7 Surprising Ways Why You Fail to Manifest Your Desire: How to Stop Sabotaging Your Manifestation

Are you “guilty” of making some of these? 😉

If yes, don’t worry. 

I will explain each of these reasons why you might fail to manifest in detail.

Additionally, I’ll give you some practical tips on how to overcome them. So, by the end of this post, you will have a clear understanding of what you need to do to manifest something you want with ease and joy.

Trust me, manifesting doesn’t have to be hard. However, you need to address the issues that are holding you back. 

7 Manifestation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Being Unclear About What You Want

One of the common ways people fail to manifest their desires is by being unclear about what they want. Clarity is essential for manifestation because it tells your subconscious mind what to create in your life.

Your subconscious mind is like a genie that grants your wishes, but it doesn’t judge or interpret them. It simply follows your instructions. If your instructions are vague or conflicting, your subconscious mind will get confused and create unwanted results.

For example, if you say, “I want to be rich,” but you also believe that money requires hard work or that it’s the root of all evil, your subconscious mind will not know what to do. It might sabotage your efforts to make money because it wants to spare you from the hard work. Or it might make you lose money because it wants to save you from the evil money brings.

Another example: if you say, “I want to be loved,” but you also believe that love is painful, or that you’re not good enough, or that you don’t deserve it, your subconscious mind may not know how to proceed. It might repel potential partners from you or create conflicts and misunderstandings with your love interests. 

Why does this happen? 

Because of conflicting beliefs you’re unaware of due to lack of clarity.

Do you see how being unclear or conflicting about what you want can create problems for your manifestation?

That’s why it’s so important to clarify what you want and be specific about it.

Here are 3 ways to clarify what you want:

• Write down your desires. Be as detailed as possible. Use positive and present tense language. For example, instead of saying, “I don’t want to be poor,” say, “I am wealthy and abundant.” Instead of saying, “I hope to find love,” say, “I am in a loving and harmonious relationship.”
• Visualize your desires. Imagine how they look, feel, sound, smell, and taste. Use all your senses and emotions. For example, if you want to be rich, imagine yourself living in your dream house, driving your dream car, wearing your dream clothes, etc. Feel the joy and gratitude of having them. If you are a visual type, you can also make a vision board.
• Script your desires as if they have already happened. Write a story or a letter from the perspective of your future self who has already manifested your desired outcome. Describe how it happened, how it feels, and how it changed your life. Let’s say you want to be loved. In that case, you can write a story or a letter about how you met your soulmate, how they make you feel, and how happy you are together.

These methods will help you clarify what you want and impress it on your subconscious mind. They will also help you align with the vibration of your desires and attract them into your life.

Remember:

Clarity is power. The clearer you are about what you want, the easier it will be for your subconscious mind to create and attract it for you. So don’t set vague or conflicting desires; be specific and consistent about it.

2. Unconsciously Doubting Your Ability to Manifest

Another common reason is unconsciously doubting their ability to manifest. Doubt is a manifestation killer because it lowers your self-esteem and blocks your manifestation.

Doubt is a negative emotion that stems from fear and insecurity. It’s a lack of confidence and trust in yourself and your higher mind. It’s a belief that you’re not good enough, worthy enough, or capable enough to manifest your dreams.

When you doubt yourself, you send a signal to your subconscious that you don’t believe in your power to create and attract what you want. Your subconscious mind will then reflect your doubt back to you in the form of obstacles, delays, or failures.

For example, if you want to be successful, but you doubt that you can do it, you might say things like “I don’t think I can do this” or “That sounds too good to be true.” These statements will make you feel anxious, discouraged, or hopeless. They can make you miss opportunities, make poor decisions, or give up on your goals.

If you want to find a partner, but you doubt that you can do it, you might say things like “I’m not attractive enough” or “No one I like will ever like me.” These statements will make you feel sad, lonely, or unworthy. They will also make you manifest the wrong people, push away the right ones, or settle for less than you deserve.

Do you realize how doubt can sabotage your manifestation?

That’s why it’s so important to overcome doubt and believe in yourself and your higher mind. 

3 ways to overcome doubt:

• Affirm your worthiness and ability to manifest. Repeat positive statements to yourself every day that affirm your value, potential, and power. For example, say, “I am worthy of all my desires” or “I can manifest anything I want.” These affirmations will boost your self-esteem and confidence. They will also impress your subconscious mind with positive thoughts that support your manifestation.
• Trust yourself and your higher mind. Know that you have an innate ability to create and attract what you want. Know that your higher mind (your superconscious mind) is always guiding and supporting you. For example, say, “I trust myself and my higher self,” or “Everything is always working out for me.” These statements will calm your fears and insecurities. 
• Practice gratitude for what you have and what you want. Appreciate everything that you have in your life right now. Appreciate everything that you want as if you already have it. For example, say, “I am grateful for all the success I have,” or “I am grateful for the love I share with my soulmate.” This will align you with the flow of life and synchronicity.

These methods will help you overcome doubt and believe in yourself and your higher mind. 

Remember:

Doubt is a choice. You can choose to doubt or to believe in yourself and your ability to manifest. The choice is yours. 

3. Unintentionally Fixating on What Is Missing

Another reason people fail to manifest is unintentionally fixating on what is missing. Focusing on the absence of your desire is a manifestation mistake because it amplifies what you don’t want and repels what you do want.

Focusing on the lack means that you’re paying more attention to your current circumstances or 3D reality than to your vision of the future or 4D reality.

3D reality is the physical world that you perceive with your five senses. 4D reality is the mental world that you create with your imagination.

Neville Goddard, a famous manifestation teacher, coined the term “fourth-dimensional thinking” to describe the process of living in the end result of your desire. He said that “the fourth dimension is not another world; it is a dimension of a world that already exists here and now. It is a dimension where your desires are already fulfilled.”

When you focus on the lack, you’re telling your subconscious mind that you don’t have what you want and that you’re not happy with what you have. Your subconscious mind will then create more of the same for you.

In other words, you will manifest more lack, dissatisfaction, and frustration.

For instance, if you want to be rich, but you focus on how poor you are, how hard it is to make money, or how unfair the system is, you will create more poverty, struggle, and injustice for yourself.

Similarly, if you want to be loved, but you focus on how lonely you are, how hard it is to find love, or how unworthy you are of love, you will manifest more loneliness, rejection, and insecurity.

Do you understand how focusing on the lack can ruin your manifestation?

That’s why it’s so important to focus on the 4D instead of the 3D.

3 ways to focus on the 4D instead of the 3D:

• Ignore your current circumstances and act as if your desire is already fulfilled. Don’t let the 3D reality influence your mood or behavior. Assume that you already have what you want and act accordingly. For example, if you want to be rich, act like a rich person. Be comfortable with money, learn to manage your finances, dress well, be generous, etc. If you want to be loved, act like a loved person. Be confident, happy, affectionate, etc.
• Use visualization to create vivid scenes of your desired outcome. Imagine yourself living in the end result of your desire. Use all your senses and emotions to make it as real as possible. For example, if you want to be rich, imagine yourself counting your money, investing, enjoying your luxuries, celebrating your success, etc. If you want to be loved, imagine yourself cuddling with your partner, sharing your feelings, expressing your happiness, etc.
• Repeat affirmations that imply that your desire is already done. Use language that assumes that you already have what you want. For example, say, “I am rich and abundant” or “I am loved and cherished.” These statements will impress your subconscious mind with the feeling of having your desire.

Remember:

What you focus on expands. You can choose to focus on the lack or the abundance of your desire. So don’t let the 3D reality distract you from your desire. 

4. Your Current Self-Concept Doesn’t Allow You to Manifest 

Another common mistake people make when trying to manifest their desires is having a self-concept that doesn’t allow them to manifest.

Your self-concept is your identity, your sense of who you are, what you can do, and what you deserve.

Your self-concept is largely determined by your subconscious mind, which stores all your memories, beliefs, and experiences. The subconscious mind resists change because it prefers to stick to what’s familiar. This is an evolutionary mechanism that helped our ancestors survive in a dangerous and unpredictable world.

However, this mechanism can also prevent you from manifesting what you want if your self-concept is not aligned with it. If your self-concept is based on limiting beliefs, negative thoughts, emotions, or past failures, your desires won’t manifest. They will seem impossible, unrealistic, or undeserving to you.

3 ways to change your self-concept:

• Engage in self-inquiry. Ask yourself questions that help you examine your identity and the identity of the person who already has your desire. Compare and contrast them. For example, ask yourself, “Who is the version of me that already has my desire?” Then, as this new version of you, write down your answers to the following questions: “What beliefs do you hold about yourself?” “What do you think and feel?” “How do you behave?” etc. Compare these answers to your current views and beliefs. This will help you identify the gaps between your current and desired self-concept.
• Adopt the new self-concept. Once you have identified the gaps between your current and desired self-concept, start closing them by adopting the new self-concept. Practice to think, feel, and act as if you already have your desire.
• Embrace change. Don’t be afraid or resistant to change your self-concept. Change is inevitable and necessary for growth and evolution. Change is also the key to manifestation. You can’t manifest something new if you keep being the same old person. You have to become the person who already has what you want. For example, say, “I am open and willing to change” or “I welcome change as an opportunity for growth and manifestation.”

Remember:

Your self-concept is not fixed or permanent. You can choose to change it at any time. Change your self-concept and become the person who already has what you want.

5. Neglecting Your Mental Diet

The next common reason why you might fail to manifest what you want is neglecting your mental diet.

A mental diet is a term coined by Emmet Fox, a new thought teacher and author. It’s a practice of controlling your thoughts for a certain period of time, usually seven days.

The idea is to avoid any negative, fearful, or doubtful thoughts and replace them with positive, confident, and optimistic ones. The goal is to change your mental habits and create a new state of mind that supports your desires.

A good mental diet is essential for successful manifesting because it aligns you with your desired reality.

As I explained before, your subconscious mind creates your reality according to your dominant beliefs. So, if you feed your mind with positive thoughts and feelings, you will create a positive reality. Conversely, if you feed your mind with negative thoughts and feelings, you will create a negative reality.

3 ways to monitor your mental diet:

• Be aware of your thoughts throughout the day. Notice what kind of thoughts are dominating your mind. Are they positive or negative? Are they in harmony or in conflict with your desires?
• Challenge any negative thoughts that arise in your mind. Don’t accept them as true or valid. Question their source and validity. Replace them with positive statements that affirm your desires.
• Seek out positive influences and avoid negative ones. Surround yourself with people who support your dreams and goals. Read books or watch videos that inspire and motivate you. Avoid people who criticize or discourage you. Also, avoid media or news that depress or frighten you.

So remember: 

To manifest your desires faster and easier, you need to take responsibility for your mental diet.

6. Law of Reverse Effort (Trying to Force Things)

Another common reason someone may fail to manifest their desires is applying the law of reverse effort or trying to force things to happen in their 3D reality. 

The law of reverse effort is a psychological phenomenon that states that the more we consciously try to do something, the less we succeed at it.

This is because our conscious mind and our subconscious mind are often in conflict, and the subconscious mind always wins.

The subconscious mind is the creative power behind our manifestation, and it follows our dominant beliefs.

If we force things to “make it happen” in our 3D reality, we are actually sending a signal to our subconscious mind that we don’t have it, that we doubt it, or that we fear it. This creates more resistance, struggle, and delay.

Let’s say you want to manifest a relationship with someone specific.

If you try to force your desire by chasing your specific person, compromising yourself, or settling for less, you are actually telling your subconscious mind that you are not loved or that you don’t deserve it. By acting this way, you only reinforce the feeling of loneliness, rejection, and disappointment.

Can you see how trying to force things to happen can backfire?

It’s so important to let go of forcing things to happen and trust the process. So, if you constantly feel like you’re trying too hard to make it happen, but you’re not seeing results, focus on improving this aspect. 

3 ways to let go of forcing things to happen:

• Relax and surrender. Don’t stress or worry about how or when your desire will manifest. Surrender your desire to the higher power. Trust that your subconscious mind and the universe are working on your behalf. Everything is happening for your highest good and in perfect timing and order. Trust that your desire is already yours. For example, say, “I relax and surrender” or “I trust the process.” 
• Focus on the end result and not the means. Don’t get attached to a specific person, place, or thing as the only way for your desire to manifest. Be open and flexible to other possibilities and opportunities. Focus on the feeling and the essence of your desire and not the form or the appearance. For example, say, “I focus on the end result” or “I am open and flexible.”
• Enjoy the journey and not just the destination. Don’t postpone your happiness or satisfaction until your desire manifests. Find joy and gratitude in every moment and every experience along the way. Live your life,  enjoy the present moment, and the process of becoming who you want to be. 

These methods will help you let go of forcing things to happen and trust the process. Your desires will come into your life naturally and automatically. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you don’t take action at all. However, make sure to take inspired action instead of forcing things to happen. 

Remember:

You can’t force something that is already yours. You can only allow it to come to you. 

7. Not Embodying the State of the Wish Fulfilled

The final reason why people fail to manifest their desires is not embodying the state of the wish fulfilled. This means that they are not fully living in the feeling of having their desire, as if it were already a present reality.

The state of the wish fulfilled is a term coined by Neville Goddard, to describe the process of living in the end result of your desire. He said that the moment you accept the wish as an accomplished fact, the subconscious finds means for its fruition. 

The state of the wish fulfilled is not just a mental exercise or a visualization technique. It is a way of being and knowing. It is a state of consciousness that transcends the physical world and aligns you with your desired reality.

When you embody the state of the wish fulfilled, you are not waiting for your desire to manifest. You are not hoping or wishing for it. You are simply living it. 

Here are 3 ways to feel the feeling of the wish fulfilled:

• Assume that your desire is already done. Don’t think of it as something that will happen in the future but as something that has already happened in the past or is happening now. It’s already a done deal. Know it’s done. 
• Feel the naturalness and normality of your desire. Make it seem natural and normal for you to have it. For instance, feel “This is how it is” or “This is who I am.” Believe it’s done.
• Feel the joy and satisfaction of your desire. Don’t feel anxious or impatient about your desire. Instead, feel happy and content with it. Feel that your desire fulfills you and adds value to your life. For example, feel “This is wonderful” or “This is enough,” not “This is stressful” or “This is lacking.”

Remember:

You manifest what you feel. You can choose to feel as if you already have your desire. So don’t let your feelings contradict your manifestation. Feel as if you already have what you want.

7 Surprising Ways Why You Might Fail to Manifest Your Desires: Final Thoughts

Now you know the 7 ways why you might fail to manifest your desires and how to avoid them. If you take them into account, you’ll see that the manifestation process doesn’t have to be hard. 

However, for best results, you still need to commit to your manifesting practice. Soon, you will be able to manifest anything you want.

Have any questions or comments? 

Please feel free to share them below.

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