Is believing achieving?

I am no fan of the word ‘manifestation’.  Instead, I have learned from experience that it can be powerful to align your everyday actions and choices with your bigger life goals.

Working with clients to declutter has shown me that life can shift in a way that is truly meaningful when you make changes to your home, things, and to your relationship with money and spending, particularly when a client makes changes in pursuit of their ideal life.

Often clients have told me that they feel overwhelmed by the volume of stuff that they have or that they cannot look at their bank balance to decipher if what is going out is less than what is coming in. Unfortunately, these feelings can often prevent action – we think that the situation has persisted for so long that change is impossible. Add in the feelings of shame or embarrassment that can be associated with past choices and the current state of play and, inevitably, the average person will feel disempowered and boxed in.

Does aspirational thinking lead to action?

Given this, you might wonder why I am not keen on ‘manifestation.’  Surely thinking in a way that is aspirational is better than self-talk that is negative and defeatist, particularly when a person feels that they lack the tools to change or that the universe is against them?

Well, according to the British Psychological Society, research into the benefits of manifestation – which it describes as ‘the belief that you can attract success in life through positive self-talk and visualisation and behaving as though you have already achieved your goals’ – is scant. It highlighted University of Queensland research that found that TikTok videos featuring manifestation had, as of May 2023, attracted 34.6 billion views and had no doubt influenced countless individuals’ choices, and that further research by the same university found that people who believe in the principles of manifestation are are greater risk of negative outcomes, including the risk of bankruptcy and belief in unrealistic promises of success.

Believing is not achieving

Manifestation can help people stay positive as they work towards a goal, and it may also help them keep the goal front of mind. But does it really help people to take steps towards their goals, or are people who use manifestation alone more likely to believe that thinking like they have achieved their aspirations – and not actually working towards them – is enough?

My experience and work with clients have taught me that it is far better to pin your hopes on setting realistic, actionable and achievable goals that have timelines attached to them. Identifying – and taking – daily steps that support these goals is far more likely to lead to behaviour change and achieving your aspirations.