Why isn’t my manifesting working? You see this all the time online, right? But the truth is, your manifesting IS working. It’s working all of the time, every moment of every day, and the results are all around you.
So when we talk about manifesting working or not working, we’re really talking about learning to be more aware of and intentional in what we manifest.
This might sound pedantic, but it’s really important because it’s the basis of everything.
Look around you. What are you manifesting? (No no no, don’t beat yourself up or start blaming yourself.)
Ok so let’s get to it, and remember when you say, Why isn’t my manifesting working? You mean your intentional manifesting.
There are so many pieces to the puzzle, but it’s the overall feelings which will give you the biggest clue as to how you’re progressing with your manifesting. A sensation in your solar plexus which connects you to the desired outcome.
Once you have that feeling, there’s no room for doubt.
And it doesn’t matter how long it takes.
But I’m jumping ahead of myself. Let’s break it down into bite sized bits.
Table of Contents
Is There One Correct Way to Practise Manifesting?
There are lots of overlaps and some core principals which you’ll see reflected across the board, but there are also lots and lots of differences between the way different people successfully manifest.
In this post I share what works for me.
I’ve been using manifesting techniques successfully for years.
In the past, I desired (and requested) a very different reality to the one which I now love, and that’s because I’ve grown as a person.
It took time for me to feel that I deserve everything great in life.
Throughout that growth, my manifesting has also matured.
You can only manifest within the realms of your own imagination.
So if your inner imagination sees yourself as being meek, mild, poor and kind (for example), then your manifestations will stay in alignment with that inner belief.
There isn’t just ONE way to be successful at manifesting. There are variations from person to person, energy to energy, but they all share some similarities.
Why Isn’t My (Intentional) Manifesting Working?
First a brief overview and then we’ll dive into each one in more detail.
Have a look at this checklist, then jump into any of the points which resonate with you personally as being potentially problematical.
If your manifesting isn’t working, maybe you’ve fallen into the trap of forgetting some of these essential ingredients. . .
- Avoid choosing something too far from your current reality.
- Are you 100% in alignment with it (emotionally as well as logically)?
- Do you want it too desperately (or not enough)?
- Have you been really specific about what you’re manifesting?
- Can you release control over the outcome & let it go?
- Have you demanded a specific time line? (Don’t do it!)
- It’s possible that you’ve actually asked for something different to what you think.
- Are you trying to control or manipulate somebody else?
- Do you have some deep limiting beliefs?
- Have you forgotten to attach emotions and feelings?
- You can’t test the system.
#1 Avoid Choosing Something Too Far from Your Current Reality
Your subconscious mind, your imagination, your feelings and emotions all have to resonate with the outcome you’ve asked the universe to deliver.
If you ask for something which is way out of your radar, you won’t have the knowledge within your mind, body and soul to actually achieve it.
This overlaps with many other points like alignment, believing, visualising and more.
Do a test: close your eyes and imagine your requested outcome. Can you see it, feel it, watch as it unfolds in every detail as though it were already in your life? Is it a 3D image which resonates deep within you?
If not, it’s probably too far away. Try reaching for a stepping stone along the way and manifest something much closer to your reality.
#2 Are you 100% in Alignment with it (emotionally as well as logically)?
How do you know if you’re in alignment with something? Similar to above, when you close your eyes you should be able to feel this outcome attached to your core.
Do this test: close your eyes and imagine yourself having lunch. A normal lunch just like you do every day. Picture your kitchen or wherever it is you normally sit for lunch.
Can you see all the details? If you aren’t very visual, maybe you can hear the noises of the street or smell the aroma of the food?
As you do this exercise tune in to how you feel in your solar plexus. It’s a feeling of being grounded, like having a chord attaching you to the images from your core rather than from your head.
Now close your eyes and imagine yourself as ballerina swirling around the stage in a theatre in London. Can you picture this with the same intensity as your daily lunch?
My bet is that the answer will be no.
As you imagine yourself as a ballerina (or choose something else which is far from your reality), notice where the imagination springs from. It’s more from the mind/brain and less connected to your core.
Pay attention to your feelings as you imagine the unrealistic scene. It’s most likely there won’t be any emotions attached to the visualisation.
Becoming aware of this one difference can be hugely empowering for intentional manifestations because if gives you a bio feedback method which will let you know whether your manifestation is on its way to you or not.
#3 Do You Want it too Desperately (or not enough)?
Yes, sorry to say, you can push your desired manifestation away from you if you’re over-needy about it.
There are two (and more) types of wanting something. One is positive for manifesting and the other will block it.
Let’s take a look at the difference.
Wanting it Too Much vs Not Enough
You’re forgiven for finding this confusing lol. So let’s look at the positive type of wanting something first.
When you set out to manifest something, you need to resonate with that desired outcome so deeply. You really want that thing in your life, but more than want, you know that it’s for you.
It feels right, it’s important, essential, it’s who you really are and it’s who you intend to become.
So you are wanting it with 100% of your being.
But you’re on track, you’re calm. You’re accepting of whatever outcome comes your way because you know where you’re heading. That’s the kind of wanting which we need to embrace if we’re going to successfully manifest something.
So now a look at the blocking-kind-of-wanting.
When you want something because you desperately feel you need that outcome, it’s more often than not because you’re actually trying to get away from something else and you’re desperate for that to happen.
So let’s say you’re desperate to have the rent paid next month so you decide to manifest it. But the problem is, what you’re actually doing is resonating with the fear of not being able to pay the rent. The fear of being thrown out of your apartment and all the insecurities that come with it.
Whenever you feel desperation you can be sure that you’re not in alignment with what you’re trying to manifest. But there are things you can do in this situation, it just takes a change of focus.
#4 Have You been Really Specific about What you’re Manifesting?
What does it mean to be specific about something?
Ok, so when you’re trying to manifest something into your reality, you should focus on how it will make you feel at the same time as picturing it in every detail.
You don’t need the real thing to come through exactly as you imagined it, but your imagination is like the seed being sown, so it needs to have the complete map.
For example, if you just say I want to manifest a house, the lack of details isn’t enough to spark off a reaction of emotions within your physiology.
Do a test: close your eyes and imagine a house.
What did you see? Is it possible to just ‘imagine a house’? No. You have to imagine a location, a colour, a texture, a size, a style etc.
If you don’t do this with your manifesting, it’s like sitting in the car without pressing the ignition.
#5 Can You Release Control Over the Outcome & Let it Go?
Do you think you can control the ebb of the sea? (Yeah ok, of course not.)
Well this is no different.
You appear to have control because you can manifest what you want into your life, but it isn’t about control, it’s about resonating and ALLOWING it to flow.
Just like you allow the waves to flow and crash onto the beach. Just like when you go sailing, you adjust to the sea, you don’t change the sea.
Let it Be.
It’s a mistake to think that you’re in control.
You aren’t.
You won’t close your eyes, visualise a pile of money, open your eyes, grab the money which materialised before you and hop off down the street.
It doesn’t work anything like that.
When manifesting, you sow the seed and you feel it within you all the time, day in day out.
You trust that whatever happens is for the greater good and you know that it doesn’t have to turn out exactly how you planned it.
#6 Have You Demanded a Specific Time Line? (Don’t do it!)
For me there are two absolute NOs in manifesting. One is asking HOW and the other is demanding WHEN it will happen.
But what about goal setting?
You might be wanting to move house before the end of the year and it’s fine to have that timeline within your logical mind as a goal but when you decide to manifest your new house, leave the timeline up to the universe.
Yes, it might take longer than what you hoped but putting a deadline on it will block it altogether because you’re trying too hard to be in control.
#7 It’s Possible that You’ve Actually Asked for Something Different to What You Think
Sometimes you might think you’re manifesting something when in reality you’ve asked for something else.
So you think that you’ve asked for money to buy some new shoes but what had really got you resonating was those old shoes you need to throw out.
Your request to the universe was actually on an energetic level, for a new pair of shoes, which then arrived but didn’t resemble the money you thought you were manifesting!
And so you don’t recognise that you have been successful.
In another similar situation, sometimes you might think you’re manifesting something positive but in actual fact it isn’t good for you and on a subconscious level, you know that, so you block the manifestation.
#8 Are You Trying to Manipulate Somebody Else?
You can totally manifest your soul mate into your life, or your new best friend or a new work buddy.
These things are all completely doable with the power of manifesting because you leave it open for the right person to come into your life.
But if you’re trying to manipulate a specific person, then that’s a whole different kettle of fish, and doesn’t work with manifesting.
Manifesting your reality is for that – your reality. It doesn’t extend to controlling somebody else’s decisions or influencing them in any way.
It needs to be a result that resonates with both partners for them to come together.
So if you want to get back with your ex and you decide to manifest you both back together, living happily ever after when in reality your ex has moved on, then you can forget it.
Instead, manifest a reality where you share your life with your soulmate, and allow that person to be WHOMEVER it needs to be.
You can always pacify yourself by telling yourself that if your ex is meant to be with you, this powerful manifestation will bring you back together.
And then you release expectations and allow the magic to begin.
#9 Do You Have Some Deep Limiting Beliefs?
Remember that we can only go a step from where we are right now, right?
So if you have deep limiting beliefs about who you are or what you deserve, you’ll need to unravel those and kick their badass energy to the sidewalk.
Because if you have underlying negative or limiting beliefs, you won’t be able to truly resonate with your desired outcome and you won’t be able to be in alignment with it.
#10 Have You Forgotten to Attach Emotions and Feelings?
Your emotions are the language of the universe.
They’re the way you can check in on yourself to see if everything’s flowing as it should in your daily life.
If you try to manifest without involving your feelings and emotions, you’ve basically forgotten to put petrol into the car (or charge the battery as the case may be!)
#11 You can’t test the system
When you set out to test the system you immediately sabotage your results. You know how impossible it would be for your physiological responses to kick in in response to a ‘fake’ situation which you’ve engineered as a test?
Your body is intelligent and it won’t be having any of it. You may as well not be in the car at all.
FAQ on Why isn’t My Manifesting Working?
There’s lots of advice and opinions out there and some of it really isn’t helpful.
Here are a few examples of things which I don’t think you should worry about.
Yeah I know, this is just another opinion lol, but it’s mine and it’s worked amazingly well for me.
So, you might read that you shouldn’t doubt yourself but in actual fact. . .
- Is it ok to doubt myself? YES!
- Do I have to take action? NO (and yes)
- Should I set a deadline to show that I’m serious? Absolutely not!
- Do I have to be positive all the time? NO!
- How can I get better at manifesting? So many ways! drawing magic drawings, writing in a journal, affirmations, magic rhyme, meditating, inner journeying, self hypnosis, connecting with your inner self, expressing gratitude and more.
Is it OK to Doubt Myself?
Of course it’s fine!
It surprises the hell out of me when I hear people say you have to be 100% confident.
You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t doubt yourself.
In fact, doubt yourself as much is in your nature, but at the same time, build trust in the universe. It isn’t YOU that’s all powerful, it’s Spirit, Universe, Life Energy or God, or whatever name resonates most with you.
When you trust in the process, you can still have your personal wobbles and they won’t be strong enough to interfere with the underlying trust.
Do I Have to Take Action?
Yes and No.
The sentence ‘take action‘ conjures up the mistaken idea of someone running round frantically pushing and pulling, trying to make things happen.
And that’s the opposite of what you want.
When you set the intention and go about life with your new manifested reality held firmly in your day to day emotions, you’ll naturally start to find things coming into your life to give you the next stepping stone toward your desired future self.
It’s up to you to step onto the stepping stone and move forwards, yes.
But taking action doesn’t mean forcing things to happen (as if you could even if you wanted to).
Just follow the path as it unfolds and notice all the synchronicities that flow into your life.
So in fact, the opposite of taking action is also true – you need to release all expectations and trust, and follow the path.
Should I Set a Deadline to Show that I’m Serious?
Absolutely not.
Now I know that some people like to set deadlines and goals, so if you’re one of them then that’s ok for you.
You can set your goals and state your deadlines. This can send a positive message to your subconscious mind that you’ve got this, you know where you’re going and you know what action you’re going to take.
But this is about business tactics, how to achieve more in less time, how to motivate yourself etc. The universe won’t respond to YOUR timeline. The universe delivers at the time which is right. Not which YOU think to be right.
So you can forget setting timelines unless it’s helpful for you personally in a normal day to day life.
Once you turn a desire over to the universe, you’ll have to forget the deadline and get out of the way.
This is one of the most important steps of manifesting – to allow things to come to you in their own way and in their own time.
Do I Have to be Positive All the Time?
No.
You have to hold on to a thread of positivity from your inner gut to the future timeline.
That thread, if you’re in a bad spot right now, might be very tenacious.
It might just be a knowing that something is going to give – or, it might be a full blown positive knowledge that your dream is on its way.
You have to nurture your trust, but don’t try to shun the negative side of your thoughts.
See them and acknowledge them for what they are.
When you’re consumed by doubt and negativity, tell that negative voice that you KNOW that something’s going to get better even if you don’t know how or when.
Just that. Just do that consistently and you’ll find you can still manifest yourself into a beautiful place.
Things You Can Do To Help Manifest Your Dreams into Reality
There are obviously lots and lots of ways to nurture the seed of manifestation and these are just a few suggestions which you can try if you haven’t already.
Not all of them will resonate with you.
Just do whatever feels right, and be content with your progress.
- Practise Gratitude: find things to be grateful for every day
- Meditate and connect with your inner silence
- Practise inner journeying to meet your guides
- Ask for help from your spirits
- Release importance from your desired outcome
- Trust that everything happens for a reason and for the greater good
- Enjoy the journey and don’t focus on results
- Practise magic drawings of the things you’d love to have in your life
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Use the greater force to help you with small daily tasks and build up your confidence in manifesting
Dominique Davis shares what she calls the ‘ten minute technique’ – a way to raise your vibrations and experience the joy of your desired outcome right now.
Now go out there and do some kickass-joyful manifesting!
