By Michelle Perry

Manifestation isn’t simply magical thinking; it’s a logical process.

You have a certain amount of mental energy created by your brain. If 70% of your attention is focused on the negative rather than the positive, what do you think your life is going to look like? When you’re focused on one thing (negativity, complaints, what you don’t want), you can’t focus on another thing (what you DO want). It’s cause and effect.

Look around you. For 10 seconds, count how many brown things you see. Brown table, brown car, brown paint.

Ok. Got your number?

How many blue things did you see?

There have been studies done showing that having  an open, positive attitude makes people more flexible and able to think and act more “chaotically.” This chaos opens you up to more opportunities. If you’re focused on finding brown, all you’re going to see is brown. If you’re open and aware and receptive to any color, you’ll see more. So the odds of you finding what you’re looking for in life are going to go up. It’s a numbers game. If you focus on the negative, you’re going to see more negative. It’s all about perspective and choice.

Not only can you increase your odds of getting what you want, you can choose what you’re going to focus on, and practice that. Every skill is acquired through practice. Happy people are happy because they’ve practiced being happy.

Look around you again. What do you see? Your computer? A lamp? A table? Each of these things was a THOUGHT before it was created. Someone had to think about the concept of a cell phone before they began to try and build it. Someone had to think about going surfing before they built a surfboard. This is the truth behind the concept thoughts turn into things.

So how, exactly, does one go about manifesting?

Here’s an equation: Clarity+Intention+Openness+Action=Manifestation.

Clarity

First you have to identify what exactly it is that you want. Many people focus on what they DON’T want; but if you haven’t clarified exactly what it is that you DO want, chances are you’re not going to notice it when it pops up in front of you.

So clarity is key. What do you want? Identify it. And then remind yourself. It’s really easy to forget – our world is full of a lot of garbage and distractions. Complaints, negativity, anger, hatred, celebrity gossip, political scandal. Do any of these things make your life better? Cut out all that trash. All it does is get in your way, distract you, block your vision of your ideal life, and pull you down.

Intention/Focus

Once you’ve clarified what it is that you want, it’s important to have the intention that you are going to get it. Intentions focus what you’ve realized through clarity. By letting yourself and others around you know what you want and that you intend to get it, you’re broadcasting it and putting it out there. And your odds of getting it are going to go up.

That’s where affirmations come in. We all know our own truth, deep down inside of us. But we get confused and lose sight of where we’re going. Affirmations can help to remind you to stay on your path. Know that you need to be more honest with people about your feelings? Use an affirmation like, “Every day I am more and more honest with the people in my life.” You only remember your name and address because you’ve said them to yourself over and over (though with the name, you did it at such a young age, you probably don’t remember). Affirmations become part of your mindscape. Whatever you say will become a part of who you are, since who you are is, for the most part, a story in your head.

Openness

This one might sound easy, but most people fear change. Change is scary because there is always some unknown element. So we actually block good things from coming into our lives, or sabotage them when they do. At its root, this is based in evolutionary biology – for most of human evolution, change and risk-taking  could get you killed. Nowadays most of the changes we’d like to make in our lives wouldn’t kill us, but our minds still react like it will.

When you are open, you notice more. You’re more receptive, you say Yes to more.  You’ll begin to be aware of the coincidences in your life. You might happen to strike up a conversation with someone who’s in line at the grocery store, and since you’ve clarified your intentions, you might mention that you’re looking for a certain thing, and that person’s brother might happen to be able to provide that (be it a job, a bookshelf, whatever).

You need to be receptive, and be clear enough with your intentions that you recognize when something is manifesting. It’s a numbers game – the more open you are, the more opportunities you’ll see, and the more chances there are that one of those opportunities is going to match up with what it is you’re looking for. And if you don’t say No immediately, what seems like an opportunity that doesn’t match up might turn out to be the thing you were looking for. Or it might connect you to what you’re looking for.

Action

Finally, you have to take action. Manifesting does not mean that you sit around and never do anything. Rather, you are inspired to step through fear and courageously pursue opportunities that match up with your intentions and your vision of your ideal life. Some things might manifest without your having to do lift a finger, but a powerful way to manifest huge things is to just take action. You form your own limits; your mind is what limits you. If you want something but don’t act on opportunities that you are seeing now that you know what you want, you’re not going to get very far. Action can be scary because it exposes you to for mistakes, judgment and criticism. But it is necessary if you want to manifest new things in your life.

So there you have it. Clarity+Intention+Openness+Action=Manifestation. Stay focused and happy manifesting!