Spiritual Growth Through Mindset, Manifestation, & Faith
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BY JENNY SMITH MATTFELDT Published September 30, 2024
We’re not hard-wired to stay the same forever. One of the most empowering truths is that we can change any aspect of our lives at any time. Whether it’s shifting our mindset, healing old wounds, or manifesting new opportunities we have the power to reshape our reality. For me, manifesting is more than just visualizing goals—it's an act of faith, deeply intertwined with my belief in God. It’s about trusting that as I set my intentions and make positive changes, I'm being guided toward my biggest life possible.
The Basics
Manifesting, in my world, is a conscious effort to draw in your desires and goals. This can be done through journaling, visualizing, praying, vision boards, or any other way you like to communicate with the universe. My beliefs about manifestation are rooted in the idea that God wants us to be successful and to live fulfilling, abundant lives. However, this doesn't mean that life will be entirely easy or that we won’t encounter challenges along the way, it just means we can have a more active communication with the universe if we choose to. You can also think of it in terms of energy, we put out energy through our thoughts and emotions that attract things and experiences with that same energy.
For example when you're having a bad day and it seems like the bad news just keeps coming, or maybe you're feeling great about yourself and that just happens to be the day a stranger buys your coffee, these aren't coincidences. The energy we put out into the world is the same energy that comes back to us.
Research
You don't have to take my word for it, while manifestation is often talked about in a spiritual or self help context there is scientific research to back it up;
Research by Martin Seligman on learned optimism found that people who maintain positive attitudes often experience better outcomes in life.
Sports psychologists have reported that when athletes visualize their processes, desired outcomes, and experiences such as confidence and resilience it enhances their actual physical performance.
Nuclear physicist Amit Goswami believed consciousness is the basis of everything, not physical matter, and argues that our thoughts are influencing and creating our reality. He repeatedly uses quantum physics to support his faith including his book "God's Not Dead: What Quantum Physics Tells Us About Our Origin's And How We Should Live." (if this melts your brain a little bit like it does to me, just stick with me it's about to get better)
Behavioral economics research explores how expectations influence behavior, if you expect a certain outcome it's much more likely to happen, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“Your thoughts are incredibly powerful. Choose yours wisely.” ― Joe Dispenza
Reading
There is a whole world of books out there devoted to manifestation and creating your dream life. A few of my favorites are;
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. This is the place to start if you're interested in the Law of Attraction, it simplifies manifestation and gives you every step broken down.
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. It blends science and spirituality, explores how changing your thoughts and emotions can change your reality.
The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn. Combines Christianity, metaphysics, and manifesting. Emphasizes how changing your internal self talk can allow you to manifest what you want.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. More business and success oriented but does an incredible job of blending the power of belief, intention, and persistence to achieve success.
Vision Boards
One of the most fun ways to manifest is by creating a vision board, they serve as visual reminders and help keep you excited about your goals. Creating vision boards is one of the most potent tools I've found, I've used them to manifest apartments, experiences, tickets, and possibly even my husband. You can create your vision board by cutting out pictures and glueing them to a poster board and keeping it somewhere you'll see it, by creating a Pinterest board, or even by creating a collage and using it as the background on your phone.
Videos
Another tool for learning about and gaining experience with manifesting are videos. Movies like "The Secret" break down the basics of manifesting and interviews with people who have attracted their dream lives. YouTube videos like Haley Hoffman Smith's "How I Started Manifesting" or "The 8 Most Common Manifesting Myths" are amazing places to start. Or a personal favorite of mine― Joe Dispenza's Powerful Short Meditation, it's about imagining exactly you will feel when you get what you want then feeling that in the present. Always remember energy attracts like energy.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by any of that information I just want you to remember that you don't have to be special to manifest something, it is available to everyone. We're all just out here figuring things out. Manifesting isn't about magically getting everything you ask for. It's about clearly defining what you want but releasing your grip so you can recognize even better things when they're in front of you. God's answer is always "yes" or "something better," if you haven't received something you're trying to manifest it's because there is something even better waiting for you. Just be patient and fall back on your faith, you might not realize how great your life is about to get.
Nice article!!!!