I really don’t buy into bullshit. And I’m not sold on that Lambo lad on Insta who’s making a mil a month from his phone. Self-help books do not have a place on my bookshelf and “work for it” definitely has more clout than “wish for it” in my age-old opinion.
That said, I have genuinely, for the first time in my life, A, felt benefit, B, resonated with the suggested tips and techniques and C, found relatable, Paul Mckenna’s Power Manifesting guide. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff out there about manifestation. Every man and his dog seems to be on social media doing this, “fake it till you make it” stuff, but this is more than that…
“Manifesting actually is scientific, but it does have a slight new age association,” explains Paul.
“Put simply, manifesting is imagining something, taking action and creating it in the real world. So all of us manifest all day long. People who are clear about their goals in life stand a very good chance of achieving them.
“The key is three dimensional manifesting. This is where you imagine stepping into a future where you've achieved your goal, and you see it, hear it, and feel it, so you're giving yourself a rich, sensory experience.
“The way I do it is I think about something that I want to happen, and I stick it in what we call the timeline, and I figure out the steps backwards. This is the difference between things like New Year's resolutions, which are wishes and manifesting, which is intent.
“80% of people fail in their New Year’s resolutions, because if all we had to do was wish, we'd all be living in mansions. But really to manifest something, you've got to think about it and create it first. Then you've got to figure out how you're going to get it, and you've got to know what it's like when you get it.
“The science around goal setting tells us that it works. If you think about your life, where you live, your friends, what you eat, your wardrobe, all of it started as a thought in your head or somebody else's head. Basically, thoughts create the world. Essentially, the whole universe is just energy. And when you organise your energy and you focus it upon achieving something, the chances of it occurring become more likely.”
Paul’s latest book is not some heavy academic encyclopedia. It’s really easy to read, doesn’t feel like homework and gets into your head without any effort on your part. But the real trick to success is what he calls getting “clean and clear” about what you want, because setting off on a boat with no rudder is no bloody good, is it? As Paul explains; “I was being interviewed the other day, and this lady said, “So can I manifest winning the lottery?” I said, “Well, in theory, because people win all the time, but do you really want as much as a lottery win?” She said, “No, I don't need that much.” And that’s the thing, we need to be precise and accurate in what we manifest, rather than just wishing for the world.
“For me, if I have love, laughter and health, my life's got meaning and purpose because I'm living my values. When people are not clean and clear, it's usually because they're not in touch with what's really important to them, or they're distracted by stuff they see on social media.
“Many people confuse pleasure with happiness. Pleasure is a glass of champagne. Pleasure is buying new clothes. Happiness is when you're living your values. It's great to be wealthy or to have material things, but that in itself is not the key to making you happy. In fact, Bob Marley once said, “Some people are so poor, all they have is money.”
“The clearer you get about what it is you want, the more likely you are to get it. If you don't have a direction in life, you could end up anywhere. So get clean and clear and know where you’re headed.”
Once you’re clean and clear and you realise that’s not some kind of teenage acne remedy, it’s time to focus. Because what we focus on is what we become.
“A lot of people just think about what they don't want,” says Paul. Like “I don't want to be overweight. I don't want to be shy. I don't want to be single.” They'll wake up in the morning and they'll go, “I've got to get up now because I don't want to be late for work.” Those people are moving away from pain. Instead they should move towards things they want more of. Implement your strategy. “I want to lose half a stone this month” is a positive move towards a goal. That’s positive manifestation.
“And again, it’s not just wishing. A wish is something that you hope will happen. But when you manifest something you’ve got to believe it's going to happen.”
So, can we really manifest that magic parking space?
“My take on the parking space stuff isn't that you magic a parking space, it's the reticular activating system, which is a set of nerves in the brain that seek out something,” says Paul. “I know that if I make a picture of a parking space, and I think about it, it's going to work, because it's worked in the past, and I’m coming from a place of belief. What happens is your brain sorts for it and it finds it.
“People who believe they're unlucky, are statistically unlucky. People who believe they're lucky are statistically luckier, because they see opportunities where unlucky people don't. Unlucky people tend to have more of a victim mindset. As soon as you begin to think “It always happens to me, it’s not fair,” you give away your power, because you're saying, “I've got no control.”
“How is it that all the happy, “lucky” people tend to find each other, and all the miserable people find each other too? It’s the power of resonance. If you put two pianos in a room and you hit a C chord on one, the C chord on the other vibrates in resonance. The same thing happens in life.”
Paul says listening to the hypnotic trance that accompanies his book gets you into a higher emotional state of creativity, optimism, love and joy.
“Reading the book and using the techniques is great, but what absolutely slams it is using the hypnotic trance every single day,” he says. “Even the guy who edited it found his new business started booming after listening to it during the process.”
Paul kicks off a live tour on 5th March. He’ll be hypnotising the entire audience. “It’s not a show, but a live coaching event,” he says. “It’s a dynamic, immersive experience.
“I’m gonna start with a dramatic demonstration. What often stops people from manifesting is a block. A belief they can't get past something, like a bereavement. I’ll bring someone on stage and remove that block. Then I’ll turn to the audience and ask them to think of a block. “Bam, its gone”. This feeling of elation and freedom is the start of it.
“The audience will then visualise themselves operating at optimal frequency. They’ll step into that reality and they’ll amplify it. Then I’ll ask them to get clean and clear about what they want. I’ll do something on how you can increase your luck too.”
Whatever department you’re lacking in, Paul’s live show could have the answer.
“Love and money are usually in the mix with most people,” he says. “I’ve got a great technique for manifesting more money coming in. Self sabotage is what usually holds people back when it comes to love, so I’ll address that too. Then I’ll design this amazing future with the whole audience, and wake up everyone feeling ecstatic after 90-minutes. It’s a heck of a ride. There’s no way you could leave this event without feeling clearer about what you want, more optimistic about the future and having a plan as to how you’re gonna go about it.”
This is Paul’s last tour after 40 years. He’s 61 and he says he gets tired nowadays.
“I’m not retiring,” he says. “I’m still doing webinars and events, but I’m adapting to where the future is.”
'Power Manifesting', published by Headline, is out now, priced £14.99.
Paul McKenna's 'Power Manifesting' UK Tour runs from 5 - 26 March
For venues: mindbodyspirit.co.uk/mckenna
