That you’re reading this article is not a coincidence. It was meant for you to read. The energy of this article and you are the same. You were meant to come here. Nothing is coincidence. You can create your own destiny… You can manifest the life that you want, just by thinking about it. Begin by visualing the life you want, how it would feel, how it would smell, how you would feel. Accept these feelings as truth. Eventually, your outer world will begin to mirror your inner world.
People who practice manifestation promise it will change your physical reality – just by changing the way you think. They promise that by accepting that you have money, the person of your dreams or your dream job, it’ll eventually come to your life. TikTok is prevalent with manifesting videos that explain how it works.
I love getting these TikToks on my for you page because I think they’re insane. I teeter between believing them or just thinking they’re harmless ways to be positive and proactive (laughing as I write this). Overall, they’re somewhere on the outrageous spectrum. Subtly is out the window. Pointed language is the norm. Massive promises are rampant. Of course, they would get a buttload of attention, it’s promising everyone who views and takes them seriously will become a millionaire, or famous, or will get the partner of their dreams, or… etc. Evidently, there is warm comfort in a community that highly prioritizes good energy and good intentions.
What’s Manifesting Like?
The main investment of the manifesting community of TikTok is healing and protecting one’s energy from negativity. A vital part of creating a perfect or idealized world around you begins with self-love and positivity. The language used by manifestation gurus on TikTok always screams cult. But, the message contrasts the tone. The core of the manifestation community centers around feelings of acceptance, love and positivity. Self-forgiveness, education and wishing well for others is the move in manifestation.
Abundant feelings of love and positivity make it easy for people to continue down the journey of self-work. The hyper-encouragement of self-awareness of what you consume, both in terms of food and in media, encourages a well-rounded media diet. Well-rounded media diet here meaning void of any media that is negative or prompts negativity. Because of this, the manifestation community has found its home in the hearts of the hyper-sensitive, who want more from their lives. This is virtually everyone but the cynic.
Why Manifest?
Beyond the actual videos themselves, what about current culture creates a demand for manifestation videos to flourish? What about TikTok specifically has created a platform for this kind of content that didn’t take off on YouTube or Instagram? Money, romance, beauty or careers are often the most common goals that people manifest or guide how to. Is manifesting taking off because of TikTok, or are social conditions fuelling this push?
The pandemic has exacerbated everyone’s feelings of desolation and hopelessness. A solid quarter of the American public lost their jobs in the span of a month, the stock market has been tumultuous at best, inflation rates are concerning. With these financial indicators, of course people are looking for various ways to make money and to rid anxiety around income. Manifestation gurus promise with good intention and living by the rule of assumption or attraction, one will create a steady income flow.
Romantic fulfilment has and will always be a massive want. Unrequited love is one of the most prevalent subjects explored across media. Of course, the combination of the intensity of romantic feelings and the apparent happiness romantic fulfilment leads to creates a huge demand for romance. For example, on social media, we’re all made well-aware of romantic relationships. We see how happy and fulfilled people are in relationships – or at least how happy they seem. On film and television, priority goes to romantic plot lines. This makes romance all the more desirable. On top of that, social media acts as a way to meet new people. It makes sense that manifestation TikTok offers a solution to a problem that comes up on the next app.
The Right Climate
Social media has also created a huge environment of insecurity. Body image issues are growing. The normalness of social media takes away the excuse regular people had before to not have actor-like bodies. People gravitate towards the beautiful ones on social media. Advertised as an invaluable currency, beauty is one of the most wanted things globally. With good appearance comes better treatment, better partners, better lives. These insecurities create themselves with the flick of a thumb on social media. Manifestation TikTok promises to solve the root of the insecurity by creating a new world and a new nose (or whatever you’d like).
The pandemic has created new obstacles for people to find career success. Traditional routes to success are fading. Social media has created an environment of only flexes and constant competition. Of course, many are afraid to put themselves out there. Some are scared to try for a new career and have no idea where to begin. Manifestation TikTok promises to solve these problems and anxieties and give the user a way of getting personal fulfillment through their work. Who knows what they want to do for the rest of their life when they’re 20? There’s a massive market of anxiety around careers and the world of manifestation offer a free remedy to this anxiety.
The Secret
These ideas were the focus of The Secret, a massive hit. The Secret is a best-selling book that came from a movie. Partly spiritual, partly practical. The theory states that by repetitively thinking about something, having a positive mentality and accepting you have what you want, you will manifest it. A massive hit, every other celebrity in 2006, including Oprah, was willing to sacrifice an animal at its alter. Though, criticized and praised by the skeptics of America. People argued it’s ridiculous to think things into existence and that reality is not built the way that The Secret describes.
Another reason manifesting has become so popular on TikTok is its promotion of positivity. The current social, political and ecological environment is so negative. Media coverage is so negative. Being inside alone for a year sucks! Of course people, especially young people, want to escape the gunk feeling associated with the world around them, available to them so easily. Manifestation, for the most part, is free. It’s positive. It’s nice, I don’t see why culture so often makes fun of harmless philosophies that just make people happy.
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