3 Top Manifesting Secrets For Over-Thinking High Achievers
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 27, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 20, 2024
Written by: Joanna Ingram, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Ever since The Secret was published in 2006, the world has gone crazy for The Law of Attraction and manifesting, utilizing the power of thought and energy to create their desired reality. Except, a core group of high achievers feels excluded from this manifesting club. These driven individuals are super bright and motivated, dedicate themselves to hard work, and absorb copious volumes of Law Of Attraction literature. But, manifesting, in practice, still seems beyond their reach. Until now, that is. Read on for the critical secrets to manifesting when you are stuck in your head, even if you had tried before and failed.
The most accepted definition of the Law of Attraction is 'like attracts like. Whatever you give your emotional energy and attention to is what will come back to you.' (Source: TheLawOfAttraction.com) This compelling and tantalizing promise has many people from all walks of life exploring spirituality and energy, often for the first time.
The excitement around Manifesting reached a crescendo during the pandemic, as new audiences online were drawn into the promise of turning thought into reality. As a result, it became a significant trend on social media, as GQ Magazine explains, with the hashtag manifestation now topping over eight million posts.
However, the trend has left many people feeling disenfranchised from the concept, as they try and fail to create dream lives following the much-touted visualization route, creating a backlash in the press calling the Law of Attraction 'grotesque' (Source: Daily Mail).
Winning And Losing At Manifesting
As a confessed over-thinker, I have been on both sides of the manifesting fence, creating almost impossible results that surprised and delighted me as well as struggling to understand why others were striving forward with their manifesting success while I watched from the sidelines, confused and frustrated.
Even though I did not consciously subscribe to the Law of Attraction methods, in 2004, at the age of 29, I set about finding a route to having more children despite the traumatic delivery of my first daughter, which resulted in near-death and an emergency hysterectomy. Seven years later, in January 2011, despite having no previous knowledge, connections, or resources to draw on, we welcomed our twin daughters with the help of a Californian surrogate and traveled 11,000 from London to meet them for the first time.
In retrospect, I had deployed the typical manifesting strategies to bring about that outcome, stepping forward with 100% trust and fervently visualizing the successful end result. I was living as though my vision were already true, and I bought two sets of booties before we even conceived the twins.
'I started my new business in complete trust that the universe had my back.'
So when I lost my job at the start of the pandemic in 2020, I said goodbye to nearly two decades as an Advertising Agency Director in complete trust that the universe had my back and was leading me in the right direction. A few months later, I set up as a Business Coach and Brand Strategist and started signing my first clients.
As a prolific reader, I dived into many books on The Law Of Attraction and Manifesting as a way to develop my nascent business. From classics like Think And Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) and Ask And It Is Given (Abraham Hicks) to more modern interpretations such as Get Rich Luck Bitch (Denise Duffield-Thomas) and You Are A Badass At Making Money (Jen Sincero), I lapped up the advice. Finally, I intellectually decided that I would 'do that!'.
The 'Do That' Of Manifesting
So what are the basic tenets of manifesting 101? The simplest form of following the Law of Attraction involves a few key steps:
You create your reality, so you must vibrate at a matching high frequency to attract your desires.
To attract specific results, you must visualize them frequently and passionately. Create a vision board or start journaling.
Be specific about your goals (if you want money, how much?)
Practice gratitude and meditate
Now, while all these manifesting aspects hold true, anyone who has struggled to bring about their desired reality will attest that more than these steps alone is needed to create magic. And over-thinkers who are intent on achievement and prone to burnout frequently fall short of their manifestation goals.
Although I duly journaled and was specific about what I wanted, the more I tried to elevate my business results this way, the more discouraged I became. Finally, never doubting the truth that we are all energy and everything is available to all of us, I concluded that I was the problem – I wasn't any good at manifesting. So I discovered how to align with the Law of Attraction as an over-thinker and found that there are specific ways to successfully unlock the much-lauded magnetic results.
What Over-Thinkers Must Do To Manifest
1. Practice Unattachment
High achievers are wedded to the idea of successful outcomes. And if the results are not met, feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy arise. To avoid this fear of failure, many high-achievers effort more with longer hours at their laptops and sacrifice time with their families and hobbies, believing that success will follow if they simply work harder. Unfortunately, they frequently hold on too tight and want it so much it hurts.
This efforting is a big turn-off for the Law Of Attraction. The fear of it not working out creates an energetic repulsion that pushes the desired outcome further out of reach.
'The simple truth is that to manifest; you must first 'let it go.'
It was made real for me during a summer of discontent in my marriage, where I would walk through the woods chewing on what had been said, stewing on my fears of what might happen. Finally, my anxiety got to an insufferable point where I had no choice but to surrender and let go, deciding that it was no longer my job to influence my partner. Instead, my job was to look after my own vibration and find ways to raise my energy, independent of the gritty reality around me.
I was unattached from the outcome (making him change) and focused on enjoying the present; the warm summer sunshine, the sound of the breeze in the trees, and the smell of the dried grass. As a driven and type-A woman, this presence was a new experience, and incredibly, my dream result manifested. Our marriage grew stronger, and we moved forward together, with my husband crediting my change of approach to shifting his position in the conflict. By staying unattached, the energy of the situation aligned with my vision, and I created my desired reality.
2. Banish Obligation, Increase Joy
High achievers believe in taking action. The problem is that not all actions are created equal and frequent actions born of obligation will send the wrong signals to the universe.
As someone that experienced burnout only six months into my new business, I know firsthand how taking unaligned action can work against you. Up to my eyeballs in admin, marketing, copywriting, podcast creating, networking, and client meetings, I was forced to stop and reassess.
'Do tasks within your zone of genius to align with more of the same.'
When you do tasks within your zone of genius that brings you joy, you emit a frequency that vibrates in alignment with more of the same. And when you do tasks out of obligation, whether helping a needy friend again the tenth time she asks or doing work admin for hours a day, you call in more, more, more.
To manifest more of what you want, you need to DO more of what you desire NOW. So I started to shift my calendar away from obligation tasks towards more aligned uses of my time, including more yoga and woodland walks. Within my business, I started delegating tasks outside my zone of genius (for tips, see 'How To Delegate In 4 Steps'), and I increased the frequency of face-to-face meetings and presentations, situations that make me feel alive and add value to others. As a result, more opportunities opened up to me as if by magic, and I didn't have to rely on meditation to achieve them.
3. Re-Write Your Stories
Intelligent and motivated over-thinkers tend to have a negativity bias, taking failure personally, worrying about the future, and not feeling proud of their accomplishments as they strive ever onward toward the next goal.
Getting stuck in negative stories results from limiting beliefs such as 'I have not got enough time or 'it's too hard to do this,' which instantly block the vibration of manifesting.
'The first step is acknowledging your negative stories and allowing for a reframe to take place.'
Start by acknowledging that the creation of negative stories is taking place, followed by playfully allowing new possibilities to emerge. Imagine if you could choose different thoughts, emotions, and beliefs to create different actions and choose to adopt them more frequently. For deep-grained limiting beliefs, subconscious reprogramming and trauma release work can be very effective.
As a new entrepreneur, I thought I had to teach only what I had learned in my corporate marketing world instead of leaning into my growing passion for spirituality and energy work, even though I was certified as a Pranic Healer and Breathwork Facilitator. I grappled with negative stories like 'who am I to do that?', staying in the same frustrating pattern. When I faced those fears and asked better questions, my courage grew. I introduced energetics and manifesting into my work, creating success for myself and my newly-aligned clients. And vitally, my joy and passion grew as I incorporated my spiritual mission within my business.
Ready To Manifest Results?
Manifesting your vision is available to everyone, over-thinking high-achievers included. However, it's not enough to 'know' how to manifest; it needs to be actioned with ease. And ultimately, unlocking ease is the process that people who are most stuck in their heads need to focus on.
Yes, do the meditations and the visioning. But back it up with vibrational actions that put the theory into practice by following the three steps in this article:
When holding on too tight to an outcome, take a step back and practice non-attachment.
When you get overwhelmed with all you must do, find the obligation points and replace as many as possible with joyful activities.
When you go down a negativity spiral, take a peek at what limiting beliefs keep you stuck and change your story with playful curiosity.
Know that it's normal to flow in and out of high vibrations, and sometimes you'll be a magnet for what you want, and other times you'll need to go back to the key steps to find what is blocking you.
If you want to manifest your goals, the first step is to imagine you have already achieved the ability to bring your desires into reality.
My work focuses on helping entrepreneurs, coaches, experts, and consultants to manifest their desires and express their most authentic purpose in their businesses. So if that's you, download this 'Future Self Activation' that helped me take BIG strides forward in unlocking my power to magnetize and join the club of happy manifesters.
Download 'Future Self Activation' [Free Recorded Meditatation] HERE.
Want to find out how I can help you with manifesting and soul-aligned messaging? Book a connection call on this link.
Joanna Ingram, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Joanna Ingram is a former Advertising Agency Director turned Brand Messaging Activator and Business Coach from London, host of the leading podcast, Goals With Soul, and mum to 3 spirited girls.
She helps visionary coaches find their true voice, embrace their unique brilliance and clarify their authentic messaging so they can sign soul clients, raise their prices and stand out from the crowd in their industry.
Joanna's the trusted leader in activating unique messaging and blends proven brand strategy with energetics (she's a Breathwork Facilitator & Pranic Healer).
As the creator of The Messaging Edge™️ Method, Joanna elevates messaging to magnetize your soul clients. This industry-defining program has been called "Business Therapy" and "Heart-Articulation" by clients who have overcome their fear of judgment and perfectionism to express their truth, increase their visibility and accelerate their impact and income growth.
Joanna's group program, Time To Rise®️, supports female coaches to go from unseen to fully expressed messaging (and making money doing what they love!) within 30-90 days.
Having helped over 200 coaches this year, Joanna is celebrating the joy of sharing her message, and Goals With Soul is now ranked in the top 3% of global podcasts, with listeners from over 55 countries!
Her mission is to champion bold women to break the mold with their individuality and express their uniqueness in business. Joanna's here to guide and inspire you to join the dots between your unique brilliance, content, and offers so you can be paid for being yourself.
Right now, Joanna is enjoying the freedom to choose how she spends her days (forest walks and creating TikToks with her twins), frequent travel and retreats in Portugal, supercharging her impact, speaking her truth, and coaching her high-vibe clients.
Meet Joanna on Instagram here.
Check out Joanna's Free Messaging Checklist For Coaches here.
Listen To Goals With Soul here.
