Why Manifestation Isn’t Working for You: Psychology + Neuroscience Hacks to Successfully Manifest Your Desires
- Jan 28
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 27
"Why does everyone else seem to be manifesting their dream life, but it’s not working for me? Am I just bad at this?!"
If you’ve ever had those thoughts, I’ve got good news: Manifestation works. You can manifest. There’s just been a glitch in the process. 🔮
In this blog post, we’re getting to the core of why manifestation isn’t working for you. With a blend of neuroscience, psychology, and real-life examples (including how I once manifested walnut bread out of thin air, lol 😅), I’ll show you what's getting in the way and tell you the 6 essential steps so you can successfully manifest your heart’s desires.
You’re Constantly Manifesting (Even If You Don’t Realize It)
You’ve already manifested (and are constantly manifesting) a million things—big and small. A partner, an apartment, a job, even something as simple as a cookie from your favorite place.
Everything you see in your life right now is your manifestation.
I'll give you an example from my life. Just the other day, randomly (or not, if you know what I mean), my doorbell rang. It was my friend, standing at my door with a freshly baked loaf of wallnut bread. 🥖
What she didn’t know was that two days ago, I had run out of bread and was seriously craving it but didn’t have time to go to the supermarket. And here she was, showing up with exactly what I wanted—even better, because it was homemade with walnuts, my favorite. Coincidence? You decide.
Why Is Manifestation So Popular?
Here’s my theory from a coaching and psychological perspective:
It gives you a sense of power over your life, rather than feeling at the mercy of fate.
It brings an element of ease—the idea that you don’t have to work hard to create something you want.
It provides a sense of support (think of the affirmation: "The universe has my back"). This helps you feel that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
It speaks directly to the materialistic desires of your ego (dream apartment, first-class flight, wealth, fame, power....).
Speaking to the latter point... Because the materialistic aspects can be so seductive, a big challenge of manifestation is that sometimes, you start wishing for things you don’t truly want—but you think you do because of social media, brilliant marketing or any other external influences.
For example, you may think that if you have a 6-bedroom house in Beverly Hills, you'll feel like you’ve made it. You’ll be proud. You’ll be happy. You’ll be admired by others.
But is that really your heart’s desire, or is it just what you think will bring happiness?
Ever Wondered Where Manifestation Comes From In The First Place?
Manifestation has been in the mainstream for the past 20 years, but it it's anything but a new concept.
It has roots in:
Eastern Religions: Vedic scriptures, Hinduism, Buddhism
Western Thought: The 19th-century New Thought and New Age spiritual movements
Modern Influences: Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich), Abraham Hicks, Tony Robbins, Michael Jackson (yes, really—check out my MJ series on my podcast for more on that!)
Pop Culture Explosion: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Oprah, and many more.
Why Manifestation Isn't Working for You
Here’s the biggest secret: You can manifest. But—and this is important—it has to be a heart desire (not just an ego desire). If it’s not, it either won’t happen, it will be incredibly difficult to achieve or you'll manifest it, but it won't make you happy.
If you’re trying to manifest a first-class flight just because you think it’s cool and a nice-to-have, but deep down you don’t really care about it, that lack of emotional connection weakens the manifestation process.
I break this down in more detail in my podcast episode. Listen here.
Here's what I want you to do instead to manifest successfully. 👇
How Manifestation Works in 6 Steps: The Only Manifestation Formula You'll Need, Based On Neuroscience And Pyschology
1️⃣ Find Your Heart Desire
This is the abstract level: thoughts, ideas, dreams that awaken within you.
The idea / thought always precedes manifestation (e.g., "I want to write a book" → Then you write a book).
The biggest challenge with this first step is that you manifest your heart's desires, not your ego desires (see above).
The magnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times stronger than the magnetic field of the brain. Imagine how much more potently you can manifest when it comes from your heart. 💗
2️⃣ Think About It Often & Produce Positive Emotions
The more you think about that idea, desire, vision, the more you'll awaken positive emotions in your body, which raises your vibration and embeds your desire into your subconscious.
This:
Helps your subconscious mind know that your idea / dream / desire is safe. You’ve seen it and “been” there a bunch of times.
Your mind starts looking for opportunities, people, and ideas to help you make it happen. You’re more open to it + notice that more!
3️⃣ Raise Your Vibration
From a spiritual perspective, your emotions are energy that vibrate on a certain frequency. That frequency attracts similar frequencies. Love = love. Scarcity = scarcity. You'll be familiar with this if you've ever heard of Law of Attraction.
We talk about "raising your vibration" because the positive emotions (love, passion, hope, acceptance, joy, happiness...) have a higher vibration than the negative emotions (fear, anger, sadness, dispair...).
From a neuroscience perspective, quantum coherence (particles like atoms or photons exhibit multiple states simultaneously, remaining linked or ‘coherent’ even when separated by large distances) and neural synchronization (when different frequencies harmonise with each other, that allows a smooth communication between neurons, groups of neurons…) show how energy aligns with similar frequencies.
4️⃣ Address Inner Blocks & Resistance
Between step 1 and 2+3 there's often something I call interference.
You get excited about your idea, you start thinking about it, but then you feel resistance, fear, it suddenly seems impossible, that you were aiming too high or being too optimistic...
Psychologically, this is a normal phenomena - you're moving out of your comfort zone and your system gets scared so it's trying to hold you back.
This is where you bump against:
Limiting beliefs: It’s not possible.
Fears: What if I fail?
Self-doubt: I’m not good enough. I don't know enough
These blocks can be gifts, showing you what’s holding you back. People often think that the blocks are standing IN the way to their manifestation, but in fact... They are part of the process. Life is showing you the next thing you have to look at in order for you to get to your manifestation.
5️⃣ Take Action
Normally with manifestation, things don’t just fall into your lap (but anything is possible), you have to actively DO something as a part of the process.
If you want a business, you need a business plan, a marketing strategy, etc.
Manifestation aligns opportunities and makes it easier, but you still need to take the steps.
6️⃣ Let Go of Attachment & Timing
This is one of those dichotomies that need a moment to sink in: You have to want it with all your heart, but at the same time, you have to be completely okay without it. This is the energy that attracts. Surrendering while simultaneously trusting that it’s all happening.
This also includes letting go of the timing. Be wary of those taglines that promise quick manifestation, like “Manifest $100K in 3 months” or “Manifest your dream partner in a month.”
Sure, that could happen, but everything is a process, and certain things need to be ripe. One of my favorite quotes from Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization explains that manifestation is successful when you have a genuine desire for what you want, a belief that it is possible, and acceptance—you must be willing to have it.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, you’re not willing to have it yet, or it’s simply not divine timing.
Some people are going to be “ripe” sooner than you, and that’s okay. Let go of any timelines—this is also a great exercise to practice trust, patience, and being happy now. It will come when you want it, but forget about it.
For a deeper dive into how neuroscience supports manifestation and how to manifest your dream life + career with EASE, check out the entire episode of my podcast.
From my heart to yours
Tajda 🫶🌷
📚 Sources
James. Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything . Hodder & Stoughton. Kindle Edition.
Jackson, Michael. Moonwalk (p. 248). Random House. Kindle Edition.
Gawain, Shakti. Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life (p. 58). New World Library. Kindle Edition.
Let’s connect 💞
Instagram: @tajdaglazer
LinkedIn: Tajda Glazer
Email: contact@tajdaglazer.com
ABOUT THE PODCAST HOST
Hi, I'm Tajda Glazer!
I'm a lawyer turned Professional Life & Career Coach and I help you go from feeling lost, anxious, burned out and stuck on the hamster wheel, to turning your dream life & career into reality by making changes with ease and grace - from the inside out. ✨
