You are What You See: the power of manifestation

Blog Author: Emilia Wheaton
​Blog Editor: Kristen Kennedy Smith

Do some of your big dreams seem so far off, so unattainable and complex you have no idea where to start? Maybe you don’t even dare dream these dreams because the mere idea of them seems unapproachable and far off. The irony of the situation is that those scary dreams are the ones closest tied to your soul’s purpose. There’s a myriad of cliche quotes about conquering fear to pursue your dreams...they’re cliche because they are so poetically true: “If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it,” or “Sometimes the greatest rewards in life come from doing the things that scare you the most.” These popular quotes from unknown wise speakers reaffirm the importance of our dreams and can serve to empower us to take steady steps toward them. 

The most powerful first step you can take is breathing life into your dreams by acknowledging them through intentional manifestation. Manifestation is the practice of calling realities into our future through the act of experiencing them ahead of time. By thinking deeply into what we wish our futures to hold we can develop a clear, concrete vision of whatever it is we desire. Taking this vision a step closer and framing our mindset to believe with conviction that we have already experienced this dream come true in reality sets in motion the power of manifestation. Manifestation isn’t synonymous with wishing, it is an optimistic expectation of what will be. Believing something to be true, as if we have already lived it isn’t a delusion, it is a vision. 

What we choose to see--inside ourselves and in our environments--is a key piece of this vision. Cultivating a mindset that is conducive to attaining our dreams can mean framing your thoughts and reactions of the things you experience, limiting your exposure to negative or destructive stimuli and spending time with those whose visions closely align with your own. My personal favorite piece of advice: “Do not take advice from someone you would not trade places with.” On the flip side, spending time with those whose values and visions are similar to yours will reinforce your own manifestations and guide you toward mentors that can help you along the path toward your dreams. This is not to say we should turn a blind eye to the negative aspects of our world (I firmly believe it is important to be aware of current global events), but to consume information mindfully and cautiously. A huge piece of information we consume is embedded within social media, which can be one of our society’s greatest assets or one of our most destructive outlets for negativity. Tread lightly through your social media feeds and consciously decide what you expose your psyche to. If this means unfollowing accounts that spread negative energy around a topic you are focused on uplifting or simply reducing the frequency of which you read the news to what is manageable for strong mental health, so be it. Take conscious steps to curate what you consume via media.

Like the saying “you are what you eat,” I believe we are what we see. We become what we see in ourselves and in our futures. If our heads are full of negative self-talk and we continuously consume media that instills fear or anger within us, we will become fearful, angry, lower vibration versions of ourselves. If we flip the script and fill our heads with positive thoughts, with visions of what we are destined to become, with optimistic outlooks toward some of the harshest realities in our world, with hope and conviction that what we wish to be will, indeed, BE, we are manifesting the reality we dream of. 
Cultivating a mindset is a practice, such as yoga or meditation is. Give yourself patience as you retrain your thoughts and perceptions. This may not happen overnight but continuous redirecting of your thoughts and assumptions will guide you toward a future of your dreams. Manifestation is not a passive act of dreaming or wishing, but a deliberate step. Some intentional acts you can take are:

• Create a vision board. Tack up pictures and sayings that represent your goals in a place where you will see them each day. This doesn’t have to be a fancy Pinterest project. Simply exposing your brain to images of your goals helps cultivate the mindset necessary for positive manifestation.
  
• Rehearse a mantra of affirmations. Start by writing down the dreams and visions you have for yourself and recite them to yourself not as future possibilities but as current truths. For example, a mantra could include statements like: “I am a carefree, life-loving individual. I acknowledge worry and stressors but set them aside to pursue happiness and gratitude.” Stating the ideal as if it were fact has a powerful capability to transform your mindset.
  
• Do a visualization meditation of your dreams. Sit in silence with yourself and begin to envision your dreams as reality. Get into the nitty gritty here. Perform this meditation almost as an elaborate daydream. What do you see around yourself when your dreams have come true? What sensations do you feel? Who surrounds you? Visualize every detail imaginable during your manifestation meditation. Generating this vision inside your brain as if you have already seen it and lived it allows your subconscious to make choices that will align with this vision. 
  

Affirmations and Innovations invites you to dream, to visualize, to manifest whatever it is you seek for yourself. We hope you may feel empowered to dare to dream, without self-judgement of doubt. All that you desire is attainable through the power of manifestation.