Thoughts become things: can you think your life better by ‘manifesting’?

What if you could get the things you desire most, simply by unleashing the power of your noggin? It may sound far-fetched. But this is the premise behind ‘manifesting’ – and the movement is gaining some serious traction.


Thinking on to 2021…

A promotion from your boss.

Something new and shiny for your driveway.

A chance meeting with your future soulmate.

Whatever you’re looking for in life, a growing number of people believe you can make it happen simply by thinking it into existence. It’s called ‘manifesting’. And after the chaos of 2020 – where almost nothing went to plan – now is the perfect time to begin hoping for a more positive 2021. But can you make that happen using the power of thought alone?


Sorry, can you elaborate…? (Don’t tempt fate!)

Right, here we go.

Manifesting is built on the principles of the law of attraction. In short: what you think about – and how you think about it – determines what you attract in real life. So if you get that grey matter of yours whirring hard enough – and positively enough – on receiving a bouquet of flowers, or a box of choccies, or a festively fragrant yuletide candle it might just happen. Sounds good…

The idea is based on the power of the mind to determine real world outcomes, as is summed up by Henry Ford’s famous quote: “whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right”.

Stirring stuff. But is it nonsense?

Well, it turns out there’s some science to this. Thoughts have a physical aspect to them. They are the result of synapses firing; neurons connecting. Thoughts have energy. They have even been determined to have a physical weight. Given that everything in the universe is made of vibrational energy, is it so beyond the realms of possibility that the energy created by your thoughts can have an impact on the world around you? 

Just look at how important positive visualisation is in elite sport. Mentally rehearsing certain actions – swimming, for example – has been shown to strengthen the neural circuitry required to perform those actions in real life. Basketball players, meanwhile, can improve their shooting accuracy by as much as 15% after just a few minutes of visualisation.

Even that quintessentially British exclamation of paranoia – “don’t tempt fate!” – adds weight to the notion that your thoughts can drive a real-world outcome.

Your thoughts matter. 


Where has this manifesting trend come from?

The principles of manifesting were made famous in 2006 by Rhonda Byrne’s bestselling self-help book The Secret. (There’s an associated documentary on Netflix that goes by the same name.) The ‘secret’, of course, being that you can ‘manifest’ things into existence by thinking about them in the right way.

This idea is nothing new. Comparable ideas are found in many major religions and spiritual ideologies, including Ayurvedic teachings. Lately however the idea of manifesting is enjoying a huge resurgence. The hashtag #Manifesting has garnered 334m views on TikTok. Google searches were up 400% in August compared to pre-COVID numbers.

Whether you believe in it or not, the manifesting movement is big.

 

Manifesting: what do you get out of it?

There are countless articles about how you can start manifesting. But even if you feel sceptical, at the very least, manifesting can help you to become more aware of your thought patterns. To think more carefully about the positive/negative spin you put on your day-to-day events. And to sharpen your focus on what you want from life. There’s a lot to be said for that – regardless of whether you believe in the idea that you can think a new Mercedes onto your driveway.  


How Baldwins can help

Without anything tangible, it’s hard for some to have faith in the manifesting movement. That’s why we have curated a collection that can get you in the right frame of mind.

Whether you are visualising your goals and ambitions or simply looking to calm your mind, the items below will help. Oh and as we hurtle into Santa season, they might make a great gift for someone you know!

Be sure to have a quick browse before we sell out – these go quickly at Christmas.


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