Manifestation Is NOT Something You "Do"

Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daly, entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie, here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shit happen. What's up guys, welcome back to the podcast and thank you for being here. I am so excited to dive in today's little mini episode. Well, I'm calling it a mini episode because I'm hoping that it'll be this sort of short and punchy pep talk sort of vibe, but you know that I love to talk forever, so we'll see how long it actually ends up being. But I want to talk today a little bit about manifestation and how it's not something that you do. This has been something that's coming up for me and my clients a lot lately. I taught about this, um, a month or two ago at this point in one of my recent masterclasses, and I just think it's such an important concept and it's not really talked about enough. And so I want to bring you another way to look at it or think about it. And so I want to start by just bringing up the sort of idea of being more present in our lives and enjoying the experiences that we have at hand. And you'll see how this kind of goes into what we're going to talk about with manifestation. But I had a call with a client like a long time ago, probably like a year ago at this point. And I just remember the conversation that, that we had about setting intentions for all the different parts of our day and how we can become more present and enjoy more of the experiences that we're living right now instead of always just seeking the next thing, the next thing, the next thing, and just looking ahead and sort of jumping over the present moment and into the future. So if you're someone like me who's really goal-oriented, or maybe you identify as a high achiever, or maybe you just have some form of anxiety. Like, I think almost everybody can identify with living a lot of their lives in the future. I don't think this is something that's like rare or unique to me at all. So, um, yeah, like a lot of us spend a lot of time living in the future, and I think this is really common, especially when you achieve things or you reach a goal, and then it's just sort of like, okay, and now I want this thing, and it's, it's the next goal, right? Or like you buy something new that you're really excited about, and then a few weeks later it's like doesn't feel exciting anymore. So your online shopping again and you're looking for the next thing. It's sort of like we just live our lives in pursuit of the next hit of dopamine, essentially, right? Which is why we're all so addicted to social media, because scrolling on social media gives you dopamine hits. It's false dopamine, and you just need more and more and more, which is why you continue to click back to the Instagram or TikTok app and scroll for hours. Anyway, that was a tangent, not what we're really talking about, but it does go along with this idea of always seeking the next thing and wishing for what is next for you. And I think we can see this in a lot of areas of our life and how this isn't a new thing. This isn't an, an adult thing. This isn't a career thing. It's not a money thing. It's just a life thing. Because when you think about, when you look back on all the different eras of your life, essentially you notice that you were already doing this, right? When you were 8 years old, you just wanted to be 10. So that you could be like a double-digit number, you know? And when you were 12 years old, you just wanted to be 16 so that you could drive a car in the US or whatever, right? Or have a sweet 16 birthday. And when you were 16, you just wanted to be 18 so that you could vote, or maybe you could drink in your country, or you just wanted to be 21 because that's when we become legal in the US and we have big birthday parties. And you know, when you're in school, you're like, ugh, school sucks. And you just want to go to high school because it seems cooler. And then you get to high school and you're like, oh my God, I just want to go to college, like that seems so fun. So then you go to college and then you're in college and you're like, I just am so ready to be like a young professional and earning money. Like, so then you get a job, you know, and it's just like— and even with the seasons of the year, it's like we're so excited and can't wait for summer, and then by the end of summer we're like, oh my gosh, it's too hot, I'm so ready for pumpkin lattes and fall weather and sweaters. And then, you know, you're like, oh my gosh, like, when is spring coming again? Like, it's too cold now. Like, we're just all the time, we're just bypassing our current experience and looking ahead to whatever is next for us in so many areas of life, you know. This may just even be, oh, today's Tuesday, but I can't wait for Friday. Or yeah, it's the weekend, but next weekend I have to have something actually really fun coming up, so I can't wait for that. And I'm just waiting for that. Like, don't you just feel like we are very much sitting in this energy of waiting in so many areas of our life? Once I get this thing, then I'll be really happy. Once I get married, then this. Once I get a house, then this. Once I have kids, then I'll, you know, this, this, this, this, this, all these things. It's like we keep waiting for the next thing to be the thing that brings the ultimate fulfillment. When in reality all of those things are fleeting. Everything that we encounter is, is fleeting. The emotion that it brings you, the joy that it provides you, it's all just a moment and then it's gone. And I don't say that to be like this depressing thing, but to actually be this motivator of how can you sit in those moments and drink them up more? How can you become more intentional about recognizing when you're in one of those moments before it's gone and realizing, oh my God, I'm in one of those moments that I've waited for this and I'm so excited about this and I feel so alive and this is so much fun and I'm laughing and I'm enjoying or whatever is happening, or I feel so at peace or I feel so calm or my gosh, like I'm so connected to my breath and I just feel like I'm really in my body, like being in that moment and actually being in it. Recognizing that you're in one of those moments that's worth savoring before it's gone and just savoring the memory, right? Because we look back on all of those things in life, like I talked about— school, high school, college, whatever— and we're like, oh, that was so fun, you know? But while we were in it, we were just wishing it away. We were just ready for the next thing, waiting for the next thing to give us our next dopamine hit. Right. So how can we start to become more aware of the special moments and the special parts of our life as they are right now in the present? And so this conversation that I was having with this client all the way back whenever was about setting intentions for just random different parts of your day of how you can enjoy it more or show up better. Or be the best version of yourself. Like for simple things, like you're at work and you're about to walk into a meeting, or you're about to click into a meeting on Zoom, whatever. And you just take a moment to be like, how do I wanna walk into this meeting? What is the energy that I wanna bring to this space? How am I gonna appear on camera? Or how am I gonna smile when I greet my coworkers? Like, what would the best version of myself do, and how would she approach this simple, mundane, random meeting on the middle of a Thursday, right? Or when you get coffee with a friend, like, how do I want to greet them? I'm gonna run up to them and give them the biggest hug and the biggest smile, and I'm just gonna exude this amazing energy, and it's gonna create this, this energy for us to sit in and enjoy together for the rest of our time on our coffee date. And I'm going to be in that moment and savor it. Or when you're hanging out with a partner or your spouse or something and really thinking about instead of, oh, I'm just going to plop down on the couch and watch this Netflix thing and be totally unpresent and looking at my phone, it's like, no, this is actually has the potential and opportunity to be a beautiful moment. So how do I want to spend this moment, right? Maybe I'm going to give them a compliment or tell them something that I really appreciate about them, or I'm going to snuggle up extra close, or I'm going to tell them how I missed them today when they were at the office. Just like so many tiny little minute things that we can do when we actually become intentional that make our whole life more enjoyable and more meaningful and more magnetic and more expansive and more juicy. If you're going for a walk, it's like, okay, rather than just going for a walk and checking your Apple Watch the whole time and counting your steps and not being present and, you know, thinking about a million things, like, set an intention for the walk. How do you want to feel on the walk? How do you want to breathe into your body on the walk? What do you want to focus on or place your attention on on the walk? Maybe you make an intention to just be really focused on nature or the trees around you or the sounds, or maybe you're going to listen to your favorite playlist and just like be really in the energy of, of high vibes. Or maybe it's like whimsical, chill, relaxed, but like you're just creating an intention for how you want to enjoy that walk rather than just robotically moving through that moment of your day and not even remembering it and not having anything special happen or come out of it or have anything to show for it, right? Like, there's so many tiny, tiny simple things that we can do to essentially romanticize our life. Like, you know that trend on TikTok that's like, you have to start romanticizing your life? How do you do that? It's like you take what you have and you savor it, you drink it up, you find the beauty in it. You actually sit in it and you be present with it, right? You're watching a movie with your partner, and instead of just checking Instagram and, and checking out mentally, you're like, no, I'm going to be here with this person and I'm going to think about some of the reasons why I love spending time with this person and why their energy is really special and important to me. And maybe I'm going to communicate one of those things to them, and maybe that starts a conversation, or maybe it just creates this energy of of love and compassion around us. And I just really enjoy my time watching this movie with them for the next hour or so. So the reason that I bring this up in terms of manifestation is because of this idea that manifestation is not something that you do. And this is something I've been teaching a lot lately, like I said, because I think it's really, really important. We often get so caught in the idea that manifestation is or what it means is making a vision board and visualizing your next level life and doing the journaling prompts and clearing your blocks and meditating every day and, you know, doing all of these like practices, rituals, routines, activities, whatever you want to call them in order to manifest. Right. And all of those things, there's nothing wrong with those things. I actively teach those things and do those things and love those things. Right? It's not about not doing those things, but it's about understanding that those things are not manifestation. Those things are tools. They're practices that we lean on to guide us and help facilitate the manifestation. But what manifestation really is, is it's who you are. It's a way of being. It's a way of moving through the world. So you're only ever going to manifest the person or the energy that you are practicing to be, right? It's like that famous quote that's like, you, you don't manifest what you want, you manifest what you are. Yeah. So if you are not an embodiment of the things and the energy and the vibration and all of, all of that that you want to attract, whatever the tangible physical goals are that you, that you're you're yearning for, that you're desiring. Think about the energy that those things hold and then asking yourself if you are living your life on a day-to-day basis in that type of energy, right? Who are you practicing to be? And this isn't who you're practicing to be in the off moment that you decide to do a visualization or in the off moment that you decide to cleanse the room with sage and put it on Instagram, or in the off moment that you decide to make a green smoothie. Or in the off moment that you decide to do some journaling prompts and feel really good about yourself for having done them, right? Again, those things are tools. They're great. And I'm not shaming anybody for how much they do them or the frequency with which they do them, right? The examples that I'm giving you are because these are things that I'm also guilty of. I don't do those things every single day. I do them sometimes. Which means that, like, that is not manifestation, right? That's not who I am. I'm not the off journaling session or the one-off visualization, right? That's not who I am. And if we know that we only attract what we are, then we have to start to look at who we are in the other moments of our life and our day, right? So who are you like when nobody's looking? And who are you when it's not like fun and aesthetic and cute, but it's actually— there's a lot of fear or anxiety or stress or uncertainty popping up, right? Who, who are you practicing to be in those moments? Are you honoring how you feel? Are you processing your emotions? How are you responding or reacting? Right. How are you treating other people? How are you talking about others when they're not in the room? How are you managing your energy on a moment-to-moment basis? When you feel there's a conflict coming or you felt triggered, how are you managing your energy? Are you aware of those moments or do you just say whatever it is that comes out and then later think and be like, oh, I probably shouldn't have done that. I wish I wouldn't have started that argument. I wish I wouldn't have shouted or said X, Y, or Z, or done that thing, or, you know, withdrawn, or not said my truth, or just gone into the other room and escaped, right? Like, who are you practicing to be when shit hits the fan, or it's not fun anymore, or just in the random moments of your day, right? Because who I am on the internet is the same person as I am in my real life, but it's impossible for me to show my entire real life on the internet, right? I can't show you what I do every second of every single day unless I were in a reality TV show and there were cameramen in my house filming me 24/7, right? But I don't have the time or energy or bandwidth to be able to film every single thing that I do, so what I'm going to end up showing are going to be those moments where I really feel like I am in my best self. I am in my manifestation self. But there's a lot of other moments where I also have to check myself and be like, hmm, you know, how would my higher self show up for this? How can I be more proud of myself for what I've achieved and not just jump straight into the next goal and bypass this huge thing that I've this huge milestone that I've just hit and go right into what I'm going to do next and what's the next creation and what's the next project and what's the next program and what's the next income goal, right? Like, I have to remind myself of this stuff too and take a step back and be like, who am I practicing to be in every moment of my life? Right? So asking yourself how you can start to be an embodiment of your manifestation rather than being a separate being from it. Who is chasing it all the time, right? Because likely you're sitting there and you're thinking, okay, if I do this, that, and the other thing, then I will manifest what I want. And so the shift that I want you to make today is I am the manifestation, right? Manifestation is who I am as a person. It's how I show up on a moment-to-moment basis. It's how I manage my energy. It's my personal vibration. It's who I am in the off moments, in the in-betweens, in the random parts of my day. Yeah, it's focusing on how you want to practice and show up in the world at all times, not just how you show up for your physical practices of journaling or visualization or meditation or crystals or coaching or whatever else you're utilizing to help you along in your journey. Those are tools, and tools are incredible and they're amazing and they're so helpful, but they are not manifestation. Manifestation is not something that you do. It's not an activity. It's not something that you check off of your to-do list, right? It's who you are as a person. It's the energy that you're embodying. It's how you're showing up and moving through life in all moments. Yeah. So asking yourself, what that looks like for you right now, getting really honest with yourself, like, okay, who am I practicing to be? And how can I become more intentional about that? What are some things that maybe I want to shift? And maybe you don't have all the answers right now, but I encourage you after listening to this episode, as you start to move through your life, to become more consciously aware of the opportunities that there are for you to practice to be. Better, right? Whatever better means for you, but adjusting your way of being in a moment-to-moment basis. So you may walk into the kitchen and see that the dishes aren't done and you'll be like, oh my gosh, this is a moment where I get to practice who I want to be. How am I going to respond? What am I going to do? What am I going to say? Right? Who am I practicing to be in all of the random mundane moments of my life? In my routines and how I show up for myself and how I treat myself and how I speak to myself in the water and food that I fuel myself with. Right? All of your choices every day, there are opportunities for us to become more aware and more intentional and more kind and more compassionate and more loving. And that is manifestation. That is what makes you magnetic to good things showing up at your doorstep. Like a miracle because you become this beautiful embodied energy that deserves that, that would have that, that is capable of receiving that. Yeah. That knows how to handle the thing that you're manifesting, right? I could sit here and say I want to manifest $100 million, but the truth of the matter is I don't know what the fuck to do with $100 million right now. I'm not there yet. It's not part of who I'm practicing to be. And that goes the same for, for everything, for relationships, for material things that you're desiring, for a lifestyle that you want, right? We have to start to question, am I really ready and truly able to receive that? What would I do with it? Would I know how to manage it? Would I know how to handle it? Would I know how to appreciate it? And sit in it instead of just jumping to the next thing like we were talking about, right? So I hope this episode was helpful for you guys and encourages you to start to think about who you're practicing to be and where you can start to make some shifts in your own life. If you loved this episode and if you found it was helpful, take a screenshot, share to your stories, send it to a friend. You guys know the drill. I love you so much. Thank you for showing up and listening every single week. I really, really, really appreciate you. Sending you so much love and good energy and miracles. And trust and know that your desires are on their way. Continue to do the work. It is never a waste of time. I love you so much. I'll see you next week. Bye.