Manifestation and the law of attraction is slowly gaining popularity in the world. With more and more content being created to explain this practice, many people are trying to figure out what’s real and what’s fake. I’ve been studying and teaching the art of manifestation for the past 5 years and collected some of the most common manifestation myths and beliefs that I’ve heard people say.

As much as these statements are myths, they are also limiting beliefs that are holding you back from manifesting what you want. So read carefully and let them go for good! 

MANIFESTATION MYTH #1

In order to manifest what I want I just have to think positive thoughts. 

If manifestation was this easy, you bet we would all already have everything we would ever want. The truth is that manifestation is not just about thinking positive thoughts or visualizing that dream car and then expecting it to fall into your lap.

In order to manifest what you desire, you must in fact think, feel, speak, act, believe, and know that what you want is already yours because it's who you are at an identity level. We don't manifest what we want and what we think, we manifest who we are.

Ask yourself: The type of person who already has ___________, how would he/she think, feel, speak, act, believe, and know to be true? Work on being this person now.

MANIFESTATION MYTH #2

I have to be positive all the time. If I feel negative feelings or think negative thoughts, I will manifest bad things in my life.

This is one of the biggest manifestation misconceptions that's roaming around the internet that's very unhealthy and simply not true. Manifestation does not happen instantaneously so just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean you'll manifest bad things in your life.

As humans, we are born to feel all the emotions, good and bad. Forcing ourselves to be positive 24/7 is just exhausting and the truth is, the universe knows if you're being genuine or not. You don't manifest bad things based on a few negative thoughts and complaints here and there. The universe picks up on your dominant and habitual thoughts and beliefs to determine what you are a vibrational match to most of the time. 

Instead of judging yourself for being negative or complaining from time to time, be compassionate and give yourself a moment to feel through them so you can process your frustrations. Then shift to a more positive perspective that feels better in your body. 

MANIFESTATION MYTH #3

Manifestation will always feel easy and effortless.

While this can be true some of the time, manifestation is all about personal growth which requires you to stretch yourself beyond what you're used to. You have to take action on things that are way outside of your comfort zone and learn to trust and have faith in yourself even when things don't seem like they are working.

While most manifestations may feel easy and effortless in the way they unfold, truth is that the process can feel very unfamiliar and scary. Key is to not allow the discomfort to hold you back from taking action and becoming the type of person who is simply comfortable being uncomfortable.

MANIFESTATION MYTH #4

Manifestation has no scientific evidence.

Manifestation is often thought of as this "woo woo" spiritual practice that has no scientific evidence to back it up creating a lot of skepticism around the world. Yet if you do your research you'll realize that there is in fact a lot of scientific proof explaining why manifestation is a real thing.

Here are just a few topics you can research on your own to dispel your own skepticism and fully believe in the power of your mind.

Quantum Physics Double Slit Experiment, The Placebo Effect, Dr. Emoto's Water Experiment, Neuroplasticity, Mirror Neurons, Power of Visualization, The Rosenthal Effect

MANIFESTATION MYTH #5

I have to do lengthy rituals every day and follow them step by step to make manifestation work for me.

This is one of the main myths roaming around social media right now. With so much video content being created every day, everyone wants to create the next viral step-by-step manifestation ritual, attaching way too much structure and creating insecurities for people who are just starting out. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about adding these wonderful practices to our life, under one condition.

Don't ever forget that the practice of manifestation is not one size fits all. You cannot ignore your own intuition simply because someone told you to practice it this way. Manifestation is all about flow, intuition, and taking self-inspired action on the things that feel good to YOU. You're allowed to BREAK THE RULES and modify the rituals to match your lifestyle or not do them at all. Learn to trust yourself and apply what resonates and leave the rest. 

MANIFESTATION MYTH #6

Visualizing my desires every day is enough to manifest what I want.

Even though visualization is an amazing and powerful practice in the manifestation process, it is not always enough to manifest what you want. What most people who teach about visualization forget to mention, is that you have to take inspired action towards your goals when ideas and opportunities present themselves. Visualization is only part of the process.

Think about it this way. If you want to manifest a car for example, sitting on your couch and visualizing the car every day is not going to just drop it into your garage. However, visualizing the car every day may help you become a vibrational match to the car so one day, while in the shower, you may spontaneously have the idea to ask for a promotion at work that you previously thought was not going to work out. You take inspired action, get the promotion, which pays you out a nice bonus, and with it you have the funds to buy the car you wanted to manifest.

Remember, visualization is only a tool to help you reprogram your subconscious mind into believing that what you want is possible for you. In addition to that, you still have to align your thoughts, feelings, spoken words, beliefs, and identity with your desires AND take inspired action when opportunities are presented.

MANIFESTATION MYTH #7

Law of Attraction is the only law of the universe.

This is actually not true. Most people are familiar with the law of attraction because it is a popular term used on the internet. They become familiar with it either by watching The Secret or hearing it on social media and think that the entire universe operates under this one law. In truth, there are at least 12 main universal laws that all work together to keep our planet in harmony. There may be even more laws we are not currently aware of. 

MANIFESTATION MYTH #8

I only manifest good things in my life. The unwanted (bad) things are not my fault because I didn’t want them. Those are a fluke.

Unfortunately, this statement is just simply not true. Based on the law of attraction you attract what you are a vibrational match to (good and unwanted). Even though you may not want to manifest an undesirable experience, if your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are in alignment with something negative, you attract it into your life whether you like it or not.

The universal forces are very literal and non-judgmental. These laws don’t care if you like or don’t like what is being given to you. Like a magnet you simply attract what you are a vibrational match to.

Believing this statement is like saying, the law of gravity will only drop items that I want it to drop on the floor but keeps all the other things floating in the air.

When you do manifest an unwanted experience, it is up to you to figure out what is unhealed within you and what underlying subconscious beliefs may be attracting these into your life.

MANIFESTATION MYTH #9

I have to be completely healed and get rid of all my limiting beliefs before I can manifest what I want.

I don't believe that as human beings we will ever be completely healed or ever be left with zero limiting beliefs. What makes life worth living is our multi-dimensional way of being. Growth comes with a new set of limiting beliefs, new challenges, and more healing for as long as you live.

So yes, you can absolutely be a work in progress and still manifest your desires at the same time. You are perfect with all your imperfections and worthy of everything you want right now.

MANIFESTATION MYTH #10

It’s so much easier to manifest small things than it is big things.

As much as we want to believe that it’s easier to manifest $10 than it is to manifest $1,000,000, it is not. It is actually just as easy to manifest a million then it is a single dollar.

The only reason why it FEELS like it is easier, is because we BELIEVE that it is. If we were as sure about a Lamborghini dropping into our garage then we were about a Toyota, we could manifest it just as easily.

The universe doesn’t discriminate or knows anything about denominations or monetary value of items you want. It simply gives you what you subconsciously believe is possible for you. That is why letting go of your limiting beliefs and regulating your nervous system when it comes to larger valued items is so important in the manifestation process.

MANIFESTATION MYTH #11

Manifestation is new aged process, satanic, or related to witchcraft.

Most people think that manifestation and the law of attraction are new age concepts connected to new age spirituality (and some even think that the practice of manifestation is connected to satanism or dark witchcraft). However, when you do a little bit of research, you will realize that manifestation is actually found in almost all ancient spiritual texts and is way older than any other religion known to mankind.

New age spirituality has definitely popularized these concepts in recent years and brought them into modern day life, but manifestation is in fact as old as time similar to how gravity has existed for as long as time.

Saying manifestation is brand new is like saying electricity or gravity is brand new. Just because we only relatively recently learned how to use electricity, does not make the laws that make electricity work brand new. They have always existed just like the laws of the universe that make manifestation work have always existed. 

MANIFESTATION MYTH #12

Manifestation requires you to always think about your desires and what you want to create. 

This is partially true. In order to manifest your desires you must set powerful intentions and mostly focus on what you want rather than putting your focus on what you don't want in your life.

However, thinking about what you want to create is only effective if your feelings also come from a place of happiness and abundance. If you're constantly thinking about wanting to manifest more money or manifesting your soulmate but the emotions you're feeling when thinking those thoughts fill you with anxiety, loneliness, and trigger a sense of lack, then thinking about what you want (more money, soulmate, etc.) is actually really counterproductive.

Always check in with yourself to see if your intentions actually make you feel good or if they only remind you of the lack that currently exists in your life. If you're thinking positive thoughts but you feel negative feelings then it's more worth your while to not think about the thing that you want at all for a while or work on releasing your scarcity feelings otherwise you will only manifest more scarcity into your life.  

About The Author 

Saba Shojai is a certified sound healer, manifestation and crystal expert, life coach, and one of the co-owners of everlur, a manifestation jewelry brand. After experiencing many limitations in her life from being a first generation immigrant, she decided to transform her mindset and consciously manifest her dream life. Through everlur's crystal bracelets she is now empowering thousands of people around the world to believe in themselves and the infinite amount of possibilities available to them.