Manifesting Your Goals From a Critical Thinking Standpoint

I knew a girl who once reported no longer being able to fit into her favourite jeans because they were about two sizes too small. Instead of throwing them out or giving them away, she put them on a hanger and displayed them, not inside her wardrobe (where they’d inevitably be forgotten), but rather, on the door handle, outside of her closet, where she would see them all the time. Similarly, I had a friend who built a vision board of their perfect house. The pictures on the board indicated the style they wanted, the size, the roof, windows, colour, the whole enchilada. They pined over a house like it, never before believing that they might be able to afford anything close to it.

Recently, I heard a radio report about Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year, which happened to be "manifest." It’s by no stretch of the imagination a new word, but upon hearing that it was the "word of the year," I immediately sighed at the implication. In recent times, "manifesting" has come to reflect a form of positive thinking (which isn’t a bad thing) wherein focusing on a goal and believing you can achieve it (also not a bad thing) will make it happen (nonsense).

The Problem With the "Manifest" Trend

The problem with this "manifest" trend (which many celebrities and "influencers" refer to in interviews and on social media) is that they’re sending the wrong message about a concept that does actually have some potential usefulness, and the manner in which they do send their message often reflects magical thinking (i.e., misattributing the occurrence of two unrelated events to some causal relationship, often in a supernatural or magical way, that lacks any causal logic or evidence) and motivated reasoning (e.g., choosing an explanation or a rationale that supports what you already believe or want to be true, even when the evidence lacks credibility or the rationale is poor)—both of which are contrary to the fundaments of critical thinking.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the concept of "manifesting goals" is that it promotes laziness. For example, the definition now includes the description of the word to mean "to imagine achieving something you want, in the belief doing so will make it more likely to happen." Simply wanting something enough and engaging through ritualistic thinking is not going to make it happen. Consider the "3-6-9 method" of thinking about or writing down your "want three times in the morning, six times in the afternoon, and nine times at night and then genuinely believing that you’ll get what you want—nonsense.

Moreover, doing such things will only end in heartache and frustration. Sure, we’ve all heard of situations where this happens, but count those against the times it doesn’t work. There’s a big gap. Furthermore, when on the few occasions the desired outcome does occur, there’s a reason for it completely unrelated to such "wishing." Manifesting, in manners like this, is among the laziest approaches to goal-setting, problem-solving, or simply "making things happen" that I’ve ever heard. If you want something, you need to work for it.

In an interview not long ago, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles was reported to have said that she manifests through writing down her goals and speaking them into existence; then it usually happens. However, Biles also trains for hours each day. She works hard to make her goals a reality. Simply writing down on a piece of paper how much you want to be a world-class athlete isn’t going to cut it. Sure, it’s a great way to self-affirm and promote positive thinking—things that represent a useful way of maintaining motivation toward your goals. Similarly, that girl with the jeans exercised and dieted to lose the weight. Then, she fit in her jeans again. My friend with the vision board bought a home very similar to what they portrayed as their dream house because they worked hard at their job and saved every penny they could. It had nothing to do with wishing it into existence or saying it out loud to the world.

Know What You Want and Work Hard to Achieve It

What did happen, though, was that the jeans on the wardrobe and the vision board on the wall served as reminders to the people: Know what you want and work hard to achieve them. Having a visual representation of your goal is useful. Writing it down is useful. Be clear in what you want. Indeed, this is consistent with a commonly used goal-setting strategy in occupational therapy: S.M.A.R.T. Goals (i.e., Specific, Measurable, Actionable/Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound). Being positive and self-affirming is also useful—if not for achieving your desired goals, then for general mental well-being and quality of life.

By all means, engage these features, visualise your goals. Hell, even call it "manifesting" if you want, but, please, recognise that genuine effort is necessary for these goals to be realised. Manifesting them from thin air is not going to happen. The universe is not listening to you, regardless of whatever influencer-recommended rituals you engage (which are actually exploiting you—be it for clicks, likes, shares, or even purchases) or how much you believe it. The universe is indifferent to your existence. You are not special. Acknowledge this when you set your goals and recognise that the only way you will get them is by working for them.

Of course, I recognise that many will not believe what I’m saying, because they prefer the alternative. My way requires work; their way requires no work. I don’t blame people for choosing the alternative, but that’s motivated reasoning for you. On the other hand, some will even say that manifesting is a science; based on principles akin to "laws of attraction." The problem is, that’s not science; that’s pseudoscience. Law of attraction is just a new age "philosophy" that has a tenuous allusion (at best) to actual science regarding electromagnetism and gravity. To draw a direct comparison between the latter and, let’s say, finding and engaging a desired mate is just pure silliness—akin to adults telling their kids that thunder is just angels bowling. It sounds nice, it sounds simple, it sounds comforting, but it’s simply not true. If you’re serious about your goals, apply some critical thinking.

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The Problem With Manifesting

Don’t be a mug. Don’t be lazy. If you want something in this life, work for it.