Easy, Quick, & Effective Methods

Is there something you want to bring into your life but you’re not sure how? Do you want to know which manifestation methods are real and which ones are just based on pseudo (fake) science? Do you just want some quick, easy, and effective tools? In this article, we’ll talk all about manifestation methods so that you can start making strides towards the life you desire.
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• ​Before getting started, we thought you might also be interested in our well-being quiz—quiz yourself to see which aspects of well-being are your strong and weak spots. ​
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The word ‘manifestation’ means to create something or turn something from an idea into a reality. That means that any method or technique used to bring a dream or goal to life could be considered a manifestation method. In practice though, when most people think of manifestation they are thinking about the mental processes—for example, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs—that help us create the reality that we desire.

The good news is that scientific research has shown lots of effective ways to manifest what we want.

The bad news is that pseudo-scientific research has also spread across the Internet, teaching us lots of manifestation methods that likely don’t work for most people. So let’s start by clarifying which manifestation methods are science-based and which ones aren’t.

If you’re looking for good manifestation methods, it’s best to keep your eye on what has been proven to work in research studies. Now, just because something hasn’t been studied or tested YET, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work… All it means is that we just don’t know yet. It could help. It could hurt. Or we could be wasting our time.

The worst manifestation methods
The thing is, the most popular manifestation methods—the ones you’ve probably heard of—are pseudo-scientific. That means they are made to sound like they are based on the scientific method, but their claims are untrue, based on opinions, or exaggerated. The two most popular pseudo-scientific manifestation methods are The Law of Attraction and The Secret. These methods propose that everything we manifest in real life comes from our thoughts–everything! 

Want to manifest money? Want to manifest love? Want an amazing career? Well then, they say, ‘Ask, Believe, and Receive’. They go so far as to say that our thoughts attract our own illness, rape, and even murder. This has led critics to claim that the law of attraction is a non-compassionate, inaccurate approach to manifestation (Donker, 2008).

Why are bad manifestation methods so popular?
The idea that we can ‘Ask, Believe, and Receive’ anything we want is, of course, an alluring idea. We want to believe it’s true—it would be nice, wouldn’t it?! But if we pause to think critically about this idea, we can start to see holes in the logic. 

I don’t know about you, but bad things have happened to me when I have nothing but positive thoughts. And good things have happened to me when I’m feeling super negative. And, yes, I want to be a millionaire. But am I? Not even close! 

Plus, the idea that we are responsible for everything that happens to us is actually a dangerous idea that can lead to self-blame or even depression. Especially since these manifestation methods are based on evidence. There are still rules and constraints in society that govern what happens.

What science says about these manifestation methods
In psychology, these manifestation methods are often referred to as magical thinking (Jones, 2019). Further, research has shown that those who believe in the law of attraction and other magical processes are no better off than their peers. Specifically, they do not engage in more positive activities like spending time working towards goals, big dreams, or aspirations. The authors of one study concluded that a positive belief system does not necessarily result in the positive activities that are actually required for achieving positive outcomes (Nakama & Oshio, 2013).

The best manifestation methods
The best manifestation methods are likely based on science. This means that studies have shown that they tend to work for the average person. For example, there is all sorts of research on goal setting, mindsets, and other strategies for making your dreams come true. 

Many studies across decades of research support the idea that exerting effort to reach your goals is an effective strategy. For example, focusing on self-improvement and goal setting were both related to engaging in more positive activities that lead to successful manifestation (Nakama & Oshio, 2013).

Examples of effective manifestation methods
Effective manifestation methods include those that help you build life skills and accomplish things that lead to your goals or dreams. For example, if I want to manifest a million dollars I might need to start learning how to build a million-dollar business. Or, if I want true love, then I might need to identify what matters to me in a relationship and start going on dates to look for that person. 

Here are some other skills that can contribute to effective manifestation:

• Eagerness. The desire to try new things and take on new challenges.
• Initiative. The urge to act and start moving towards your goals.
• Intrinsic motivation. The desire to accomplish something “just because” rather than for external rewards like money or prestige.
• A desire for self-improvement. The need to keep getting better and improving your life.
• Passion. Enjoyment of the activities that lead to your goals.
• Commitment to your goals. The persistence to stick to your goals over the long term.
• Believing in yourself. The belief that you have the ability to make your dreams come true.
• Resilience. The ability to keep going in spite of difficulties.

Easy manifestation methods
​Write for manifestation. One common manifestation method involves writing or journaling. When we free-write—or just let whatever comes to our heads flow onto the page—we can sometimes learn things about ourselves and our goals that help us move forward. In addition, research has shown that writing about our difficult emotions—and processing them—can help us improve our well-being, perhaps by clearing emotional blockages that are holding us down (Pennebaker, 1997). For more writing-based manifestation methods, check out this article on manifestation journaling.

Write down your goals. Decades of research have shown that setting goals helps us improve our performance (Latham, & Locke, 2007). Simply having a goal makes it more likely that we’ll achieve it. So write down your goals and track your habits. Try to be as specific as you can. For example, if you want to make a million dollars, note down when you want to reach this goal, the steps you’ll take to reach this goal, and how you’ll get there. The more you know about your goal and how to achieve it, the better. 

Quick manifestation methods
Do positive affirmations. Affirmations are phrases or statements that we repeat in our heads or out loud in order to shift our thoughts to something more positive. Although there is not a ton of research on affirmations, it is thought that deliberate thought processes—like affirmations—can be made automatic over time (Paulhus & Coue, 1993). So by saying something positive to ourselves—for example, “I am enough”—we start to believe it. Check out this article on how to do positive affirmations and this one with 102 daily affirmations to learn more.

Set positive but realistic expectations. Have you ever heard of the placebo effect or a self-fulfilling prophecy? Both of these are scientifically tested processes that prove that our expectations do indeed affect outcomes. For example, if we believe that a treatment, intervention, or approach will result in positive outcomes, it is more likely to. It’s not 100% going to happen, but looking for silver linings and finding ways to be optimistic tends to result in all sorts of positive outcomes. Check out this article on optimism to learn more. 

There are even more research-supported manifestation methods, but they aren’t all easy. Here are a few that might be a little bit harder.
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Shift your mindset. There are a variety of different mindsets that seem to help us more easily achieve our goals and improve our well-being—for example, a positive mindset or a growth mindset. These are different from the law of attraction in that they are not about magical thinking. Thinking positive is just about focusing on the good over the bad and a growth mindset is about prioritizing growth rather than focusing on outcomes. Both of these mindsets can help you more easily reach your goals. 

Practice generosity and kindness. Research on reciprocal altruism shows that people are kinder to us if we have been kind to them first (Curry et al., 2018). Given so much of our success relies on other people, kindness can be a great way to be more successful. We’re more likely to find friends, relationship partners, and job opportunities because people want to be around us. If you need some help, loving-kindness meditation can be a great way to start strengthening your kindness muscles.

Find your purpose. It turns out that we’re more likely to pursue goals that are more meaningful to us. So if you’re having a hard time working towards a goal, ask yourself, does this goal really matter to me? Sometimes our life goals aren’t really our own. If we haven’t thought about our personal definition of success, tapped into our authentic goals, and clarified our values, we may be setting goals that aren’t a great fit for us. Exploring yourself through introspection and ensuring you know your core values can help you set goals that matter to you, and are, therefore, easier to manifest.

Do what makes you happy. Happiness researchers are discovering that success—as it is defined by our culture—rarely makes us happier. However, being happy seems to make us more successful. So figuring out what makes you happy and pursuing that may be an effective way to also manifest other, non-happiness-related dreams. 

• Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 320-329.
• ​Donker, G. (2008). Exposing the Secret Law of Attraction.
• Jones, B. (2019). If you Think it you can Achieve it: The Relationship Between Goal Specificity and Magical Thinking.
• Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (2007). New developments in and directions for goal-setting research. European Psychologist, 12(4), 290-300.
• Nakama, R., & Oshio, A. (2013). The phenomena and dynamism of magical thinking: developing a magical thinking scale. Psychologia, 56(3), 179-193.
• Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological science, 8(3), 162-166.​