manifesting the future

In the book Manifesting with Purpose (Friesen, Lowrance, Plancon, West 2023), the four authors discuss their experiences achieving individual desires through positive thinking, imagery, deliberate action, and affirmations. It’s an appealing premise, that we can control our futures in this way. Perhaps, we think, success is not just luck, or timing, or privilege, but a by-product of purposeful thoughts and intention. I’ve read articles in which sports psychologists guide their Olympic athletes through imagery–over and over–of a perfectly-executed race or performance, to increase the chance of success.
         There are two things that bother me about this generally appealing manifestation concept. First, of course not all the Olympic athletes win. Some get sick, or injured, fall at the start line, or simply have a bad performance. Does that mean they didn’t try hard enough to manifest their win? This line of thinking leads to the “who wants it most?” approach to success. More likely, there was a combination of factors that just didn’t go their way. Not everyone can win all the time.
          Second, what about the corollary, when bad things happen? Are those a product of manifestation also? Did I manifest my own illness?   

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