It’s great that you want to write your own manifestation list.
But did you know that if you follow a few simple rules when writing the list, you can maximize the chances of actually manifesting what you want?
In today’s post I will share eleven key rules that you should use when writing down what you want to manifest.
But first, let’s have a look at what manifestation is, and how a manifestation list can help you achieve your dream life faster.
What is manifestation?
When referring to personal development and goal setting, the word manifestation can be defined as…
The process through which you influence or create your reality (the outer world) by changing your own thoughts and emotions (the inner world).
For example, to manifest your ideal lifestyle could mean to first discover and think of the actual lifestyle you desire, with great clarity; then, focus your mental and physical energy on it, ideally every day.
Then, eventually, experience the lifestyle in the physical world, which is the final step of the process.
Manifestation has been classified as pseudoscience, and there are so many definitions out there (including ones that are, honestly, too good to be true, and overall unrealistic).
Many are still skeptical about the idea of being able to manifest something into your life, and simply see it as a marketing tactic used to sell books and courses on the subject.
However, the term has become increasingly popular in recent years (as shown, for instance, by a sharp rise in Google searches as well as relevant content on social media platforms).
And I believe a growing number of people have realized that when interpreted correctly, the process of manifestation isn’t just realistic — it’s also pretty powerful.
Let’s have a look at two possible explanations of why manifestation can really work if you invest your energy into it. One has to do with psychology, while the latter refers to what’s known as the “law of attraction”.
Manifestation from a psychological point of view
Your thoughts create your reality. You are what you think. We’ve all read catchy quotes like these, and when we do, we tend to think of spirituality and philosophy rather than psychology.
However, basic psychology does offer an explanation as to why our thoughts can, in fact, influence the external world in a powerful way.
In short: positive thoughts generate positive feelings and emotions; positive feelings and emotions, in turn, tend to generate a positive outcome.
The beauty of this is that, even during the most difficult times, we will always have the ability to work on our thoughts patterns, and this will give us more power over our emotions and ultimately what we experience in the outer world.
This is one of the reasons you should always believe something wonderful is about to happen.
When manifesting, you want to believe you will achieve your dreams and desires, and feel the intense joy of achieving them until your mental state changes.
And once you are in a positive mental (and physical) state, your actions will change as well, and it will be easier to get what you want.
Manifestation from a spiritual point of view
You could also say that the process of manifestation works because it follows the law of attraction, according to which you tend to attract into your life what you are and what you feel.
The idea is that in the universe we live in, all things are interconnected, and not necessarily through a cause-and-effect phenomenon.
So if you practice manifestation rituals long enough and with great intensity, eventually your energy will transform and attract the energy of what you desire, even when it seems there’s no correlation between the two things.
An interesting phenomenon that could help you understand this is what Carl Jung referred to as “synchronicity”, or meaningful coincidences.
Jung proposed that although the vast majority of events occurring in the external world follow the principle of causality, in some cases one may experience events that are not limited by time and space and instead are generated, or “attracted”, by one’s psyche.
Examples of this may include precognitive dreams, or thinking about someone then meeting them an hour later, or seeing the same numbers, symbols, or patterns repeatedly.
If you’ve ever experienced synchronicity yourself, then you know it’s extremely unlikely that they’re just coincidences, or luck.
The importance of manifestation lists
Each and every day, you have thousands of thoughts. Roughly 6,000, on average.
Though you are not always aware of it, your mind constantly generates an immense amount of thoughts. Unless you are meditating, or in a very relaxed state, of course.
Now, this is a good thing in the sense that most of these thoughts help you function in your everyday life.
But on the other hand, you still experience hundreds or even thousands of thoughts, daily, that have absolutely nothing to do with your dreams and goals.
Even worse, some of your thoughts subconsciously prevent you from achieving those goals.
Luckily, there is a way to change this — there is a way to focus your attention and energy on what you truly want to manifest in your life.
What is a manifestation list?
To-do lists help you get stuff done. Bucket lists inspire you to have fun. Grocery lists remind you to avoid the junk food aisle.
Manifestation lists help you… manifest what you want!
A manifestation list is simply a list of all the things you want to attract in your life. These could be:
- Experiences, e.g. a holiday
- People, e.g. a soulmate
- Physical items, e.g. a car
- Emotions, e.g. joy, freedom
- Traits, e.g. beauty, excellence
The idea is to write down these things (and this already gives you an advantage, considering that most people don’t even write down what they want) and then read the list at least once a day.
But… you don’t want to write the list casually. If you do, chances are it won’t work.
You want to take the time to write a manifestation list that follows the following rules. Most of them, anyway.
Don’t overlook them, because they do make all the difference!
Here they are…
Golden rules to write a manifestation list
1. Forget your current situation/identity
First of all, try not to base your list on who you are and where you are right now.
I’m not telling you to be completely unrealistic. But the idea is to first forget your current circumstances, and even your current identity, so your mind doesn’t have limitations.
If you write a manifestation list that doesn’t excite you, that doesn’t feel magical — then you are being your biggest obstacle.
What you want to manifest in the future doesn’t necessarily belong to the present.
So rule number one is: don’t focus on the present; don’t focus on what is. Focus on what will be, on possibilities.
Focus on what makes you happy regardless of how difficult it may be to get it (and it’s easy to overthink).
2. Write the list on your own
This is going to be your manifestation list.
Don’t ask for advice, and do it on your own. It’s not homework. It’s not a presentation.
Only you know what you want to manifest in your life. Other people, no matter how much they love you, won’t be able to write the list for you (or any of the items, for that matter).
Your heart, your desires, your dreams — these are irreplaceable.
Deep inside, you know fully well what you want in your life. It may take you an hour, a day, or months to discover what it is. But it’s there.
So don’t be afraid to spend some time in solitude when you write the list.
Relax, go for a walk, spend some time in nature. And don’t ask for advice unless it’s your higher self giving you the answers.
3. Don’t try to manifest for others
Can you write down what you’d like to manifest for someone else?
For example, if you wanted a loved one to have a certain experience, could you write it in your list?
Short answer: no.
This is because manifestation only works for you — your life. By trying to manifest something in other people’s lives, you basically interfere with their lives.
I get it: you want to help others, you want to be kind and generous.
But there is a major issue with manifesting for others, and that is, you never really know what is right for them.
Seriously, you don’t. Leave that to the universe, or God, or whatever you believe in. It’s not your responsibility, and your list shouldn’t include it.
4. Don’t try to manifest because of others
It’s easy to have goals… that are actually other people’s goals.
A common example is material items. You may see a certain item over and over again (in real life, or even in an ad) and end up wanting that item.
But in reality, you may have zero interest in it.
And it’s material items at best. At worst, it’s a career path, a partner, a job, a religion, a relationship that you end up chasing even though it’s not right for you.
So before you write down what you want, do make sure it comes from your heart, your soul — not societal expectations, not what you saw on Instagram, not what would make your parents proud.
5. Be as clear and specific as possible
The fifth rule to write a manifestation list is to be specific, and to include as many details as possible.
You can be more spontaneous, and write goals and dreams that are more generic.
But the risk is that those things won’t feel real; if you are too generic, you probably won’t be able to visualize and picture those things in your mind.
And that’s one of the secrets of manifesting.
You want your dreams to feel real. You want to think of your dreams as if they already were part of the physical world.
So before you write down what you want to manifest, close your eyes. Meditate. See all the details. See that it can be real.
6. Write in the present tense
When you write your manifestation list, you are essentially talking to your subconscious mind.
Some would say you are talking to the universe. And it may be true. But for now, for the purpose of this rule, imagine you are writing a letter to your own mind.
Your mind has a language of its own. It’s highly symbolic. And there are a few things that simply don’t exist in such language.
One of these things is the concept of past, present, and future.
So if you write a manifestation list using phrases like “I would like to experience X two years from now”, your subconscious basically removes the “two years” part.
The solution to this is simple — always write down what you want in the present tense. As if you already had it, as if you already were in that dimension.
7. If possible, write “I am”
“I am a new house” doesn’t sound right, does it?
But when possible, do use the words “I am”. They are powerful.
This is because they reflect a state of being. When you write “I am”, you no longer focus on the external world. You are focused on who you are — the inner world.
If you’re familiar with the law of attraction (however you interpret it), you know that we attract things that resonate with who we are.
Not what we do, or what we have. What we are — our energy.
So if you can paraphrase your initial thought (e.g. “I am a successful entrepreneur” instead of “I have a successful business”), go for it!
8. Don’t try to manifest money
Eight rule: don’t try to manifest money. Ever.
In your manifestation list, never write any amount of money, whether it’s a million, ten million, or all the money in the world.
Disappointed? Shocked? You shouldn’t be. And here’s why…
If you ask for money, you are not asking for anything in particular.
Money is an abstract concept. Money is artificial. Money is a piece of paper, or a series of numbers.
So many people say they want and need “money”. Though technically most of them are right, they are missing the bigger picture. They are making a mistake.
If you focus on money itself, you probably won’t get it. If you focus on the things you would experience if you were in a different financial situation, you probably will.
9. Don’t write negative particles or words
Remember when I said your subconscious mind has its own language?
Remember when I said there are things your subconscious simply doesn’t understand?
Negation is one of those things. When you write your manifestation list, never use words like don’t, never, can’t. You get the point.
Also, never write negative words, and never write things you don’t want to manifest. For example:
- Write that you are healthy; don’t write that you are not sick
- Write that you have a new job; not that you quit your old one
- Write that your life is easy; not that you on longer have problems
- Write that there is love and joy; not that you avoid negative emotions
10. Never use words like “average”
And never think of them, for that matter. This is very important. I’ve explained this concept in a previous post as well.
Here’s the thing: you are not writing a manifestation list because you want your life to be average.
If that was your biggest aspiration, your vision, you wouldn’t even be reading this article.
Before you write down what you want to manifest, unlearn anything that is average, that is mediocre.
And once again, don’t look at other people’s lives. Don’t look at the world in general. These things are not indicative of your own world. You want to create your own world, and you don’t want it to be average.
An example that comes to mind is the fact that most businesses fail within the first three to five years. Guess what: if you based your life on that, you’d never start a business.
11. Use pen and paper; create a list that feels special
This is a list you’ll look at every day, possibly multiple times a day.
And it’s a pretty special list.
So don’t write the list on an app on your phone. Don’t write it on the first piece of paper you can find around the house.
I mean, feel free to do that when you are brainstorming, when you are coming up with ideas.
But the actual list should feel and look special. Because it is!
My advice would be to write it in a beautiful journal or diary, but it’s up to you. Just make sure it doesn’t look like a random to-do list.
Extra tip: be patient!
Impatience kills dreams.
Some of the things you write in the list may manifest in the physical world within weeks.
Other things may take a little bit longer. This should be expected, and it shouldn’t discourage you.
In fact, if it does take a while to manifest your dreams, it’s probably a good thing. I mean, if it was that easy, that fast — everyone would be doing it, right?
And those things that will not manifest, no matter what you do or how long you wait, are probably not meant for you anyway.
The key is to be patient and focus on what you want in your life (rather than on the things you don’t want) as often as possible.
The more focused you are, the faster you’ll manifest those things.
Good luck!
