"Every year when January 1 rolled around, I made vision boards and wrote out my goals. And, subsequently, by the end of the year, I would find myself in the same place with not a single picture on my vision board coming to fruition. Something had to change–I’m a manifestation girlie through and through, so I care about living my best life. Eventually, I sat down and looked for the root cause holding me back from manifesting my dream life. I discovered my mindset was the issue; it was long overdue for an upgrade.
Like a surgeon operating on a brain, I examined my mindset and spotted the limiting beliefs that were unconsciously running my life. Once I cut out the negative thought patterns and replaced them with positive, self-affirming patterns and beliefs, I felt a shift and began to manifest spontaneously. At the time of writing this, I am already living out parts of my 2025 vision board—I’m having my long-awaited Eat, Pray, Love moment abroad, my work is being published in my favorite publication (hi, @The Everygirl), and I am genuinely content with where I am in life (inner success is important, too). Read on to learn how mindset and manifestation are interrelated, the mindset shifts that helped me manifest my dream life, and tips to start shifting your mindset today.
“Expecting manifestation to work without a positive mindset is like expecting a car to work without gas…”
How is Mindset Connected to Manifestation?
Manifestation and mindset go hand in hand. Expecting manifestation to work without cultivating a positive mindset is like expecting a car to work without gas. Because manifestation can have this “woo woo,” abstract air about it, many people never think to associate their mindset with the fulfillment of their dream life. But manifestation simply refers to achieving goals, and mindset refers to the set of attitudes and beliefs we create and how they influence the way we perceive the world around us.
Numerous studies highlight the mindset-to-manifestation pipeline. A 2024 study published in Europe’s Journal of Psychology examined the impacts of a growth mindset (believing qualities or abilities can be learned) and a fixed mindset (believing abilities or intelligence cannot be changed) in relation to success. They found that participants with growth mindsets were more inclined to master skills and achieve goals than those with fixed mindsets. Similarly, neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart has conducted extensive research on cognitive science (the blend of neuroscience and psychology) and its connection to manifestation (she breaks down this research on Make It Happen with Mel Robbins). The major thing that Dr. Tara Swart found is that cultivating a positive mindset is essential to manifesting our desires.
The Mindset Shifts I Made to Manifest My Dream Life
“I Have Access to Abundance”
If you had met me a few years ago, you would have met a version that was operating from a scarcity mindset. This birthed two major limiting beliefs: There isn’t enough to go around (enough money, enough opportunity, enough love), and one’s success is a loss for me (someone thriving in a career that I wanted meant the opportunity no longer existed for me, or someone securing their dream home meant that I was robbed of the chance to secure my dream home). This scarcity mindset brewed unnecessary jealousy and resentment and wasted energy and time I could have used toward pursuing a goal. Once I realized this, I decided to make a shift.
A core tenet of manifestation is abundance. This means we have an unlimited supply of resources and possibilities. When I started operating with an abundant mindset, I started to spend time and energy on pursuing goals with the knowledge that there is more than enough to go around and that I can celebrate other people’s successes without affecting my success. In fact, someone else having what I want is evidence that I can have it, too.
“I Have a Unique Code”
One thing that I admired about my childhood self was that she had this unwavering self-confidence. When she had an interest, she would explore it. When she had a goal, she didn’t question herself. When she wanted to express herself, she didn’t care who was looking. Somewhere between then and now, self-doubt entered the picture. Hesitation, procrastination, and second-guessing became a familiar cycle that felt impossible to break.
This cycle continued to rule my life and hold me back from creating my dream life until I came across an ancient Sanskrit term: Dharma. Dharma loosely translates to your purpose or calling. It says that all of us have a unique code of gifts and expression of those gifts. Exploring the concept of dharma helped me reconnect with that unwavering confidence I had as a child because it reminded me that my authenticity is my power and that my unique code is a vehicle to manifest anything I want. Now, instead of wasting time doubting myself, I spend most of my time exploring my gifts, refining my expression of those gifts, and looking for ways to share them with the world.
“I Don’t Need to Force Things to Happen”
One law of manifestation that was hard for me to grasp initially was the law of least effort. Existing in a culture that encourages you to hustle to the brink of burnout, it was jarring to hear that I should exert less energy if I wanted to manifest my dream life. I had to get past the misinterpretation that the law of least effort was promoting inaction and laziness and see what it was truly championing: intentionality and deliberate action. Rather than forcing things to happen (which counterintuitively creates resistance), my focus shifted to gaining clarity, becoming intentional, and taking action that aligned with my goals. I also started to trust that the people, situations, and opportunities I needed to manifest my desires would come to me, and I surrendered to the flow.
“I Attract What I Want Instead of Chasing”
“I don’t chase, I attract” has become a staple in my affirmation toolkit. If we’re putting out the energy of desperation or lack (i.e., chasing), we will attract more situations that reinforce that energy. On the other hand, if we’re putting out the energy of gratitude and positivity (i.e., attracting), we will attract more situations that reinforce that energy. In other words, if I chase after something, it insinuates that something is running away. And why would I want my dream life to be running away?
Whenever I find myself chasing after the things I pinned on my vision board—whether it be related to career, health, or relationships—I sit back, take a deep breath, and remind myself that I don’t have to chase after anything; I can attract it to me by practicing gratitude, patience, and mindfulness.
“I Have the Choice To Live On My Own Terms”
Many of us never ask ourselves what we truly desire. We are often trying to obtain the things society tells us we should want or achieve things that we think will make our loved ones happy. For the longest time, I was pursuing things that didn’t align with who I was, what I valued, and what I wanted out of life. I was on the medical field track solely because my family was full of medical professionals, I was plotting ways to get rich because society told me that’s what I should strive to be, and I was building a lifestyle reminiscent of the influencers I saw online. But none of this was actually what would make me happy.
Through introspection, I found what resonated and what didn’t. And from there, I created a blueprint that was unique to me and aligned with the life that would make me truly happy. I discovered that I wanted to pursue more of a creative profession, live simply, and have a more nomadic lifestyle.
“If I chase after something, it insinuates that something is running away… Why would I want my dream life to be running away?”
Tips to Change Your Mindset
Changing in and of itself is hard. As one of my favorite quotes puts it, “Change is hard in the beginning, messy in the middle, but glorious at the end.” In this case, “the end” is the beginning of living out your dream life. So, if you’re ready to transform your mindset, here are a few ways you can get started.
1. Rewire Your Thoughts With Positive Self-Talk
We have roughly 60,000 thoughts a day. This can be overwhelming, especially if most of your thoughts are working against you. According to Dr. Tara Swat, a key to shifting our mindset is replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Replacing negative thoughts like “I’m not talented enough to secure this job” with a positive one (like “I can cultivate the necessary skills to perform this job” or “I will never find love” with “I deserve love, and it will find me when the time is right”) seems like a small step, but it’s creating a completely new circuit in the brain. With time and repetition, you’re able to create a new neural pathway in the brain that can overwrite the old one. The goal is to have most of your thoughts working for you and not against you.
2. Be Intentional With Who’s In Your Inner Circle
We all know the expression birds of a feather flock together or you’re the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. When it comes to cultivating a positive mindset, being mindful of who we spend most of our time with is important because the people around us can influence our mindsets. If you currently don’t have many like-minded people in your circle, you have the exciting opportunity to recruit new people. Seek out online communities, create your own, or put yourself out there by meeting and connecting with people IRL (see: how to find a third place).
3. Water Your Mindset Daily
I like to view my mind as a garden. It requires continuous time, love, and attention. Therefore, I make it a priority to watch what I consume and nourish my mind with positivity and joy. I nourish it by consuming positive content, being mindful of the news I consume, listening to inspiring podcasts, tuning in to uplifting music, making time for hobbies that spark joy, and reading affirming books. Find the ways that inspire and spark joy for you and incorporate them into your daily routine (even if it’s just a few minutes). Whether that’s journaling, creating art, reading, or trying a new hobby, taking time to feed your mind with inspiration and joy will put you one step closer to manifesting your dream life.
Aaliyah Alexander, Contributing Writer
Aaliyah is a writer, content creator, and blogger based in Brandon, Mississippi. She received a degree in journalism from San Diego State University and worked as an editor for the award-winning student newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Aaliyah covers a range of topics including slow living, her favorite vegan food spots, minimalism, self-growth, and entertainment.