4 Manifesting Practices That Have Nothing to Do With Vision Boards or Hustle

Most manifesting advice makes it sound like you need more affirmations, more vision boards, more hustle. On Dear Gabby, host Gabrielle Bernstein says it’s actually the opposite. Manifesting isn’t about working harder, but getting into a state of ease and letting things come to you. She breaks down 4 practices from Abraham Hicks—the spiritual teachers who changed her life—and admits she uses them all day long because “I’m also a hot mess, guys.” 

Here’s the playbook.

Reach for relief, not joy

If you’ve ever tried to go from a full-on spiral to “everything is working out for me” and felt like a liar, that’s because the jump is too big. “You try to jump from that place of depression to joy,” Bernstein says. “And that quick shift isn’t going to work because you don’t believe it.” 

The move instead is to just find the thought that feels slightly better than the one you’re stuck on. “Nothing’s working” becomes “some things are working.” “I’m so behind” becomes “I’m figuring it out as I go.” “I’m really overwhelmed” becomes “I don’t have to solve all of this at once.” That’s it. You’re not trying to override your feelings or pretend everything’s fine. You’re just reaching for the next rung. “When resistance stops, that’s when alignment begins.”

Play the ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ game

This is one of “the most famous Abraham Hicks tools” and Bernstein says it works because it completely takes the pressure off. Instead of white-knuckling a specific outcome, you just play a game with yourself. “Wouldn’t it be nice if the money flowed easily this month? Wouldn’t it be nice if I felt really supported today? Wouldn’t it be nice if something unexpected worked out?” 

The key insight here is that wanting something really intensely can actually block it if that wanting is paired with noticing it’s missing. “You don’t manifest what you want,” Bernstein says. “You manifest what you’re matched to.” So if you’re vibrating at “I don’t have enough,” the universe just sends you more “not enough.” The “wouldn’t it be nice” game shifts you into curiosity and openness instead, which according to Bernstein are high-vibration states where manifestation happens naturally.

Set the energy before you do anything

Before you walk into your next meeting, send that email, go on that date, or even go to sleep, Bernstein says to pause and set the tone first. The phrase she uses: “As I move into the next part of my day, I intend to feel ease. I intend to feel clarity and cooperation. I intend to be guided.” 

It sounds simple, but her point is that when you take action from a place of “ugh, this is so difficult,” that low energy follows you into whatever you’re doing and creates more of the same. “It’s not your job to figure it out,” she says. “Your job is just to feel good first.” One pause before the next part of your day can completely change how the whole thing unfolds.

Do a rampage of appreciation for 2-5 minutes

Bernstein has been doing this one for decades and says it wipes out resistance faster than anything else. “So what you do is you set a timer for two to five minutes and you begin speaking or writing and you say, ‘I appreciate my sheets on my bed. I appreciate my toothpaste. I appreciate my husband. I appreciate my socks. They’re so cozy. I appreciate my breath. I appreciate the support that I already have. I appreciate that things have worked out before. I appreciate my lunch.’”

You don’t have to be happy. You don’t have to be in a good mood. You just have to notice something that genuinely feels good and build from there. “When you’re done with that two to five minute riff…you just feel so good,” she says. “And that energetic state is the vortex. That’s the frequency that we manifest from.” Her challenge is to try it for 30 days straight and see what shifts.

Listen to the full episode on Dear Gabby, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more helpful tips on manifesting, see our post, “How Do You Manifest Something? A Step-by-Step Guide.”

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