The process of manifesting refers to bringing something into your physical reality through your thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Now, don’t get confused and imagine that the power of positive thinking can bring you endless success and towers of gold. Sorry to burst your bubble. It boils down to the understanding that envisioning what you truly want will naturally help you focus on ways to get there. And finally, that the thing or idea will become reality.

Here are some steps to help guide you as you manifest the life you want.

1. Be clear about your goal

Whatever you desire, though, one thing is essential: Make your intention as specific as possible. The clearer and more concise, the better. If you’re not 100% sure about what you want, just keep writing down the thoughts that pop into your head. There’s no rule stating you can only have one goal in life!

2. Ask for what you want, visualise it

Once you've pinpointed exactly what your hopes, dreams and goals are, you need to ask the universe for what you want, according to Bärber Mohr’s Cosmic Ordering theory. Whether or not you believe the universe is listening, all theories surrounding law of attraction (affirmations, the power of gratitude, the power of positivity, karma, etc.) agree on one thing: building up a clear picture of what you desire is what will help you get there. According to Psychology Today, mental practices (like visualisation) can increase motivation, confidence and even motor performance. Earlier this year, Oprah magazine published a feature on the effectiveness of creating a vision board to help you manifest the life you truly want.

3. Work towards it

When you’ve got your future mapped out, whether it’s with images or the written word, you’ll be able to take steps that’ll significantly contribute to this wonderful plan of yours. If you view them as smaller steppingstones and manageable tasks, the path you want to be on will no longer feel so daunting. In 2006’s ‘The Secret’, author Rhonda Byrne showed the world her vision – based on the power of positive thinking – that simply acknowledging what you want and allowing yourself to see it will ultimately bring you towards that end-goal.

4. Adopt an attitude of gratitude

Be grateful for what you have in life, be patient and trust the process. Receive and acknowledge what you get by harnessing the power of gratitude and reminding yourself of the blessings you receive on a daily basis. Think of and appreciate the smaller things in life and you’ll naturally start to realise that life isn’t so bad, and there are plenty of things to be grateful for. And this helps you take on step 5 of your journey of manifestation...

5. Remove obstacles

Doubts, pain, procrastination, frustrations, anxiety, fears, regrets and resentments are all forms of resistance. With a little dose of number 4’s attitude, strand tall and be proud of who and where you are in life. Don’t be your own worst enemy and let these negative emotions cloud your vision. An in-depth analysis of over 300 studies conducted over a span of 30 years found that stressful events can change the functioning of your immune system. However, since stress is almost always self-reported, you are in control of what your immune system ‘hears’, meaning you can flip the switch and boost your immune system by looking at that glass as if it’s half-full instead of half-empty.

6. Live off positive energy

According to the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are sending out. Similar to the notion of Karma’s – what goes around comes around – negative energy will attract that same energy back. So, once again, flip the switch and shift your energy to a more positive vibe to attract more positivity and to, in turn, help you to realise your goals. To attract more of what you want, you have to raise your vibration. Vibrations are like little radio signals you are continuously sending out to the universe. You must tune your signal to a vibration worthy of receiving it (read: which means showing that negativity obstacle the door).

So, if you’re feeling unsure of where you’re headed in life, why not take a stab at these 6 steps to help you manifest the life you envision for yourself. Good luck!