Manifesting vs. Surrendering—Take Action or Let the Universe Lead the Way?


So you've learned about the Law of Attraction. Every day, you visualize what you want, repeat mantras, think positively, and stare at your vision board. But after doing all this faithfully for months or even years, you still fail to manifest. Why?

There's another school of thought to simply surrender your desires to the creator, what spiritual author Tosha Silver calls "Offering." Ask for the Universe's guidance, let go, and look for bread crumbs to follow. If you don't get an answer, keep asking until you do.

But what if you've tried this too and still don't get what you want?

Are you using the law of attraction to manifest your dream life, but it's not working? Here is why you might not be manifesting and what to do instead.Pin
Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash

Manifesting vs. Surrendering 

Manifesting can go wrong if we're pushing too hard to make the ego's wishes come true instead of what's really for our soul's highest good. Obsession and control energy, expecting things to happen in an unrealistic timeline, and having our happiness depend on the wish being manifested can actually set us back.

By surrendering, we let go, but many people may interpret this as being passive, which is not what Tosha Silver teaches. Instead, she says, Offering is when "the right actions begin to flow through you, rather than by you. You are given the courage to take steps that would have scared you to death."

If you're a little more advanced in the manifestation game, you already know that you must balance both manifesting and surrendering for the best results. It may sound like a paradox, but they can work together.

First, here are some reasons why your desires might have been blocked from being manifested so far.

What Can Prevent You From Manifesting

Divine Timing 

You might want something to happen now, but life is easier when you fall in harmony with the divine timing of your life and also the divine timing of this planet. For example, I had certain plans involving other people in 2020, but then Covid hit. I had to put those plans on hold, but I used this time to focus on accomplishing goals I had to do alone. Sometimes delays can give us opportunities to create the proper vessels so we can receive what we desire in a balanced way.

It's Not Meant for You 

Sometimes you can be so set on achieving a goal, but what if there is something better out there for you? Perhaps the universe is doing you a favor by saying "no" or "not right now." You might think you're taking the long route when you're actually getting a shortcut. Looking back, if I actually got some of the things I wanted when I was younger, it would've distracted me from my real purpose, wasting maybe years of my time. This is why it would be good to really think about what you want and why you want it, whether it's what your soul truly wants or if it's what other people want for you.

Not Taking Action

Yes, you still need to take action to make your dreams happen. I knew someone who started a new business. She figured since she was manifesting/Offering, the clients would just come to her. Aside from putting up a website, she didn't do anything else to promote herself. She figured if no clients came to her, this career just wasn't meant for her.

That sounds like a half-hearted attempt to me, maybe even a half-hearted desire. To be successful, taking action is required. We are co-creating with Light but we still need to earn it and show the creator that we are ready for it. When you're guided by the creator, you'll be taking inspired action. This is why strengthening your intuition is beneficial. Keep asking for the next step, and your path will be illuminated.

Too Attached to the Result

If you ever think manifesting a particular thing is going to be your ticket to eternal happiness, you're likely setting yourself up for disappointment. Another paradox here, but you must be happy and grateful in the present moment with what you have to attract what you want. Abundance attracts more abundance. Get in the daily practice of giving gratitude for all the good in your life, big and small.

There is a Law of Paradoxical Intent that says the more desperate you are to have something, the more you'll push it away. Attached to that neediness is a negative energy that sabotages the results. It moves you out of the synchronistic flow of the universe.

Lack of Accountability 

For example, if you want to manifest a million dollars but are currently running away from paying your bills, you're showing the universe that you're not responsible enough to handle a lot of money. Be accountable so that you can be trusted as a positive vessel for more good things to come. When you're not ready to receive something, a blessing can become a curse. For example, you might have heard of people who found that winning the lottery was the worst thing that ever happened to them.

Lack of Generosity 

When you do receive a little money, do you hold on to it tightly out of a scarcity mindset or do you use it for good? You don't need to give away everything you earn, but keep in mind that sharing attracts more abundance. This is not limited to money. Even sharing good energy, wishing other people well instead of being jealous and coveting what they have, and being kind can go a long way. Be generous with yourself too. For example, are you using the money you manifested to buy nutritious food, or do you cut corners by only eating cheap junk?

Old Karma and Vows

Maybe you haven't earned enough positive karmic points to get what you want yet. Or manifesting a certain thing can actually be bad for you. For example, I heard of someone who wanted to manifest a car, but he had pending negative karma with driving. If he owned a car, he could get hurt in an accident. After he removed that karma, he was able to manifest more than one car. Sometimes you're not manifesting because the universe wants to keep you safe.

Many of us have also made vows in our Akashic Records that seemed like a good idea in past lives. For example, taking a vow of poverty to participate in certain religions. That old vow can impede our current life's desire to be wealthy. Personality, I discovered some time ago I had made a vow in a past life to live a humble life. While vows like that sound noble, they can block manifesting more wealth and abundance, so it's better to remove those vows.

Your Current Situation Benefits You

Sometimes a seemingly negative person or situation can teach you valuable lessons. Perhaps you hate your current job because it is grueling, but it helps you develop a strong work ethic in preparation for your dream career. Whatever it is, once you realize the lesson, you can stop obligating these people or situations to continue to teach you.

Not in the Same Vibration as the Goal

We attract what is in our frequency. If what we want is on a higher frequency, then we have to do the work so we can get up there to receive it. This includes releasing fears, doubts, blockages, and old patterns and programming. Sometimes you can manifest, but it doesn't show up the way you wanted it. What is manifested reflects your current beliefs, positive or negative. For example, if you manifest for a soulmate, and the person who shows up is lacking some important traits you asked for, look into those areas in yourself and see if you still have related negative beliefs or programming.

How to Manifest

Make a list of what you want. For each goal, get specific on what it will look like in your life and how you feel to already have it.

Having trouble pinpointing your goals? Read my blog post “How to Write Goals for Manifesting.”

If you feel doubt or unease about achieving certain desires, look into those feelings because they'll give clues to your blockages. Do you actually want to manifest this goal? Do you think it's impossible to have it? Do you feel unworthy of it?

Once you're aware of your blockages, you can remove them. Since I'm an intuitive healer, I can remove my own negative beliefs quickly using the healing modalities I'm certified in. If you're not a trained healer, you can read my post on 7 energy healing methods because there are some methods you can learn and use on your own, such as the Quantum Breakthrough Code.

Removing blockages is part of the spiritual work of earning what you desire, building that vessel to receive it, and showing the creator that you are deserving.

The actual manifesting process I use from ThetaHealing. According to ThetaHealing creator Vianna Stibal, manifesting via the spoken word is effective 30-40% of the time, visualizing is effective 50% of the time, and the Theta wave manifesting is effective 80-90% of the time.

After knowing exactly what I want to manifest, I go into the Theta state, which connects us to the creator's energy. I use the Theta command to manifest my goal in the highest and best way, and stating exactly what it is I want to manifest. I end it by visualizing and feeling what's like to already have this in my life.

We only need to do this process once and let go. If we want to change or tweak the goal, we can do another manifestation command to override it.

Some things are easier to manifest than others. Manifesting physical objects such as a purse might be easier than becoming the CEO of a multinational company, for example.

If the manifestation involves another person, it might also take longer depending on their free will, although the universe will send you the best person available so you're not waiting years.

That said, if I don't manifest something after six months or I'm not taking important steps getting there, I'd look deeper into what other blockages I may have or what else I need to learn about this in order for it to come into my life. It could also be a matter of divine timing or having enough good karma points to "redeem" this manifestation.

Even if you know exactly what you want, there is a certain amount of surrendering you must do. Another paradox here: to manifest, you must keep an eye on your goal and make the effort to earn it, but also surrendering when and how it will come to you. You must be open to that fact that the result can come to you from an unexpected source.

When Else to Surrender or Use Offering

I use Tosha Silver's concept of Offering when I'm not completely clear on exactly what I want. I'll Offer so I can receive more clues and nudges from the universe on what to do.

Conversely, I'll also use Offering when I find myself getting too attached to a certain outcome. One summer, I had a really frustrating time trying to hire someone for a project. (Come to think of it, I didn't use the manifestation process for this so no wonder I wasn't getting anywhere). As soon as I let go by asking Creator to take the reins, I got a text from a friend who recommended someone who ended up exceeding my expectations.

To learn more about Offering, I recommend reading Tosha Silver's books. A good one to start with is Outrageous Openness.

Manifesting Checklist

If you're serious about wanting to manifest something, here's what to do for it to have a real chance of becoming a reality in your life.

  • What you want is for your highest good.
  • Know exactly what you want and how your life will look like after having it.
  • Major blockages and pending negative karma are cleared.
  • Feel worthy and deserving of receiving it, that it's possible for you to have it.
  • Able to visualize and feel what it's like to have this without doubts or fears.
  • Feeling happy and grateful for your life even if your goal hasn't manifested yet.
  • Manifest this goal using an energy healing modality such as ThetaHealing.
  • Be in the same high vibration as the thing you want to manifest.
  • Listen to your intuition to know which inspired action to make your goals a reality—and then take action.
  • Be patient in your divine timing.

If something doesn't manifest within two to six months or you haven't taken important steps to get there:

  • Check for any more doubts, and fears, and blockages.
  • It might not be time yet.
  • You might to earn more good karmic points to obtain it.
  • ...or maybe it did show up, but you didn't have the consciousness to recognize it because it appeared in a different way than expected.

More Manifesting Tips

If you're manifesting a person to come into your life, make sure it's not a specific person because you don't want to impede on their free will. Controlling and manipulating someone else's free will goes against the law of attraction, so be very careful with that. Instead of asking for a specific individual, ask to bring in the highest and best person for your goal.

If you want to boost your manifesting with visualizations, positive affirmations, vision boards, etc., that can be helpful as long as you're tapped into positive energy while doing so and not feelings of impatience, doubt, or frustration.

What you don't want to do is to chase after what you want to manifest. That would be like constantly digging out the seed to see if it's growing. This is where surrendering comes in. Let the universe do its thing.

Have any other manifesting tips worked for you? Share with us in the comments below.


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7 comments shared

  1. if I want to manifest a job but do not know the company exactly. will it still work?
    I mean while visualising can I imagine different companies or do I have to be specific?

  2. how can I get into the theta state of manifestation? I mean is there a audio I need to listen which will get me there or some video>

    1. Annie Zhu

      author wrote:

      I learned it through taking the workshop. You can search for local teachers on their website. I’m not certified to teach ThetaHealing at the moment.

  3. Recently I manifested a job in Europe, but I’m unsure if I want to take it. Is it wrong to manifest something and then not to pursue it?

    1. Annie Zhu

      author wrote:

      Hi Charlie. You still have free will so you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. It would be helpful to ask yourself why you changed your mind. Is it fear/uncertainty holding you back? Do you just prefer the country you’re living in? Do you not like the specific job? Etc.

  4. Hello, I did the theta healing but I feel I am not applying it correctly to my own life as I don’t use it for other purposes. Your tips were very helpful. Thank you!