective manifestation technique – scripting involves writing about what you want to manifest as if it’s happening now or has already been achieved. It’s complimentary to visualization, except that you’re physically putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard.

As you write and reflect, you’re feeling what it’s like to experience your desires manifested. Like attracts like, so that’s where the Law of Attraction positively kicks in, matching your energy with what you wish to bring into your life.

You can use scripting for anything, it works on all levels from how you’d like a sales meeting to run, to yearlong round-the-world travel.

The basic scripting process:

Choose the topic of your manifestation script (e.g. wanting a new job, buying a new car)
Decide whether to write in present or past tense
Either is fine, but don’t write in future tense because that communicates a lack of having what you’re trying to manifest. The Universe responds with more lack.
Relax and clear your mind
A short, guided meditation can do the trick. Again, Insight Timer can help out here.
Start writing
Include as many details as you can. Elaborate on how the experience of having manifested what you want feels. Consider your senses – say you want a new car so in addition to seeing it, what about smell and physical touch?
Review and revise
Check whether your writing accurately describes your goal. Do this after a few days when your mind is fresh.
Track your progress
Look at which parts of your script have been achieved. Note down or highlight what has been realized. Remember that the outcome you scripted may not happen all at once. For example, if you scripted getting a new job to advance your career and all that entails, your script would include getting the job itself, but also things like building a wider professional network, gaining further industry qualifications, and receiving recognition for achievements. The job might have manifested and that’s a huge tick, but the other components of the script will come later. This is where it’s important to look back at those manifestation steps and trust the process. The Universe knows the best way for this to play out.

Advanced Techniques

1) 369 Method

This is an effective approach to affirmations and manifesting based on principles from numerology and the Law of Attraction. It’s widely practiced and easy to incorporate into your daily manifestation routine.

In a nutshell, it involves writing down your manifestation goal three times in the morning, six times during the day, and nine times in the evening. This helps to stay focused on your intentions, raise your vibration, and ultimately attract what you desire.

Consistency is critically important so follow a specific format for writing and don’t skip the times you’ve allocated each morning, afternoon, and evening.

Please read our guide on practicing the 369 manifestation method…

2) Essential Oils

Known for their therapeutic and aromatic properties, using essential oils dates back thousands of years for spiritual and healing purposes.

They can also help with manifestation by, for example – uplifting our energy levels, creating the right ambiance, enhancing clarity, and raising our vibration.

Because of their unique qualities, some are suited to certain manifestation outcomes such as – relationships, financial abundance, etc.

For example:

Jasmine is known to have properties that support love and relationships
Patchouli can assist those seeking abundance and financial prosperity
Lavender and camomile are associated with calmness
Rosemary can aid focus and clarity

Essential oils should be part of a holistic approach alongside other techniques mentioned in this article.

For more, please read our article on the best essential oils for manifesting…

Manifestation for Beginners FAQs

How long does it take to manifest something?

The timeframe can vary depending on a range of factors such as the clarity of your intention, alignment with the Universe, and your actions. You might see results in days, or it can take considerably longer. Patience and trust (in the Universe) are key. Look for signs and synchronicities on your manifesting journey for clues to how you’re progressing and remember to stay consistent in your manifesting practice.

Can anyone manifest?

ABSOLUTELY! Manifestation is open to anybody who wants to try, regardless of age, background, or personal characteristics. Follow the right processes/practices, maintain a positive mindset, trust the Universe, and stay consistent. Best of luck!

What should I do if I start to have negative thoughts?

It’s impossible to stay upbeat all the time. Negative feelings can creep in at times, but it’s how we react to them that matters. Accept that negativity is a natural part of life and acknowledge those feelings if they arise. Practicing gratitude, positive self-talk with affirmations, and self-care activities such as meditation can help to switch up your mindset and remain positive.

Why do my intentions need to be specific?

Intentions lay the foundations of successful manifestation. Detailed intentions allow you to visualize what you want more vividly and feel the emotions of having manifested already. We The Universe can’t respond to a general request for a soulmate. Get specific – what is their personality like? What are interests and hobbies do they have? What do they look like? How do they make you feel?