💌 The Science Behind "Manifestation"

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👩🏻‍🔬 The Science Behind “Manifesting” Your Goals

You can literally train your brain using cognitive science to help you manifest what it is that you want in your life.

In last week’s newsletter, we covered the power of the Tetris Effect and how it could help you train your mind to selectively focus on more positive scenarios and opportunities. This week, I want to get more tactical on how you can actually implement this in your life.

🗺️ Selective Filtering & Action Boards

We are bombarded with so much information in a day that our brain selectively filters out information.

However, the things that help us thrive in the modern world may not necessarily get filtered into our minds unless we present visual images to our brains on a daily basis and visualize the things that we want in our lives or a certain outcome. This is called selective filtering.

Dr. Tara Swart Bieber, Oxford-trained neuroscientist and author of “The Source” suggests developing “action boards” and following a 4-step science-backed process can help you do this (podcast episode here).

Action boards are powerful because they empower you with the agency and belief that you are in control of your life and can take the necessary steps to accomplish the outcomes you desire.

When you take action on your goals, develop habits, and learn new ideas, your brain actually changes and grows in response to this throughout your life. Despite the myth that your brain stops growing at 25, you can still do things that keep your brain flexible, ultimately impacting how you behave, think, and feel in your day-to-day.

📙 What is that 4-step process?

• (Step 1) Raised Awareness

  • Be aware of your desires and how you think or want your life to feel.

  • Compile this into an “action” board, which is essentially a collage of images that make you feel inspired and display the vision of what you’re trying to manifest.

  • Some tools to create your vision board: Shuffles (SO much fun! Definitely download this if you haven’t already), Pinterest, Landing.Space, and Canva!

• (Step 2) Focused Attention

  • Notice and dig beneath any repeated negative thought patterns and find out what it is that you believe that could be producing that thought pattern, whether it was the way you were raised, not feeling you deserve it, self-judgment, etc.

    • She suggests that once you understand those beliefs, create a mantra that’s the opposite statement of what you believe. When you have negative thoughts, state that mantra to retrain your mind on how you want to think. It will feel uncomfortable at first but over time, it will become more natural.

  • Consciously observe and seek out opportunities that are aligned with the life you envision.

• (Step 3) Deliberate Practice

  • Look at your vision board first thing in the morning and last thing before you go to sleep.

  • Prioritize action: go out there and consistently show up and do the things that are needed to turn your vision board into reality.

• (Step 4) Accountability

  • Goals and dreams are easy to start, but hard to stick with. Dr. Tara Swart states that you need to break down big goals into tangible steps and have a partner, friend, or therapist to keep you accountable.

♟️Some more tactical tips:

• To keep track and “measure” whether this method is working for you, she suggests creating a subsection within Pinterest to track what you “have already manifested” versus what is “still being manifested.”

• Uncertainty is the biggest threat to the brain. That’s why you should approach all of these as little experiments. When changing thought patterns, start with low risks before slowly increasing that risk tolerance over time to help your brain navigate this. Recall the Peltzman Effect we discussed previously.

• Practicality is important. Action boards and visualization don't work if this goal isn’t actually grounded somewhat in reality.

• If you’re putting so much hard work into X path or Y desire and it’s not actualizing, consider whether or not your efforts could best be allocated to building a neural pathway somewhere else. Journaling helps you record this process because seeing over time in your journal entries how your desires have changed over time can help you understand what it is that you actually want and what is right for you.

• Dr. Tara Swart states: “We can do amazing things when our back is against the wall.” Consider setting constraints on yourself and “burn the boats.”

• At any stage, age, etc., you can reinvent your life. Instead of setting resolutions, think of it as reinventing yourself bit by bit over time.

   

   

  If you enjoyed this, I highly recommend this podcast if you want to learn more! It’s jam-packed with great information.

✨ Weekly Finds:

• Do you ever wish you cared less about work? Here’s how you should think about it instead (1 min watch).

• The 12-stage model of burnout, developed by psychologists Freudenberger and North. (1 min read)

• This take is interesting: instead of trying to change your belief that you are worthy of something, focus on taking action instead. Your beliefs will evolve over time. (1 min watch)

• This Is The Most Fun Way To Make Your Life Awesome. Being funny makes you more desirable, employable, and happier. But is there a science to it? Eric Barker believes so and he’s got the receipts to prove it. (8 min read)

• Repair and remain. How to do the slow, hard, good work of staying put. An article that made me think a ‘lil. (6 min read)

• SPEED Framework. Hillary Lin, Founder and CEO of Curio, discusses burnout as a medical student, stress, and her “SPEED” framework that she uses to have a healthier and happier life and how it can help you. (9 min read)

  • There are some helpful perspectives and I’d suggest taking her perspectives on psychedelics with a grain of salt.

📰 In the News:

• When it’s time to pull a Prince Harry and burn that bridge.

• Trouble sleeping? Try a technique called savoring, or imagining a positive experience in great detail.

• The lifelong power of close relationships. In its 85 years and counting, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has found that personal connections are the most important factor in long-term health and happiness.

  • They also wrote a new book called “The Good Life”. A 3-word summary: Friends are medicine. Close relationships reduce our stress, improve our health, and extend our life.

• Learning new skills can actually be a tactic to help you combat burnout.

• Eagles star Lane Johnson is learning how to block his biggest opponent, anxiety, and helping others confront it too.

• New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern announces resignation before the upcoming election due to burnout.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Reminder:

That's all we have for today! See you on LinkedIn if you’re there: @MiribelTran

^{It’s not even the end of the first month into the new year and we’ve gone through another round of absolutely tragic shootings (Half Moon Bay & Monterey Park) and police brutality resulting in the death of Tyre Nichols. I have no words. I just wanted to dedicate this space to the victims impacted. My thoughts and condolences go out to all those affected by these senseless shootings and police brutality that have become all too common in this country.}