‘…if we alter our thoughts, and therefore our emotions, we can alter our vibration and, ultimately, our reality.’

I’ve heard about manifestation recently, but wasn’t really too sure what this magical term actually meant. Was it just ‘fake it til you make it?’ Was it just believing in something and willing it to happen? Well, yes—but also no.

Synopsis

Manifest is a self-care manual written by self-development coach Roxie Nafousi, divided into seven steps to practise simultaneously to achieve the life of your dreams.

The seven steps are:

Step 1: Visualise

Step 2: Remove fear and doubt

Step 3: Align behaviour

Step 4: Overcome tests from universe

Step 5: Embrace gratitude without caveats

Step 6: Turn envy into inspiration

Step 7: Trust the universe

Vibrations and Attracting Abundance

Nafousi refers to vibrations and attractions in the terms of quantum physics theory, i.e. that people attract energies based on their vibrational frequencies. Higher vibrational emotions like joy, peace, gratitude and acceptance are ‘high-vibe’ and can help people attract what they desire. However, if they are feeling ‘low-vibe’ emotions, this can block people from getting what they want. However, as she explains in step 2 and 6, these low-vibe feelings can be shifted and adapted into ‘high-vibe’ by overcoming ‘limiting’ thoughts and feelings (like fear and doubt), expressing gratitude, and by listening to mood-boosting affirmations.

If you wish to attract abundance, Nafousi explains, you must not believe in scarcity. If your dreams revolve around being published in Penguin, do not sign with the first publisher that approaches you, as it sends a message to the universe that you do not believe it could happen, and therefore, it won’t. The universe, Nafousi says, is always looking out for you in manifestations. This comes under overcoming tests from the universe (do you sign with the publishers, even if they’re not your dream publishers?) or do you believe in the universe and divine timing?

Growth and Self-Love go hand in hand

Nafousi presents manifesting as one of the highest form of self-love. As much as manifesting is visualising the dream life you want to achieve, it is about stepping into that life, becoming that dream version of yourself with your behaviour. What kind of person is your dream version of yourself? Do they exercise, eat healthily and intuitively? Great news—Nafousi highlights this is something that we can start now. Visualising your dream life is only the first step, aligning your behaviour with that of your dream self is another. In order to do this, we must tackle those fears and doubts that are preventing us from starting already. This aligns with her reframing of the phrase: ‘fake it til you make it’ into: ‘fake it until you become it.’

Self-care and personal growth are interconnected— you can’t have one without the other, much like these steps are not meant to be tackled step-by-step, rather, practised simultaneously. Nafousi demonstrates that you cannot fully be grateful for what you have, if you are envious of those around you, and therefore you must work on your fear of scarcity and instead look to abundance. If you are envious of somebody’s fortune you are attracting lower vibrations and therefore the higher vibrational energies of your dream life are unattainable. Your gratitude cannot have caveats, sayings like ‘I’d love my body if…’ or, ‘I love my house but…’ Gratitude with caveats is not full gratitude and therefore you cannot manifest effectively.

Turning Envy into Inspiration

So, how do you manifest your dream life while still appreciating the life you already have? Nafousi’s simple yet effective answer was: changing the phrasing of your goals. Instead of saying, ‘if I get my dream job,’ reframing it to: ‘when I get my dream job,’ opens more opportunities for manifestation. This small shift signals to the universe that you have faith in the abundance you believe you deserve. Additionally, by turning envy into inspiration, we can use other people’s success as motivation to attract similar opportunities for ourselves.

Trusting the Universe

The final step is trust. Trust in the universe and its abundance. If you can trust that the universe will provide for you, it will. Believe in your dreams. It may take time, but you will get there.

Final Thoughts

So, if you want to know the fundamentals of manifesting or just want a motivational self-help book, Manifest is a solid 4 star read. Even if you do not believe in the power of manifestation, the motivation to grow as an individual and create a better life for yourself after reading this book is powerful enough in itself.