Enjoy my writing? Become a paid subscriber for more coaching posts like this and be sure to share :)
My top posts on how to manifesting anything you want:
The Coaching video for this post: 3 Easy Steps to Manifesting Your Dream Life
Are You Manifesting Everything You Don’t Want? How to Turn It Around
Dream It: The First Step to Manifesting Your Best Life
Manifesting starts with clarity. You can’t manifest what you don’t know, so the first step is to dream it. Dreaming it means identifying and clearly visualizing the best-case scenario for your life—the ultimate outcomes you desire.
This step is a skill set, and like any skill, it can be practiced and developed. Once you master it, you’ll have a powerful tool to create your future. The process starts with a simple but profound question:
What do I really want?
Take time to dream big and imagine your best-case scenario. Picture everything going right. What would that look like? This isn’t about being practical or realistic—it’s about allowing yourself to explore the most exciting and fulfilling version of your future. Start creating a mental movie of your ideal life and let yourself get lost in it.
Why Dreaming Big Matters
Your brain is naturally wired to focus on the worst-case scenario, which can keep you stuck in fear and doubt. But when you shift your mindset to envision the best-case scenario, you open up possibilities you may not have considered before. You allow your creativity and desire to take the lead, and that’s where the magic begins.
If you’ve struggled with dreaming big, you’re not alone. Some people are natural dreamers—they live in their imaginations and easily envision grand, beautiful futures. But they might struggle with execution, getting discouraged, or quitting when things feel hard. On the other hand, thinkers tend to focus on practical, logical steps, which can make dreaming big feel uncomfortable or unrealistic.
The ideal balance is to embrace both the dreamer and the thinker within you. Dreamers need to learn how to turn their visions into reality, while thinkers need to practice letting go of limitations and daring to dream bigger.
The Power of Clarity
When you’re unclear about what you want, life can feel stagnant. You might drift through your days, feeling uninspired or discouraged, and struggling to stay focused or motivated. That lack of clarity can make you more susceptible to fear, doubt, and a scarcity mindset.
But when you’re crystal clear on what you want and why you want it, everything changes. Clarity ignites desire, and desire is the fuel for action. When you truly want something, you’ll find a way to make it happen. You’ll stop letting obstacles deter you, and instead, you’ll feel driven to keep going.
Desire: The Fire Behind Action
Think back to the last time you were deeply inspired and knew exactly what you wanted. How motivated were you? How much easier was it to take action? That’s the power of desire.
When you allow yourself to daydream and focus on your ideal outcomes, you start to believe they’re possible. This belief creates a fire within you—a desire that propels you forward. It’s no longer a battle to get up and take action. Instead, you feel energized and eager to start working toward your dreams.
Here’s your first homework assignment to help you customize this step to your life, it’s called writing your Life Plan Story. Click here to learn how.
Step 2: Think IT -Change Your Mindset
Great! You’ve just written your life plan story, and you feel fantastic—excited about your future life. But a couple of days later, doubt creeps in. You start thinking, “I don’t believe it. None of this stuff will happen. I wrote all this crazy stuff, and I can’t see how it’s possible.”
If that’s how you’re feeling, you’re exactly where you need to be. This means you really pushed the boundaries. You didn’t settle for the realistic option; you went for the stretch option. It’s natural not to see a clear path to the dreams you wrote down. That’s a sign you did it right.
But now, you’re struggling to believe those dreams could ever come true. And here’s the thing: you can’t manifest something you don’t believe is possible.
So, what happens? Doubt kicks in. Thoughts like, “I don’t know how I’ll do it. I don’t have the money or the resources,” start swirling. It’s tempting to give up.
When thoughts of doubt, lack, and fear dominate your mind, they create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Those negative thoughts manifest, sabotaging your efforts and proving your doubts right. That’s a destructive cycle—and it’s not where we want to stay.
The Power of Mindset
That’s where Think IT comes in. This step is all about mindset. To manifest the life you want, you must change your thoughts to align with the outcomes you desire.
We’ve all heard that mindset is everything, and it truly is. Your mindset shapes every outcome you’ve achieved so far and every outcome you’ll create in the future. Think IT is about training your brain to align your thoughts with your goals.
To achieve this, you need to shift from focusing on doubt and fear to directing your thoughts toward your desired outcomes. It’s about getting your brain on the same wavelength as your goals. Instead of working against yourself—putting in effort while your mind tells you it’s impossible—you’ll be working in harmony with your aspirations.
How Thoughts Shape Reality
Here’s how the process works:
Thoughts lead to words.
Words drive actions.
Actions build beliefs.
This cycle creates your reality. Negative patterns reinforce themselves, making you believe they’re true, even though they’re just a result of repeated thoughts and actions.
Your beliefs are powerful—they will manifest, whether today, tomorrow, or years from now. That’s why it’s crucial to examine your beliefs:
What do you believe about abundance?
What do you believe about your potential, relationships, or abilities?
Negative beliefs often stem from repeated patterns that feel true simply because they’ve been reinforced over time. The good news is that by changing your thoughts, you can break this cycle and create new, empowering beliefs.
A Simple Thought Inventory
To understand how your thoughts are shaping your life, try this:
Write down what you’ve been stressed about lately—three to five things.
Note any obsessive worries or anxieties.
Throughout the day, check in with yourself (set reminders) and ask, “What was I thinking about this hour?”
Reflect on what you tell yourself about how you feel.
Now, ask yourself:
Have these thoughts shown up in your reality?
When you told yourself you were tired, did you gain energy, or did you feel more tired?
When you doubted yourself, did you rise to the occasion, or did you hold back?
This exercise shows how your thoughts create your reality every single day. Once you recognize this, you can start hacking the system to create outcomes you truly desire.
Your 2nd Homework Assignment: Writing and Practicing Affirmations
Affirmations are one of the easiest and most effective tools for shifting your mindset. They help align your thoughts and beliefs with your goals.
Guidelines for Writing Affirmations:
Address Limiting Beliefs: Identify negative thoughts or doubts and write affirmations that are the opposite. For example, if you believe, “I’m not ready,” your affirmation might be, “I am ready. I am learning and improving every day.”
Make Them Aspirational: Affirmations should feel like a stretch—they may even feel untrue at first. That’s okay.
Predict the Desired Outcome: Focus on the result you want. For instance, if you want to feel confident, write, “I am confident and powerful.”
State Them as Reality: Use “I am” instead of “I want.” Claim the outcome as if it’s already yours.
How to Practice Affirmations:
Make it a daily habit—morning and night. It takes just two minutes and can be done while brushing your teeth. Tape your affirmations inside your medicine cabinet or record them and listen throughout the day.
Be consistent. Practice daily, and within 30 days, some affirmations will feel completely true, allowing you to drop them from your list.
Remember: Beliefs will always manifest. By changing your thoughts, you can transform your beliefs—and your life. With consistent practice, you’ll start seeing results faster than you might expect.
That’s Think IT in action!
Step 3: Make Your Futureboard
Your Futureboard start by revisiting the life plan story you wrote earlier—the one that sparked excitement and painted a vivid picture of your future life.
As you read it, let your imagination wander. Visualize every detail of the story. Try to see it, feel it, even smell and taste it. This is how you engage the magic of manifesting—by transforming a thought into a written story and, ultimately, into your real-life experience.
The key to using Futureboards for manifesting lies in your ability to emotionally connect with and vividly imagine your desired experiences. When you’re doing this effectively, you’ll start to feel as though you’re walking through these moments before they’ve even happened. You’ll see them clearly, feel excitement, and notice other experiences unfolding around them. This emotional connection is the secret ingredient that accelerates manifestation.
Bringing Your Vision to Life
Once you’ve immersed yourself in the visuals of your life story, it’s time to translate those mental images into tangible visuals. Head to Pinterest and search for images that match the moments and details you imagined.
Whether you’re an avid Pinterest user or a beginner, you’ll be amazed at how closely the platform can align with your vision. It’s like seeing your inner thoughts materialize into actual photographs. For example, if your dream involves sitting at a Parisian café with a view of the Eiffel Tower, you’d search for “woman eating at Paris café with view of Eiffel Tower photography.” Adding the term “photography” helps filter the results for high-quality, realistic images.
As you search, you’ll notice Pinterest’s algorithm adapting to your preferences, suggesting even more images that align with your vision. This process becomes a source of inspiration, fueling your dreams and lifting your spirits.
Creating Your Futureboard
Create a Pinterest board called “My Futureboard” and start pinning images that represent your dreams. Focus on pictures that include people—90% of your board should feature people experiencing the moments you’ve envisioned. For an example check out my Futureboard on Pinterest and my boards for each of the following categories.
Your Futureboard should cover five core categories:
Career and Ambitions
Visualize your ideal professional achievements. What do you want to accomplish? Think best-case scenario.Relationships
Focus on the meaningful connections in your life. Include images representing shared dreams or experiences with family, friends, or a partner.Wealth and Abundance
Imagine a life where money is no object. What does your lifestyle look like? Include dream homes, travel, and any indulgences that represent abundance for you.Mind and Body
Showcase your aspirations for physical and mental well-being. Include images of activities you enjoy, ways you de-stress, and practices that promote personal growth, like reading or meditation.Passions and Joys
This category celebrates what makes you happy—your hobbies, interests, and simple pleasures. Think back to activities you loved as a child or things that bring you joy now.
When your Futureboard is complete, it will resemble a photo album of your future life. Over time, as these dreams manifest, you can create a “reality wall” featuring framed photos of the moments you’ve brought to life.
Final Tips
Avoid adding quotes or words to your Futureboard; keep it purely visual.
Use specific search terms to find images that resonate deeply with your vision.
Revisit your board regularly to reinforce your connection to these dreams.
Recap
To start manifesting in 2025, follow these three steps:
Dream It: Get clear on what you want and why.
Think It: Align your thoughts with your desired outcomes.
See It: Create a Futureboard to visualize your dreams in vivid detail.
By committing to these steps, you’ll take powerful strides toward manifesting the life you desire.
.
P.S. Please take a second to tap the heart at the top or bottom of this post, it’s a simple FREE way to support writers on this platform so that more readers will find our work. Thank you in advance!
Have you tried manifesting before? Did it work? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
About the Author: Sarah Centrella is a multi #1 best-selling author, master life coach, executive coach, speaker and the Founder of VIVIAMO.
Want to work with me? Schedule a 15-min consultation to see how my coaching can help you create and live your dream life!
Are You Manifesting Everything You Don’t Want? Here’s How to Turn It Around
Are You Manifesting Everything You Don't Want?