5. As Long as You NEED It, You Won't Manifest It
I would spend hours obsessing over why certain milestones weren’t happening as quickly as I wanted.
I felt like I needed that success, that validation that my work was good enough and that financial freedom to feel whole. But instead of getting closer to my goals, I kept running into the same walls—burnout with frustration and a constant feeling of going two steps forward and three steps back.
It was only until I really understood when James Redfield said…
“Where attention goes, energy flows”
I knew I had to let go of trying to control outcomes and pay attention to where I was focusing my energy.
In this article I’m sharing why where you place your attention has a huge impact on the reality you create.
Attention is the Currency of Manifestation
Think of manifestation like an investment portfolio. Your attention is your currency, and where you choose to invest it determines your return.
We already know that to trigger the process of manifestation you need to send out a signal, this signal causes a vibration, and your vibration becomes a frequency to which your subconscious mind responds…
But to understand where this sequence begins we need to know what starts it.
And that is your attention.
Here’s the key:
Attention goes where energy flows. If you constantly focus on what you don’t have, you’re operating from the energy of lack.
Scarcity attracts scarcity. When you’re in a state of “needing,” “wanting” “wishing” “hoping” you’re signalling to the universe that you don’t believe it’s already yours. This is why many people struggle to make their vision boards come true.
Abundance flows from ease. The moment you release the pressure of “needing” and shift into a state of “knowing”, a state of calm and expectation, opportunities start to show up effortlessly.
For example, when I started my blog, I was so focused on hitting a specific number of readers that I forgot why I started in the first place which was to share my voice and connect with others to share ways on how to transform their lives.
It wasn’t until I shifted my focus to simply creating valuable content and being grateful for the readers who were already visiting my blog that the views started to skyrocket.
Where Are You Spending Your Attention?
Every time you place your attention on the things you don’t want, and from a feeling of scarcity, lack and needing, you’re making a withdrawal from your manifestation account.
On the other hand, every time you could focus on what you already have (no matter how little you believe it to be), and gratitude and trust, you’re making a deposit.
Here are a few signs you’re spending your attention in ways that block manifestation:
You constantly check for signs that your desire is coming.
You feel anxious or frustrated when you think about your goals.
You compare your progress to others and feel like you’re falling behind.
You’re overly attached to a specific timeline or outcome.
Instead, try shifting your focus to investments that create abundance:
Gratitude for where you are. Gratitude aligns your energy with abundance and sends out an abundance frequency to which the subconscious must respond, and match!
Even if you have £1 in your bank account be grateful for it, if you have one friend, be grateful for them, if you have no clients, be grateful for the ones who have shown interest.
Detach from the timeline. Trust that your desire is on its way, even if it doesn’t arrive when you expect.
Celebrate the small wins. When you celebrate yourself your body releases reward chemicals which help to strengthen the new neural pathways your brain is building by doing the inner work.
Every step forward, no matter how small, is proof that you’re moving closer to your goals.
The Trap of Wanting, Needing, and Wishing
When you’re in a state of wanting, it’s like you’re standing in a room with a locked door, looking at your desire through the keyhole.
You can see it, but it feels just out of reach. Every time you think, I wish I had that, or I need this to happen, you’re reinforcing the belief that you don’t already have it.
I would spend hours scrolling social media, comparing myself to others who seemed to have it all figured out, looking for other mindset creators whose Instagram page looked better than mine and had more followers and clients wondering why it wasn’t happening for me.
But here’s the thing, when you’re focused on the want, your energy says, I don’t have this. And the universe responds by giving you more reasons to feel as though you don’t have that.
Attention on Abundance, Not Lack
Here’s a powerful exercise that helped me shift my energy:
Visualise your desire as already done. Close your eyes and imagine how it feels to have already achieved your goal. Do this at night when your brainwaves have slowed down and your mind is more open and susceptible to the information it receives.
Feel the emotions of abundance. Use sensory visualisation to elevate your emotions while you practice this vision. Focus on the joy, peace, and excitement that come with your success.
Release the need to control. Something I’m always having to remember is that the universe has my back. Hand over the reigns and say to yourself, “I don’t chase; I attract.”
When I made feeling good my main focus and put my attention on romanticising my life it became easier to let go of the need to control every step.
The funny thing is, once I stopped trying to force things to happen, they started falling into place naturally.
Finally…
Take your attention off wanting, needing, and wishing, and instead focus on embodying, being, and feeling, you align with your desires effortlessly.
Start showing up as the person who already has what you want. Feel the joy, and excitement of living that reality.
It’s in that moment you shift your focus from lack to abundance, you’ll notice that what you’ve been chasing has been trying to find you all along.
