The Most Common Mistake in Manifestation

By Matthew Joyce

“We’re going to have to sell the house,” said Richard. “No matter what I try, I just can’t seem to find a job.”

That conversation took place in September. Richard lost his job in January. It wasn’t his fault. His company laid off hundreds of people to save money during tough economic times. And like so many others, Richard began looking for new employment.

Richard started networking with people he knew. He searched employment websites looking for opportunities. He updated his resume and applied for as many jobs as he could find. But he didn’t have much luck. Before long his vacation pay and meager severance package were used up and his family began living on their savings.

During the next few months Richard managed to get some interviews but none of them turned into steady work. As their savings drained Richard and his family cut back further and further on expenses until the family was really hurting for money.

I could see the situation was getting to him. His long face, dropping shoulders and frequent sighs were a long way from the hale and vibrant man he typically was. So I asked him, if in addition to his traditional job search, he’d tried to manifest a job.

What About Manifestation?

“I tried, but it didn’t work,” he said. “Things seem to be going from bad to worse.”

Richard went on to list a litany of problems he’d been facing, ranging from uninsured health care costs to the bureaucracy of the unemployment office to the fact that the city was going to shut off his water for nonpayment. When he was done I asked him how much time he spent thinking about these things.

“Almost all the time,” he admitted.

“And how much time do you spend thinking about what life will be like when you’re experiencing abundance again?” I asked.

“Almost none.”

And therein lie the problem that we began to focus on. As things went from bad to worse, Richard spent increasing amounts of time thinking about the problems he was facing. It’s understandable to do so, but it was actually making the problems worse.

The Problem Is the Problem

Richard felt so mired in his worsening situation that he spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about all his family had given up because of his inability to find a job. He blamed himself for their lack, and it became a trap from which he couldn’t escape.

Richard’s not alone in this kind of trap. It’s probably the most common mistake that people face when it comes to manifestation.

No matter what it is that they’re trying to manifest, they get so hung up on dealing with the problem that the problem actually becomes the problem.

When people dwell on the problem, they focus on what is wrong with the situation, why it’s a problem, whose fault it is or what caused it, why they can’t seem to fix it, and what they can try next.

While it seems necessary to understand your current situation, continually focusing on only its negative aspects takes your attention deeper into the negative and makes the experience you’re having even worse. In essence, focusing your awareness on the past or the present keeps you stuck in the current circumstances.

The Solution Is the Solution

Unlike some problem solving approaches, manifestation is an outcome oriented process. Because manifestation is future focused, it doesn’t much matter what circumstances you find yourself in, how the situation came into being, or what steps you’ve already attempted. What’s important is to focus on the new experience you want to have.

When you focus your attention on the new experience you want to create, you naturally begin thinking about how you’ll feel when it’s a part of your life and how you’ll know that you’ve achieved it. Moreover, by projecting yourself into the positive future you want, you free yourself from the past and present and open yourself to a variety of new ways to create the new experience you desire.

An Unlimited Reservoir of Abundance

“You might not be able to do anything about the job market,” I said to Richard. “But you can do something about your thinking. What will you do if they shut off your water?”

“Probably get water from the neighbors,” he replied.

“Great answer,” I said, “because it illustrates the point I want to make. You know the city has a big reservoir of water just waiting for anyone to turn on the tap. People can turn on the tap anywhere in town and get water. In their house, in a business, in a public building or even outside at a public drinking fountain. Water is always available to people who know where to look for a tap. And if one tap stops working you don’t assume the city reservoir has gone dry, you simply look for the next tap to draw the water from. Somewhere there is a tap that works. In fact, if you look around you. there must be thousands of taps that work since everyone else seems to have plenty of water.”

In effect, when Richard began to focus on his problems he focused on the fact that the taps he had tried hadn’t worked. Everywhere he looked he found a broken tap and he couldn’t access the water in the reservoir. So I had Richard shift his thinking from the broken supply lines in his life to the unlimited reservoir of abundance that, like the city water supply, is waiting for him at every moment.

Focusing on What You Want

Richard and I then talked about how he is always in touch with the infinite reservoir of abundance in the universe. We saw that it was his continued focus on the broken taps that had caused him to experience a sense of lack. Then we turned away from his financial deprivation and focused on the principle of unfailing resources that are always available for his greatest good.

We acknowledged that Richard’s consciousness was wide open to the infinite supply of resources and now that he had chosen to focus on abundance, nothing was hindering that flow. We affirmed that new opportunities were already presenting themselves as people saw his worth and that they sought him out, gladly compensating him for his skills and efforts.

Then we gave thanks as we pictured that abundance already surrounding him and flowing freely through his life, already manifesting itself in his day to day experience just as it was supporting countless other people around the world.

When You Open to Abundance

A few weeks later I got a call from Richard. He’d found a job and he credited this new way of thinking with the outcome.

After several days of manifesting a new job, Richard decided that he’d been so focused on the downside of being unemployed that he hadn’t enjoyed the abundant free time he had available. So he set the job search aside for a day to go fishing.

While he stood on the shore of the lake tying on a fishing lure another fisherman came up beside him. They got to talking, and it turned out that the man worked for a company that was looking to hire someone just like Richard. They ended up doing an informal interview right there on the spot. A more formal interview followed a week later and a job offer followed soon after that.

Was that a synchronistic coincidence? Maybe. But Richard credits the shift in his thinking from focusing on chronic lack to focusing on great abundance as the prompt to go fishing in the first place. And without that, the opportunity might have been missed.

To Avoid the Most Common Problem

When you want to manifest something, be sure to avoid the most common mistake of focusing on the problem. The problem is only useful in helping you to identify what you want to experience instead. Once you’re clear about that, leave your problems behind and focus on the experience you want to create. That’s what is meant by the phrase “Like attracts like” and it’s essential for successfully creating the experiences you want to have in life.

If you’re interested in learning more about manifestation you may want to check out our Manifestation & Creation Workshop. Let us know if you’re interested and we’ll try to arrange one near you.

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