Is manifestation really the answer to everything?

Today I’m back here with a question.

I saw a long, in-depth video on thewizardliz (and if you don’t know who she is, she’s a famous TikToker and YouTuber who became well-known for her motivational content) and it got me thinking about manifestation and the huge wave of content on this topic across the internet. 

Meanwhile, a dear friend of mine recently pointed out to me that the eclipse a couple of weeks ago was the perfect opportunity to manifest what we truly desire, and she often sends me videos on the subject.

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Even though I know the definition of “manifestation,” I’ve always found it very difficult to put into practice, not that I haven’t tried, of course. At the beginning of the year, I made a mood board with all the goals I wanted to achieve this year: more time outdoors, long walks, a monetized YouTube channel, and for my freelance career to take off. None of this came true. My walks outdoors were cut short by the terrible heat wave that hit Europe this year, making it impossible for me not only to leave the house but even to function without feeling on edge.

My YouTube project saw the light of day for a brief moment, but I took a step back, wondering what direction I wanted the channel to take; I archived the videos, and for now, they remain archived. Plus, YouTube is raising the monetization threshold in February, so monetization will be even harder (and honestly, I’m not even sure I want to be a YouTuber anyway).

So, to make a long story short, my mood board turned out to be more of a reminder of my failures than a goal to achieve.

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So, to make a long story short, this whole “visualizing your goal” thing didn’t work for me, and frankly, I don’t think it really works for anyone (if it worked for you, I’m happy for you).

Over the course of the year, I looked for more information on the subject, stepping outside the TikTok bubble and my Pinterest mood board.

I came across a video by Mel Robbins, in which she explains manifestation as she practices it.

In her video, Mel explains that this type of technique is often used by professional athletes but can be applied to anything.

She says you shouldn’t visualize the final result, as seems to be the prevailing opinion, but rather visualize yourself taking every single step that leads to that result.

Above all, you need to visualize yourself facing difficulties along the way; essentially, you’re training your brain in advance to handle those challenges.

She also says that mood boards aren’t effective, for roughly the same reason I explained earlier: if you don’t visualize yourself performing all the small steps that lead to that goal, the mood board only makes your goals feel further away.

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In the video I watched today, an alternative was presented that seems almost to be the opposite of visualization exercises and the act of visualizing. Gabriele Oettingen’s theory states that when you imagine achieving a result, your brain is satisfied by that thought and no longer seeks to pursue the goal through action. Instead, you should think about all the terrible things that would happen if you didn’t pursue your goals. I had never considered this before.

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In any case, I still don’t quite understand this whole “manifestation” thing. There’s certainly some truth to it, but at the same time, I see a lot of speculation, fake gurus, and self-proclaimed experts on the subject who are probably taking advantage of the climate of economic and occupational uncertainty we’re currently experiencing.

Have you ever tried visualization? I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences and opinions on the matter. Which approach do you think is the most effective? (Frankly, Mel Robbins’ approach seems the most sustainable to me.)