A Pessimist’s Guide to Manifesting 1: The Law of Pure Potentiality

How do you become that which you are not yet being?

There’s a quote I love from one of my favorite authors. Orecia Terner and I have asked for permission to use it as the intro to our book, Practical Manifesting. We’re waiting for the notice of approval.
(I’m confident. You’ll see why as you read this article.)
Neil Gaiman wrote one of the most important things I have ever read.
It will also be one of the most important things YOU will ever read.
Here it is:
“We all – adults and children, writers and readers – have an obligation to daydream. We have an obligation to imagine. It is easy to pretend that nobody can change anything, that we are in a world in which society is huge and the individual is less than nothing: an atom in a wall, a grain of rice in a rice field. But the truth is, individuals change their world over and over, individuals make the future, and they do it by imagining that things
can be different.
"Look around you: I mean it. Pause, for a moment and look around the room that you are in. I’m going to point out something so obvious that it tends to be forgotten. It’s this: that everything you can see, including the walls, was, at some point, imagined.”
(Italics added for emphasis.)
I hope that the weight and importance of that statement is not lost on you.
If it is, let me help you to catch up.
Everything you see in the world, literally EVERYTHING, did not exist before it existed as an idea; before it was just a thought.
The doors and windows to your room, the television show to which you give otherwise productive hours of your life and even this article, did not exist prior to them being an idea.
If you wish, we can take it a bit further and say that the universe did not exist before God had an idea for it and famously said, “Let there be light.”
(FYI – exactly who said that and why is up for debate. We’ll get to it later. Much later. We’re not ready for that discussion yet.)
For a moment, let us set our religious/spiritual beliefs aside and just look at what is; what exists in this physical world.
Let’s ask:
1 Why is it here?
2 Where did it come from?
Answers: 1) It’s here for us, 2) someone imagined it and then made it real.
Where did the ideas for it all come from?
They all came from the Universe of Pure Potentiality.
Pure Potentiality means that anything, literally anything, can exist or be brought into existence.
Of course, the means for it to come into existence must be present, such as the technology to create radio, television, the Internet, the IPad and the ability of man to travel safely into space. Yet, each of these ideas preceded the creation of the technology necessary for it to exist.
That leads me to a common misconception of manifesting.
Just because you want it now, doesn’t mean you’re going to get it now. (That phrase could actually be the subtitle for this entire series.)
Wanting and wishing aren’t enough to co-create. They are merely stones in the foundation of manifesting. This series will lay out additional stones for you to be aware of so that you can build a solid base for your desired outcome.
Back to the concept of pure potentiality…
What is it that you want to manifest? How do you feel about it? Do you think you can do it? Are you afraid of what may happen if you do (such as increased responsibility, or the possibility of failure)?
Do you think you can do it?
I’m here to tell you that you can.
The bigger you dream, the more clearly you can visualize your outcome, the more likely you are to achieve your goal. (NOTE: I am not saying it will necessarily be an easy path, but you will surprise yourself at your ability to achieve when you choose a big goal over a tiny one. Big goals are also much more satisfying to achieve.)
What has to happen for your goal to become real? Like the technology for television, what things need to happen for your ultimate outcome to be realized? Set these smaller items as benchmarks on your path.
ANOTHER VIEW OF POTENTIAL
Here’s another way to look at potentiality:
What exactly does it mean to “have potential”? To help frame that question, fill in the blank below.
“My friends/family/teachers tell me that I have the potential to be a great ________________.”
So, what does it mean to have potential in the role that you wrote above?
IT MEANS YOU ARE NOT BEING THAT THING CURRENTLY.
If you have potential to be something, you are not yet being it, otherwise, you would have re-written that sentence as “I am a great _______________.”
For giggles, and to get a baseline of where your mindset is currently, fill in that sentence too.
Who/what are you being currently? Is it in balance with what you have potential to be? Is it in harmony with your larger purpose for your life?
If it isn’t, then it’s time to start making changes.
Let’s break it down a little.
If you said something like, “I am a great salesman,” do you find enjoyment and fulfillment in that role? Is it something you look forward to doing, or is it just a paycheck that’s a means to an end?
Maybe you love music and play an instrument. Your friends tell you that you have potential to be a great musician. Maybe you’ve thought about putting together a band and beginning to play in public.
Is your current role helping you to move toward realizing that outcome? Do you want to be a musician?
In a universe of pure potentiality, if you have the vision to become a musician, you can do it.
I suggest defining your image of what success as a musician looks like – is it playing in public just for exposure; is it publishing your first single; is it getting a recording contract and becoming internationally famous?
These questions are critical in manifesting your outcome. You must be clear on what it is you wish to achieve.
As we’ve already learned, the bigger you dream at this stage of the game, the greater your future success will be. Don’t play small here – shoot for the moon and beyond.
SUMMARY
Back to the quote that opened this article.
Remember I mentioned that I was optimistic that Mr. Gaiman’s words would appear as the introduction to our book?
That is part of my idea of the pure potentiality of our book, Practical Manifesting.
In my mind’s eye, these are the first words I see as I open the hardback edition. Mr. Gaiman’s gentle awareness sets the tone for the reader as they open the process of creating and manifesting.
I’ve imagined it, I have done the work to request his permission and I am now patiently awaiting what I am imaging will be a positive reply.
On my vision board are the words, “New York Times Bestselling Author.”
They are not there out of arrogance about my writing ability. Those words resonate with me as a higher level of achievement. They are the potential of myself that I am working to manifest. (As I am writing this article in April 2017, I am not, at this moment, a NY Times Bestselling Author. That role exists as pure potential.)
I can see myself in that role and I can feel the emotions that surround the success and awareness that come with achieving that distinction. Feeling is key to the Law of Attraction.
Those emotions are key to manifesting. We will be discussing the impact that your emotions have on realizing your future in an upcoming article.
For today, your homework is to think about your goals and what brings you happiness. What things do you enjoy doing and what is your picture of your perfect life?
Comment below or write to me at daniel@danielolexa.com.
Orecia and I are here to guide you on your path.