Did you know that through the power of your God-self you are creating your personal reality with your thoughts and beliefs?  You are a creator, and you have the potential to manifest the life of your dreams.  But to fully tap into your creative potential, you'll have to fully embrace your creatorship, master the laws of creation, and overcome many mental limitations — and this is no small task.

Many wise spiritual sages throughout the ages have alluded to the fact that we are creating our reality with our thoughts.  The great roman emperor and spiritual philosopher Marcus Aurelius uttered these timeless words, 'Our life is what our thoughts make it.'

The Buddha uttered these words of wisdom, 'With our thoughts we make the world.'

The Buddha expanded on this idea when he made the statement, What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.  Henry David Thoreau, the great American essayist, poet, and philosopher wrote these words, This world is but a canvas for our imagination.

Why Isn't It Working for Me?

Actually, it IS working for you, but not the way you think.  You are ALWAYS creating your reality; always getting exactly what you think, expect, and believe.  But if you aren't completely clear about what you desire, completely focused on it, completely positive, and completely free from limiting beliefs what you create for yourself will fall far short of your potential.   Many of us are putting in plenty of effort but don't realize the many things we are doing that are counteracting much of it.          

In this article, I'll introduce you to some of the more important principles, techniques, and pitfalls of manifesting.  Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's take a little side trip.          

Got Happiness, Fulfillment, Success, and Abundance?

Many of us are not satisfied with our lives — we aren't happy with our jobs, where we live, or how much money we make.  Many of us aren't achieving the success, abundance, and happiness we yearn for.  Instead of dreaming big and following our passion we are settling for what seems practical and doable.  We're afraid to take a chance and follow our passion and our dreams.          

What do you DESIRE and how do you define SUCCESS? Everyone defines success differently; some of us desire fame and fortune, others want to live a life of adventure, still others want to serve humanity.  Whatever you desire, it's just fine with the Universe.  It gave you free will so you could explore and experience as you see fit.  It does not judge you or your desires.  It is OK with you creating whatever experiences you like.  This does not mean it is totally indifferent about what experiences you create for yourself.  The Universe is experiencing through you, so when you're happy it's happy.  It wants you to BE what you desire, and to HAVE what you desire.          

In fact, it's not sitting around passively watching you strive towards your aspirations and desires.  If you are willing to put your full will and effort towards what you desire, it will support you; it will empower you.  It is delighted when you dream big and courageously follow your passion.  It will match your desire, passion, will, and effort every step of the way.  If you are willing to put your heart and soul into it, the Universe will be delighted to help you.               

“When a man is willing and eager, the gods join in.”    — Aeschylus                      

The way the Universe helps you attain your desires is by providing favorable circumstances and opportunities.  It doesn't just dump a pot of gold in your lap, not in the Earth game anyway.  It expects you to work hard for your desired outcomes.  It expects you to demonstrate that you really want it.  So, it presents opportunities and it's your responsibility to notice them and choose to act on them.          

The Rules of the Game

The rules of the game that are the basis for all the manifesting skills and techniques are the Universal Spiritual Laws.  These laws are statements of the dynamics that source consciousness (god) put in place when it created the physical reality system we are playing in.  These rules govern how the game of life works and, if fully understood, can make you a master-level player.  The most well know of these laws is the Law of Attraction .  This law states that your thoughts and intentions attract similar experiences into your reality.  It is one of the key laws that apply to manifesting, but there are many and they all apply to a certain extent.  These laws are the underlying reason for all the manifesting techniques.  For the purposes of this article, we will focus on practical manifesting techniques and ignore their theoretical underpinnings.          

Key Elements of Powerful Manifesting

Stated in its simplest form, your thoughts, words, and deeds create your reality.  But of course, there are many details and nuances involved that aren't necessarily obvious.  Here are some of them…                    

STRONG DESIRE AND INTENT

The strength of your desire is where most of your manifesting power comes from.  The Universe senses the strength of your desire by how strong your associated EMOTION is.  Feel your desire deeply and intensely to let the Universe know you mean business.  It also doesn't hurt to TELL the Universe (out load) your desires and goals.  The Universe is listening to what you SAY as well as what you FEEL.          

The clarity of your desire is also very important.  You have to be very clear about what you want.  If you are fuzzy about what you want, your results will be fuzzy as well.          

The clarity and strength of your desire alone will only get you so far.  You have to commit mentally to getting the result you desire — you have to have strong intent to achieve your goal.  Strong intent is demonstrated to the Universe in a number of ways.          

One way strong intent is demonstrated is by making plans.  When the Universe sees you making plans to reach your goals it says, 'Wow, you're serious about this, I'm going give you support.' By the way, don't keep your goals and plans secret, TELL people.  The act of telling others demonstrates commitment, and the Universe is watching.  Also, writing your desires and plans down on paper is very powerful.  Especially if you then tack it on your wall and read it regularly.          

Another way that strong intent is demonstrated is by taking action in the direction of your goals on a regular basis.  The classic adage applies here — action speaks louder than words (or thoughts).  When the Universe sees you taking action to reach your goal it says, 'Wow, you're really serious about this, I'm going give you even more support.  I'm going to offer up some very fortuitous opportunities for you to take advantage of.' By the way, the actions you take don't have to be BIG and HARD.  Small actions count.  It's usually more effective to take many baby steps rather than trying to take steps that are too big and eventually giving up because it's too hard.          

In addition, you have to fully expect that you can achieve your goal — you have to believe you can do it.  It's one thing to want something, but it's quite another to believe (expect) you will have it.  It is very common for people to have strong desire and intent but deep inside, without really being aware of it, they don't really believe it.  YOU GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU EXPECT.  So expect the best, and that's what you'll get!          

ACTIONS

Taking actions that are congruent with your goal is vitally important to successful and powerful manifesting, but not in the way you think.  Think of action as the strongest form of intention.  Strong intention without supporting action is not very powerful.  When the Universe sees you following through on your intention with action, it is convinced you really want to achieve your goal and starts giving you its full support.  The way to tell that the Universe is fully supporting you is that many fortuitous coincidences and opportunities will appear to help you along your way.  Make sure you stay alert for these and grab them when they appear.          

Generally, the more action, the better, but here's the good part: small actions (baby steps) on a regular basis are very powerful.  So, don't overdo it — pace yourself so you make the finish line.  One of the biggest mistakes people make is over doing it, burning out, and then giving up.  Slow and steady is the best approach.          

FOCUS

If you divide your attention, you are diluting your power.  Give the things that you want the most, the most attention — prioritize!  Let go of things that are no longer serving your priorities.  Remember the adage 'What you focus on grows, what you focus on you attract' and always focus on what you want, not on what you don't.          

GRATITUDE

Gratitude is one of the secret sauces of powerful manifesting.  One of the best ways to boost your manifesting power is to be thankful and appreciative of all the opportunities and abundance that the Universe provides.  Even if you don't get exactly what you envisioned, you should fully appreciate what is offered.  Heartfelt gratitude amplifies your manifesting power.  Acknowledge and thank the Universe for the help it has provided.          

One of the most powerful ways to show gratitude is by sharing your abundance with others.  The Universe considers sharing the highest form of gratitude!  Any abundance shared will eventually be returned many times over.          

Other Tools and Techniques

There are a whole bunch of tools and techniques that can enhance your manifesting power I won't get into in this article, other than naming some of them: visualization, affirmations, prayers, and decrees.  More on these in future articles, so stay tuned.          

The Top 3 Reasons Your Manifesting Power is Weak

1.  LIMITING BELIEFS

Beliefs are your assumptions about how things are or should be.  They are often operating sub-consciously — you are not aware of them.  Many people have counterproductive beliefs lurking in the recesses of their mind.  Let's discuss the most insidious of them.                   

A very common problem is Lack of Self-Worth.  Deep down inside you may feel undeserving and unworthy of success.  Despite the experiences that have led to your feelings of unworthiness, you must TRUST that you deserve good things.  Let go of your perceived shortcomings, and past experiences, and focus on creating the new you.  Don't be a prisoner of your past — don't define yourself by what you've done in the past — don't let it limit what you do in the NOW! REIMAGINE and RECREATE yourself!               

Step into your power and live up to your potential by thinking and believing that you are worthy of success on all levels.  Success, abundance, and prosperity are your divine birthright!              

Related to feelings of unworthiness and undeservedness is not believing in YOURSELF — not believing you are capable, smart, and effective, and can achieve any goal you set your will and efforts towards.  Something Confucius said seems appropriate here,  'He who says he CAN and says he CAN'T are both usually right.'          

Another very insidious limiting belief is what I'll refer to as Money Lack Mindset.  If there's one area where people are holding onto a bunch of negative beliefs, it's in the area of money.  Many of us are carrying around dis-empowering beliefs about money that are hurting our ability to make more of it.  Here are some of the common beliefs about wealth and money that may be lurking in your head:          

         
• Money doesn't grow on trees.          
• It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the gates of heaven.          
• Rich people are selfish and greedy.          
• Rich people must have taken the money others.          

These beliefs are negative generalizations and in many cases are simply not true.  Perhaps the best way to dissolve these negative money beliefs is to think about money as a means to do more good in the world.  The more you have, the more you can share.  The more you have, the more you can invest in purpose-driven enterprises to improve the world.          

2.  NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND WORDS

Every word you speak, write, and think must be as POSITIVE as possible and congruent with your desires and goals.  Focus solely on your desired outcomes and do not dwell on your fears.  Dwelling on your fears will counteract much of your other manifesting efforts.   FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT YOU DON'T WANT. 

What you SAY is a reflection of what you think.  If you are saying NEGATIVE things, then you don't really expect or believe in your success.  The Universe is listening so be very, very careful about what you say and think.  If your thoughts and words are incongruent with your intent, you are just shooting yourself in the foot.          

3.  GIVING UP TOO SOON

The Earth game is designed to be very challenging.  The Universe doesn't just drop your desire right in your lap; it provides opportunities that, if seized, will lead you to your goal.  One of the over-arching lessons that the 'school of life' offers us is the value of hard work and persistence.  Big dreams don't manifest overnight — at least not in this physical reality system; not in the Earth game.  Our BIG dreams take time and many steps to be reached — the lesson is perseverance and determination.          

Another lesson is to have faith and trust in yourself. Powerful manifesting requires absolute faith. KNOW that you have all the skills, abilities, and talents to achieve whatever they set your will and effort towards. Believe in yourself and your dreams. Don't listen to the naysayers. Never doubt that you have what it takes, and you can achieve your dreams! Listen to yourself and say YES I CAN! And don't give up just before you prove to yourself and the Universe that YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES. NEVER GIVE UP!          

You must also have absolute faith in the Universe — in its benevolence and infinite abundance.  KNOW that the Universe will provide the opportunities required.  But be patient because the Universe unfolds your good in divine right time.  Don't give up just before the Universe gives you your big break!          The lack of faith and trust in yourself, your creative power, and the Universe can lead to stress and worry.  Worry is a negative energy that interferes with and diminishes the effectiveness of your manifesting efforts.  Instead of worrying, just refocus completely on doing, with passion and purpose, what needs to be done.  Also, continue visualizing and affirming your success.  Leave the rest up to the Universe and DON'T WORRY!          

4.  GIVING UP BEFORE YOU START

Many of us are settling for what seems practical and doable.  Most of us are not dreaming big.  We have tons of excuses why we can't or shouldn't pursue our passion.  We give up before we even start.  Don't be that guy.  Get started on building your dreams right NOW!  The hardest part of anything is always getting started.   Dig in, work through the learning curve, and stick it out until things get easier.   YOU CAN DO IT!          

A common excuse people give for not taking steps towards their dreams are things like they're 'TOO OLD' or it's 'TOO LATE'.  Limiting ideas about age keeps us from pursuing our dreams.  Want to shatter your limiting ideas regarding age and success?  Need some proof that older people can reinvent themselves?  Check out this infographic from MindValley … 20 People Who Proved It's Never Too Late To Transform Your Life.          

Embrace Your Creatorship

You are a POWERFUL creator with the unlimited potential of the infinite Universe at your disposal.  Step into your power and FEARLESSLY pursue your passions and create the life of your dreams!          

More power to you!