Written by Ashley Walker (’22)
The best that we can do is to arrive at a place of peace within ourselves, then social change can occur. Looking past the dominant paradigms and the predefined normalities of society, the ingrained problematic structures of the world can be changed. The year 2021 has brought the trend of manifesting — but what exactly does it mean to manifest something? I turned to an Oprah article and a Breñe Brown podcast to discover the truth and determine how I could apply this movement to my own life, to transform it for the better.
The author of A Spiritual Entrepreneur, Angelina Lombardo, tells OprahMag.com, “manifesting is making everything you want to feel and experience a reality… via your thoughts, actions, beliefs, and emotions.” Through belief and laws of attraction, manifestation makes a palpable object real. To kick start the process, write down all your hopes and dreams – no matter how big or small. Invest in a gratitude journal and make time to jot down mid-day thoughts or flashes of dreams right before bedtime.
Angelina Lombardo says, “you are the only one who dreams your dreams, so whether it’s a new partner and a healthy relationship or a better job, know it and own it,” she says. Oprah explains that once she realized how much control she had over her thoughts, she actually had the power to control them.
To further discuss the charm of manifesting, Breñe Brown chatted with Dr. Edith Eger on Recognizing the Choices and Gifts in our lives in her latest episode. Dr. Edith Eger is a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor who preaches the capability of self-choice. Dr. Edith Eger says, “Self-love is where everything begins and ends, we’re born alone and I hope you are looking in the mirror every morning and say I love me” (Dr. Edith Eger). She also speaks to the influence of energy. Her time in Auschwitz concentration camp when she was merely 16 years old made her realize that although she never knew what was going to happen tomorrow, present tense is everything.
Another key aspect of manifestation is constantly checking in with your own energy. Are you being kind to yourself? Or getting in your own way by self negative talk. By focusing on the joys in life that bring you utter happiness, mindset flips can be automatic. “Telling yourself you’re not good enough, you’re not worthy enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not enough—it’s a tape that’s playing for a lot of people,” Oprah said during an episode of Oprah’s Lifeclass. Be flexible and trust the process.
Looking at life from the inside out, Dr. Edith Eger helps us identify our mental prisons from her wisdom. In the podcast episode she asks the listeners, “Do you want to be a driver or do you want to be driven” (Dr. Edith Eger)? This is where manifestation comes into play. It gives us the opportunity to take what we want in life and go after it – with the knowledge that it is only ourselves who hold us back. Dr. Edith Eger stresses the fact that every moment is precious, and says, “when you risk, you suffer. And it’s okay. It’s okay to feel feelings” (Dr. Edith Eger). Everything is temporary, she reminds us.
Transformation has no straightforward answer, but the more we manifest, the more the repeated actions of cultural wrongdoings can change. How does one break free from the rituals that have kept us grounded indefinitely? We manifest, knowing that the only way to move forward is to flourish without reverting back to the former self.
Sources:
https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a30244004/how-to-manifest-anything/