You may have heard the old adage, faith without works is dead. This can be translated to mean that, no matter how vehemently you want or believe in something happening, it will not come to fruition if you do not put effort into it. While this idea has merit, conversely, works without faith doesn’t work, either. Here is where manifestation comes into play.

Manifestation is defined as the practice of thinking aspirational thoughts with the intention of making them real. Manifestation takes on many forms, but there are some key elements that underline the process of manifesting regardless of what it is you’re seeking to attract in your life.

Important factors to consider when attempting to make your vision a reality are how you talk to yourself, about yourself, and about your goals. The following are examples of how you may begin to implement these:

1. Affirmations - It is not uncommon for the human mind to have a tendency toward negative thinking. In fact, research suggests that around 80% of the average person’s daily thoughts are negative. Challenging these negative thoughts are a critical first step in creating a mindset for manifestation; affirmations can help you to achieve this. Affirmations are short phrases that you can repeat to yourself to shift your mindset.

Affirmations can range from simple phrases such as “I am worthy of love," to more complex expressions such as “I am having a positive and inspiring impact on the people I come into contact with.”

Tailoring your affirmations to the current vision you have in mind creates an opportunity to open yourself up to the possibility of moving forward. For example, if you want to manifest a favorable outcome on an upcoming business proposal, you might repeat the affirmation “I am an engaging and persuasive speaker.”

2. Reframing your narrative - Many people have experienced hardship in their lives that affect the way they see themselves and, consequently, the way they talk about themselves. If left unresolved, these perceptions can cause subconscious blocks that prevent positive thinking. Consider taking some time to reflect on these hardships by writing them down. What is the negative perception of yourself, or the world around you, that you took away from these experiences?

Once you identify these, take some time to think about the same experience from a different perspective. Then, rewrite your narrative to include the traits you possess that helped you to overcome this hardship. Perhaps it’s your resilience, your empathy, or even your resourcefulness. Choose, instead, to focus on these traits to propel you into your path of success.

3. Visualization - The importance of being able to visualize your goals cannot be overlooked during the process of manifestation. What does the version of yourself that has accomplished your vision look like? If you’re artistically inclined, you might choose to draw or paint a picture of that version of yourself. Another way to accomplish visualization is through the construction of a vision board, which is a collage of images, words, and symbols related to your goals.

It is a popular tradition to create vision boards at the start of a new year; however, this practice does not have to be reserved for one time of the year. Since the action of creating an entire board for every goal you have can be daunting (and take up a lot of space), putting together a vision scrapbook may be more feasible; each page of the scrapbook can be dedicated to a different goal. After you’ve put yourself in the mindset to achieve your goals, it is equally important to begin putting yourself in position for your actions to align with your vision.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Set the stage - In the beginning of your action phase, creating an environment that provides you with more motivation to achieve your goals is invaluable. Consider rearranging your physical space to materialize the mental shift you’ve made, as well as make it more convenient for you to form helpful habits.

This can look like removing clutter, adding artwork, facing your bed toward the window so the sun hits your face in the morning, or putting a yoga mat right in front of your bed so that you have a reminder to stretch or meditate when you wake up. Additionally, you may also want to make adjustments to your energetic environment; this may result in spending less time interacting with certain people or spaces in your life or increasing time spent with and in others.

2. Give yourself homework - During therapy, clinicians often give their clients “homework” to help them practice and transfer the tools they’re learning in therapy into their daily life. You can apply a similar concept to yourself. For example, if you are manifesting a top three placement in a fitness competition, it would not be wise to start your workouts a week before the event; you would likely put a plan in place.

The workouts you set for yourself in the months prior to the competition would be considered “homework.” No matter the goal, you can set small steps for yourself along the way that serve as motivators and help you continue on your journey. Remember to make it fun and get creative!

3. Get an accountability partner - Support systems play a critical role in the process of manifestation. It is to be expected that, somewhere along the line, you’ll find yourself unmotivated or have a difficult time challenging negative thoughts. Having someone who is knowledgeable of your goals to check in and serve as an external motivator can help provide a boost to the work you’re already doing. If you do not have someone in your immediate circle that you feel confident doing this with, you might consider joining a group where you can find like-minded individuals to serve as accountability partners.

Manifestation is not easy; it takes a lot of work to get “lucky”. As with anything else, the more you practice, the more natural it becomes. The small steps you take along the way are what defines the process. Making the necessary changes to your mindset and your environment lay the path for the vision you wish to make a reality. Good luck!