Manifestation is more than just wishful thinking and neuroscientist Dr. James Doty has just made it easier for us to understand.
In a podcast with author Mel Robbins, the neuroscientist shared his daily manifestation routine.
Manifestation is the process of bringing your desires and goals into reality through focused intention, belief, and action. Rooted in the principle that thoughts shape reality, it encourages positive thinking and alignment with your aspirations. By visualizing success, affirming your worth, and taking purposeful steps, you signal to the universe your readiness to receive. Manifestation isn’t mere wishful thinking; it requires clarity, persistence, and effort. When you trust the process and remain open to possibilities, opportunities unfold in unexpected ways. Cultivating gratitude and a strong belief in your potential amplifies results, empowering you to create the life you envision.

So, what does Dr Doty do differently?

“I have been meditating for over 50 years. Every morning I wake up and I sit at the side of the bed and I do a breathing exercise. And this is where people get lost about mindfulness practices. They somehow think you have to sit like a Buddha and get all anxious about it. There’s no reason to be anxious at all. It’s just to find a place where you feel comfortable. And then I go through this breathing exercise of slowly breathing in for 4-6 seconds, holding it in for 4 to 6 seconds slowly letting it out through the mouth. And then that shifts me into the parasympathetic nervous system or strengthens where I am already at. And then I think of the joy and awe of being in this world. And I just sit with that for a minute or two. If I am centered looking through that lens then that actually creates environment for me to manifest because I am in the right mindset. I am calm, I am thoughtful, I am thinking about others, I am not self focused, and the very nature of that allows me to manifest,” he says in the podcast, which has been shared by Robbins on Instagram.
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He talks about prioritizing goals from mildly important to very important. “I write them down, whatever the top three are. Repeat it silently. Repeat it aloud, to see it happening over and over and over again.”
“All these strengthen and put you in the right mindset to have the greatest likelihood of you manifesting your intention,” he concludes.