Even before the pandemic, manifestation is never far from the public eye. Scroll through Twitter or Facebook, and you’ll see people “manifesting $10,000” into their bank accounts via a retweet or like.

The concept’s roots lie in the Law of Attraction: the idea that positive thoughts bring positive results. Early Christian, Buddist, and Hindu readings teach similar ideas.

Manifestation was then brought to light in the 21st century via Rhonda Bryne’s The Secret, which, while laughed at and disputed at length, sold over 30 million copies.

Once again, the concept has taken centre stage, but not because of a book.

Between late March and mid-July 2020 — when the pandemic first gripped the world — Google searches for the term rose by 669%, Vox reports.

But does it actually help? Or is it just false hope?

The Pandemic Brought Personal Growth Forward

For you and me, everyday life is a series of sprints. We jump from A to B — from problem to problem — always with a destination in mind. The next task, project, deadline — chores, essays, train times. We’re engulfed.

Then the pandemic hit, restrictions forced us to stay indoors, which meant slowing down for many.

For perhaps the first time in years, people stopped and looked at themselves. Entire industries furloughed staff, hobbies ground to a halt, and millions of workers abandoned the workplace.

The great quest for personal growth began.

I, for instance, had time to think about what I wanted in life. In the months prior, I filled my time with a retail job and avoided self-reflection like the plague.

It comes as no coincidence I started taking writing more seriously in March 2020.

Of course, the lockdowns weren’t a sabbatical. Merely surviving is an achievement in itself. But the isolation time triggered a thought process you might’ve missed in everyday life.

Naturally, a desire for a Covid-free life encourages manifestation in some form. If you think positively, you’ll receive positive results, right?

Well, yes and no.

Manifestation Is Misunderstood

On the one hand, I can see why you’d scoff at the idea. Wishing Covid away with positive thoughts might seem like it’ll eventually work, but we’re two summers in, and it’s still prevalent. But that’s missing the point.

Manifestation is all about how you view yourself.

For the first nine months of my writing career, I never called myself a writer. Instead, I was a guy who wrote occasionally. I never believed I could be more, hence why it took far too long to have my first successful piece.

But, once I started manifesting my writing ability, the views came flooding again.

Then again, a few months later, I went through a breakup, got sidetracked and started doubting myself. The lack of positive manifestation ate at me — I struggled to write a draft because I figured it was a waste of time.

You could be the best at what you do, but you won’t become that person if you don’t believe it. The mindset is the gatekeeper to your success, so it pays to look after it.

The Most Effective Use for Manifestation

There is no correct way to manifest. As Vox discusses, Tik Tok offers many different ways of looking at it:

“One popular TikTok claims that by simply coming across it, you’ve already manifested the video […] others claim it won’t work if you don’t “connect to the spiritual world” first. “Scripting” can either mean writing down your desire or writing down your desire precisely 33 times for three days, and then finishing it with “all this manifests and better,” just in case the universe decides to send even more than what you asked for.”

If writing down your desire 33 times for three days works for you, then great. If a small affirmation in the mirror every morning pushes you closer to your goals, superb. But this isn’t its most effective use.

Manifestation works best when used as motivation.

Although wishing the pandemic away won’t work, it might make you feel more confident moving forward. That is what matters.

When you regularly remind yourself of the positive steps your goals require, you implant them into your daily mindset. You manifest them until they become a part of you.

Then, before you know it, you don’t need to wait for motivation anymore. You’ve manifested it.

It All Starts With Internal Dialogue

Regularly discuss what you want with yourself. It isn’t enough to think positively and expect positive results — the world isn’t like that. If it were, we wouldn’t have a pandemic.

To get results, you’ve got to believe they’re attainable. Take a look at sports stars such as LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Serena Williams. They’ve never doubted their abilities — that belief manifested itself from an early age — allowing motivation to flow through their being.

So, no, manifesting isn’t about wishful thinking. I shouldn’t be, anyway. Instead, it’s about understanding the power of self-belief.

The ability to drive yourself through hard times is, thanks to the pandemic, is invaluable.

How has the pandemic changed your life? Let me know in the comments.