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Innovation, adaptability, and hustle reign supreme in entrepreneurship. The people we admire most have ground it out to achieve their dreams. But what motivates this hardworking behavior? Experts argue that the mindset you have long before those goals become a reality is what brings success into being. It’s manifestation: the process of bringing something into reality through focused intention, belief, and alignment with one's desires.
I know what you’re thinking. Isn't manifestation a little, well, pseudoscience woo-woo? In pop culture, it can be, but for business leaders, there are scientific principles of manifesting worth knowing and using. Rooted in the interplay between intention, belief, and action, manifestation transcends wishful thinking to become a strategic imperative for modern businesses.
The Science of Manifesting
Often, people come to manifestation as a silver bullet, a quick fix. It’s a zero-effort growth hack. Take this hypothetical, for instance: “If you believe you will have a billion dollars in a month, and put a picture of a yacht on your fridge, so it will be!”
I’m sorry, friends, but that’s not how it works.
“The problem with manifestation is not that it is wholly unscientific,” explains Mark Travers, Ph.D., lead psychologist at Awake Therapy. “Instead, it’s easy to sell a watered-down version of it to those who don’t know any better. Social media, especially TikTok and Instagram, is notorious for popularizing the concept of liking a post to manifest wealth, love, or power. These posts often have a pseudoscientific explanation of how manifestation works, and this, ultimately, earns it a bad rap in scientific circles.”
At the core of manifestation lies the remarkable potency of the human mind—a boundless reservoir of creativity and potential waiting to be harnessed. Contrary to misconceptions, manifestation is not a passive endeavor but a deliberate alignment of thoughts, beliefs, and actions toward a desired outcome. Manifesting requires you to have your head fully and completely in the game; the mindset that entrepreneurs have to be to find success.
“While manifestation can help you define the steps you need to take to achieve your goal, achieving your goal is on you,” writes Travers. It's not wishful thinking but the intention of progress.
Two prevalent pitfalls often impede manifestation’s efficacy:
1. External locus of control
The locus of control refers to the idea that belief in destiny is controlled by yourself, or by external forces. Individuals who have an external locus of control relinquish agency to external circumstances, fostering a sense of powerlessness that stifles proactive engagement. In other words, their life, business, goals, and fate are at the mercy of the world around them. Conversely, those with an internal locus of control recognize their capacity to shape their destinies, and therefore emboldening themselves to pursue their goals.
This concept has been proven time and time again in scientific studies. It’s been described as the limited versus non-limited mindset, optimism versus pessimism mindset, or abundance versus scarcity mindset. What we believe about ourselves and the world around us—our perspectives—contributes to the possibilities of what can happen for us.
2. Nebulous goal-setting
People who use manifestation for vague goals—win the lottery, lose weight, travel more—aren’t hindered by the belief, but by the lack of specificity.
A study published in Psychological Bulletin revealed the importance of setting specific and challenging goals in order to increase the chances of achieving your goals. The study found that when a goal was well-defined and challenging, people were likely to spend more of their mental bandwidth trying to achieve it. Such goals increased their effort, persistence, and motivation.
Applying Manifestation Techniques That Will Actually Work
Manifestation in business is tied to vision, particularly that of the business leader. A clear and compelling vision serves as a company’s North Star, providing entire teams with clarity and direction.
Manifesting can help establish intention and purpose—the meaning behind taking actions. Great! But where to start? To optimize the manifestation process and unlock its full potential, entrepreneurs must adhere to a strategic framework grounded in three things: clarity, visualization, and self-care.
Firstly, clarity entails the articulation of precise, attainable goals that serve as the foundation for subsequent action. By delineating clear objectives and milestones, entrepreneurs provide themselves and their teams with a roadmap for success.
Secondly, visualization imbues the pursuit of goals with purpose and passion, compelling individuals to act with conviction and determination. By vividly imagining the attainment of their objectives set out in the previous step, entrepreneurs cultivate a sense of inevitability that propels teams forward.
Finally, cultivating a rich internal life rooted in wellness is essential. Practicing gratitude, self-reflection, affirmations. and mindfulness fosters resilience and resourcefulness, especially if and when failures inevitably happen.
Conclusion
The principles of manifestation—intentionality, belief, and action—can propel entrepreneurs past their perceived limitations and help them achieve levels of success they previously thought impossible. By nurturing a mindset of abundance and possibility, entrepreneurs inspire creativity, resourcefulness, and tenacity within their teams. As they harness the transformative power of manifestation, entrepreneurs embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, catalyzing positive growth in their business, teams, and beyond.
Sources
Journal of Organizational Behavior
Association for Psychological Science
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