My journey with manifestation began the day I was born much like all of ours does. But I only became mildly aware of what I was brining into my life after my first son was born in 2009. It was then I read a book called the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. So I had become aware of this concept that happiness was in the now, but my life still stayed drama filled and I thought I was constantly living in lack.

Then in 2012/13 I began reading some interesting books, The Secret, The Magic and the list goes on. They all discussed the concept that by being happy with what you have now, you can manifest all your desires. Easy enough, I started a gratitude journal, I wrote in it every day I focused on what I wanted as if I already had it. But nothing was changing. Or to be more accurate I was not ready to see the changes I was wanting. I wanted to see a reality in which I was a victim, everyone around me was better off and I could live in this woe is me sad place. It was my identity! I was the poor girl who got knocked up and raised her son without child support because I was “TOUGH”. I was the girl that met, dated and planned a second baby with someone that didn’t want to marry me and then the relationship became abusive and I left. I was the girl whose family thought she was an outcast and judged me for my decisions. I was..

I was … I was..

I was creating a reality in which I could stay miserable and blamed everyone else. That’s who I was. I was a self made victim.

Now for those of you that are new to Law of Attraction, this concept may really piss you off, but the truth of the universe is that we create the reality in which we live. We draw all things to us, through the thoughts we think and feelings we put out there, EVEN THE BAD ONES! Focusing on what you do not want is the same as asking to have it handed to you.

So 6 years into my real life manifestation experiment I finally get it (well mostly) and here are the 5 things I wish I knew when I started down this path:

1. It won’t happen overnight!

The truth about books like the secret and The magic and countless others is it’s not as simple as just being grateful! Gratitude for what you already have is important yes, but starting to say thank you for all the things you have today will not result in obscene treasures tomorrow. You have to get to the core of what is holding you back. What beliefs are you still carrying around? Some of mine were/are I’m not worthy, I am bad, I do not deserve love, I am stupid and the list goes on. Some of them we can find quite easily and some of them will take time and dedication to see the truth. But be assured planting those seeds and making a conscious choice to live a life in happiness and gratitude will start a garden beneath the soul that will turn into your deepest darkest desires.

2. It Starts within!

Remember that part I told you above where we create, attract all things to us. Even the bad! Yup own that, recognize it and learn to forgive. We have all been hurt, but we have all hurt others as well. Holding onto an idea that we are a victim and we have been wronged only creates resentment and anger, which are not the emotions you want to carry around with you when trying to create a better life. I am learning to forgive every day, but the two steps that help me to forgive the boyfriend that broke my heart or stole from me or the dad that abused me is this: 1. There were lessons in all of these situations that helped me to become a better person, as soon as I realized that there was a lesson. I became more aware of myself worth, more mindful of money and more aware of the fact that I indeed did not love myself. All things those were able to help me grow. 2. Place yourself in their shoes. If you lived the exact life with the exact hurts and experiences you would have acted in the exact same way. Does it make it ok? No, but it will help you to forgive that person a lot faster. As the very wise Desmond Tutu says forgiveness is not for tormentor, it is for you!

3. Don’t be Afraid of the Shadow.

So we all have this fear within, call it the ego call it whatever you want but almost all of us have it. It’s the part of us that tells us we are not worth it, we are ugly, we are stupid, we do not deserve love happiness or whatever ever it is we most desire. This Ego self starts from when we are young and it feeds off the past, and takes all present and possible future moments relates them to beliefs (remember thing above, the beliefs we hold) that we develop based on the past and [projects them into our now! So we do not take the action, we do not take the risk, we hide inside the fear, to afraid to actually look at who we really are deep down inside, because it is surely even more awful that we could even imagine. The thing is though… IT’s NOT! I’ve met my shadows (not all, pretty sure that’s a lifetime journey) but a lot lately. I walked in terrified and I looked at the person I was hiding, under all the layers of fear and regret and self loathing there was this little girl who just wanted love and acceptance. All my layers were to protect me. To keep me safe from a very cruel world that I had come to accept as my reality MY ego did its job, it wasn’t trying to hold me back it was protecting me based on the beliefs and fears I had developed. I thank it every day for keeping me safe for all those years and gently remind it that now we are on a new journey and I am strong enough to walk into the fears and the hurts. So do not be afraid go within, confront those dark places, because until you start to clean those out and face your fears, the things you want just won’t flow to you.

4. Have Faith!

Now this step is the hardest one for me… Have faith? Faith in What you may be asking… Well faith that everything you want is already waiting for you if you can just get out of your own way. I believe in Source Energy, God the Universe, you can call it whatever floats your boat. The truth for me is that we are all energy come from something greater than us all. Not something looking to punish or condemn but something out of pure positive love. Having a goal a dream is important but once we know what it is we want, just relax in the knowing that it is already yours. There is no need to manipulate, run around and work yourself to death to achieve it. You just have to be thankful that it’s already there and take the inspired action that comes to you. I find Meditation helps me to be clear on what the steps are I am willing to take. I do want to be clear though, action is required, but inspired action is much different animal than the action we are taught by most people.

5. Release Expectations

This one may seem a bit contradictory because you want to want what you want and you don’t want to think it can’t happen. But the truth is it may not. If you still have an old belief that is holding you back or aren’t clear on what it is you want or why you want it, you just may not get it. However when you come to turns with the fact that you just may not get the Porsche you want in a week’s time and start to focus on why it is you want it, then you can really look within and start to see the truth about why having hat will make you feel more whole. Everything is a lesson and realizing why we want what we want allows s to also look at the possibility that it may not happen for us right now.

I’m not rich, in fact right now we are living week by week, making a very little go a very long way. But the miracle in that for me is that I am finally able to see the true gifts I have in my life. I can finally look at the things I really want and why. The best part is that every week we manifest something new, diapers, rent, groceries, laundry detergent for the year, salt and pepper shakers, school supplies for the kids and the list goes on. These things may seem small but add it up and its probably been over $8000 in the lsat 4 months! But more importantly I am looking at my life and the things that matter and have realized that I am rich in so many ways I never even knew before. I have beautiful healthy children a beautiful home, a car to drive, a business and business partner whom I am lucky to call a best friend. Not to mention the countless friends and family who mean the world to me. When I released this idea that life was happening to me and I was a victim to my circumstance then everything shifted.

We all have the power, the magic inside us; we just have to work through our fears to find it! But when you do that I promise you your life will become the thing that movies and books are written about!

Happy Manifesting fans!

Rachel