Manifest your dreams

It is that time of the year when we set resolutions and goals for ourselves. It is a different matter that many resolutions made the previous year remain unfulfilled. Cambridge Dictionary's word of the year for 2024, 'manifest', seeks to address this problem. It has been defined as turning your desires into reality through techniques such as visualisation and positive thinking.

Gymnast Simone Biles, who withdrew from most of the events in the Tokyo Olympics due to a severe loss of confidence caused by a mental block, is a great votary of manifestation. She set fresh goals for herself and rose like Phoenix from the ashes to shine in the Paris Olympics.

What, then, is the process of manifestation? As per author Nicci Roscoe, it 'involves aligning your thoughts, beliefs, and actions to attract what you want into your life'. As per another life coach, the manifestation process involves reflecting on what went well, rejoicing and expressing gratitude, resetting goals, aligning intentions.


A classic example is the 18-year-old world chess champion Gukesh, who, when interviewed at the age of 11, categorically stated that he wanted to be the world champion. He was visualising what he wanted to be. Hard work and patience led him to achieve what he had visualised. Manifestation reduces self-doubt, but it should not be forgotten that it is a means to achieve the goal, not a goal itself.