From viral TikTok trends to Word of the Year, manifesting has captured our cultural imagination. Beyond the pseudoscience debates lies a practical framework for intentional living that merges age-old art with evidence-backed scientific practice.
In recent years, manifesting has exploded as a global wellness and cultural phenomenon, flooding both social and mainstream media. Its selection as the Cambridge Dictionary’s 2024 word of the year reflects the term’s undeniable cultural significance. From the viral “369” TikTok method to celebrities like Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter touting the practice, interest in manifesting has surged.
While the concept of manifesting has existed for centuries, its modern interpretation deserves a closer look. Skeptics and self-proclaimed realists tend to roll their eyes at the idea, dismissing it as pseudoscience or reducing it to wishful thinking. However, manifesting in the modern day has taken on a new form that has evolved from what has been argued as purely spiritual and “woo-woo” roots. It can be understood as an actionable framework that helps us visualize and strategize our path toward the life we desire.
This evolution can be attributed to broader societal shifts: a generation increasingly prioritizing self-empowerment, growing mental health awareness, and the search for meaning in our rapidly changing, often isolating, world. As economies, technologies, and social dynamics evolve, it becomes increasingly difficult for younger generations to chart their path. Manifesting, when properly understood, offers an accessible approach for those seeking to regain control and shape their future with intention.
READ ALSO: The Self, Finsta Accounts, and the Luxury of Privacy
Today, manifesting is both an art and a science. As an art, it’s uniquely individual. There’s no singular “correct” way to manifest. Yet fields like psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, and even epigenetics are building scientific evidence that supports common practices of this age-old concept.
The following guide breaks down manifesting into five interconnected elements: understanding our core values, translating that to specific goals, using visualization to bridge imagination and reality, harnessing affirmations to reshape our mindset, and taking aligned action with gratitude. Together, they form a practical framework that transforms manifesting from wishful thinking into strategic action.
Authenticity: Know What You Value
Let’s ask ourselves, “What truly matters to me?” We often chase the idea of the good life based on external markers: the dream home, the luxury bag, the perfect vacation. These are valid aspirations, but let’s take a moment to reflect and understand the deeper motivations behind them. Manifesting shouldn’t just be about getting what we want. It should be about creating a life that aligns with what we value. Here are two approaches that can help us figure that out:
Start with the want then dig deeper: Why does this matter? What does it really give me? Is it the dream home, or the security it represents? Is it the luxury bag, or the success, confidence, and self-expression it projects? Is it the dream vacation, or the sense of freedom it offers? Compare the material image with the intangible values. Define what this value means for you: How does it show up in your life? What choices or actions align with it?
Or, start with a long list of values and then narrow them down. Highlight 10 values that resonate with you. For each, consider what it means in your life. Does “freedom” mean financial independence, flexible work, or the ability to travel? From your list, choose five–the values that define who you are at your core. To make them real, reflect on moments when you’ve embodied them: When have you felt the most alive, aligned, or fulfilled? What choices or actions reflect these values?
When we define our values first, our wants and desires evolve beyond a checklist to become an extension of who we are. This deeper connection ensures that what we manifest isn’t surface-level desire but a life that genuinely fulfills us.
Clarity: Be Specific About What You Want
Once we recognize what truly matters to us, that is when we figure out what we actually want and translate that into specific goals. Vague aspirations like “being happy” or “successful” create confusion. Instead, we should define a clear, actionable goal like, “I want to build a morning routine that starts my day with focus and energy.” This precision activates our Reticular Activating System (RAS), our brain’s attention gatekeeper. It’s like a mental filter, automatically tuning into sensory information and opportunities that align with our goal while tuning out distractions. Suddenly, you may find yourself getting curious about that one friend who wakes up at 5 AM, or stumbling upon a book about productivity or meditation–things you may have previously overlooked.
Think back to the last time you wanted something specific like a new gadget, a career shift, or a relationship. You probably started seeing signs of it everywhere, right? Not because there are suddenly more of them, but because your brain is primed to spot them. To make the most of this, be as specific as possible in your goals, so your mind knows exactly where to direct its energy and focus.
Visualize: See your Future Success (and Behavior) Like It’s Already Happening
Visualization is a powerful tool in manifestation, backed by neuroscience. Studies show that when we vividly imagine something, our brains activate similar neural pathways as when we see it in reality. But the secret to effective visualization goes beyond picturing the end goal. It requires imagining the whole journey. Let’s break this down into three steps.
First, picture the end result. When we visualize achieving our goal, like acing a job interview or launching an online business, we’re training our brain for success. This vivid mental rehearsal builds confidence and readiness.
Second, envision the process. Manifestation happens at the level of consistent actions that build toward our goal. If you want to write a book, visualize yourself sitting down at your desk each morning, coffee in hand, committing to the next page even when inspiration is low. These mental walkthroughs prepare us for the real work ahead.
Third, visualize overcoming obstacles. Every meaningful goal comes with challenges. Instead of avoiding the difficult moments, mentally prepare for them. Visualize getting up in the early morning for that run, or staying focused on that side hustle after a long workday. By rehearsing these scenarios, we build mental resilience for when the real challenges inevitably arise.
In visualizing beyond the outcome to the actual process and even the hurdles, we strengthen our commitment and prepare ourselves to meet every step of the journey with confidence and clarity.
Affirmations: Take Control of Your Subconscious and Build a Real Conviction
Our inner dialogue shapes our reality more than one might think. Neuroscientific studies show that the words we repeatedly tell ourselves create and strengthen neural pathways. If you constantly tell yourself, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not ready,” you’re literally wiring your brain to act as though that’s true. In other words, you are manifesting the very limitations you fear. The good news? The opposite is just as powerful. That’s why affirmations are a powerful tool used in manifesting, they help reshape the way we think and speak about ourselves.
Affirmations activate the brain’s reward centers, creating a sense of resilience and encouraging positive behaviors. Over time, as we repeat affirmations, these neural pathways become stronger, and our inner cheerleader starts to drown out the voice of self-doubt. When we affirm thoughts like, “I have everything I need to succeed” or even “I’ve got this,” we rewire our brains to boost confidence and motivation.
The key is making affirmations a natural part of our daily lives. Choose one that feels authentic and relevant. Write it somewhere visible, like your bathroom mirror or laptop. And then make it part of your routine, repeat it aloud before a meeting, while taking a walk, or whenever self-doubt creeps in. With consistent affirmation, we set the tone for the rest of the day, ensuring that our actions remain aligned with our aspirations.
Alignment: Act with Purpose and Gratitude
Manifesting thrives when we stay aligned with what matters most to us, which is why we started with value recognition. Our values are the compass that guides our decisions, actions, and priorities, helping us stay on track when the pursuit of life gets messy.
A powerful complement to value-aligned action is gratitude. It shifts our thinking from scarcity–”I haven’t done enough”–to abundance–”I already have so much to appreciate.” Studies show that gratitude activates the prefrontal cortex, our brain’s center for decision-making and emotional regulation, making us more likely to notice and act on opportunities that align with our goals. When we practice gratitude alongside value-aligned action, we create a powerful feedback loop: gratitude helps us recognize what we have, while our values guide us toward what we want to create.
As Daniel Pink, renowned author on human behavior and motivational theory, reminds us, “Manifestation without work is delusion.” This gets to the heart of what modern manifesting truly means. It isn’t hoping for magic to happen. It is about recognizing our power to create the life we want through conscious choices and consistent actions. While practices like visualization, affirmations, and gratitude may seem simple, even fluffy, science increasingly shows that they’re powerful tools for rewiring our brains and shifting behavior.
The evolution of what manifesting means, from spiritual concept to practical framework, reflects our growing understanding of how to bridge intention with action. Start small, stay consistent, and watch how these daily manifestation habits compound into something bigger. It’s not magic. It’s effort. And when we align our values, thoughts, and actions, we go beyond a trend to create a scientifically-backed path toward the life we envision.
This article was originally published in our April 2025 issue.
This article was co-written with Amanda Leah Ng, a Singaporean Integrated Mind-Body Therapist and the founder of Mind to Matter. She works with clients around the world to navigate challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, and chronic stress–along with the ripple effects these have on their physical health, sense of connection, and work performances.
