Manifesting. Does it really work?

I don't know about you, but I find myself bucking against wellness trends, especially those that social media makes seem ridiculously simple. Manifesting is one of them.

About a year and a half ago, after attending a workshop about our relationship with money, I was inspired to listen to the audiobook Money and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks. The book shares the teachings of a spirit named Abraham, channelled by Esther. While spirits aren't exactly a conventional source of financial advice, Abraham's central message is that our financial circumstances, and every other aspect of our lives, are shaped by the thoughts, emotions and beliefs we consistently hold. According to the book, focusing on feelings of abundance, appreciation and the joy of already having what you desire, rather than dwelling on struggle and lack, helps align you with opportunities that bring those desires into your experience.

I was surprised by how much sense this made to me. It inspired me to write a list of everything I wanted in life, not just financially, but in my relationships, where I wanted to live and how I wanted to live. In the process of writing the list I thought in detail about how it would be to have the life that I was describing, letting myself feel into the emotions it would bring.

This week, I looked back at that list for the first time since writing it, and I was stunned to see how many of those desires were actually beginning to find their way into my life.

At the time, I was (and still am) living in a sunny corner of Spain's Costa Blanca. There are many wonderful things about life here, especially the endless sunshine and warmth, but I desperately miss trees, lush greenery and the feeling of being immersed in nature. I longed to move inland to the mountains among the olive and almond trees, where the landscape is greener, the pace of life is slower, and the noise of mass tourism is non-existant.

The downside, I thought, was that living among small mountain villages as a single expat could feel incredibly lonely. I worried about feeling isolated and disconnected from the people around me. More than anything, I wanted to be part of a community of like-minded people.

Even as I wrote my dream living scenario, I realised these weren't new ideas. They had been quietly lingering in my subconscious for years, occasionally surfacing before disappearing beneath the surface again. Writing the list felt like bringing those hopes into the light, giving myself permission to see them clearly and admit that this was the life I truly wanted.

Less than a year later, I discovered the Modern Eco Village, a new project in its early stages that embraces exactly the values of community and sustainability I had been searching for, in precisely the area I had dreamed of moving to.

How incredible is that?

Without a moment's hesitation, I put my name down for a small home in the village. It will still be another couple of years before it's built, but already this one decision is setting other dreams from that original list into motion.

So, do I believe in manifesting?

Yes! But probably not in the way it's often portrayed online.

I don't believe it's about making a wish and expecting the universe to deliver it overnight. For me, manifesting is about getting deeply honest with yourself about what you truly want. It's about bringing those quiet, half-formed desires from your subconscious into your conscious mind so they can guide your decisions. Once you're clear about the life you're moving towards, you begin to notice opportunities that were perhaps there all along, and you're finally ready to say yes to them.

Perhaps that's what manifesting really is: not magic, but clarity.

What about you? Have you ever written down a dream or imagined a different life, only to realise months or years later that it had slowly become your reality?