You wouldn’t think that manifestation, the law of attraction, and SMART goal setting have a lot in common but, surprise! They do. I’m going to teach you the similarities between these strategies and how to use them to your advantage to set yourself up for success.
For the uninitiated, let’s define some terms.
SMART goal setting is a way of creating goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Instead of setting a vague goal like “I want to get better grades,” a SMART goal might be “I will raise my GPA to a 3.5 by the end of the semester by studying for two hours three times a week.” The framework makes goals more concrete and gives you a clear way to track your progress and work toward achieving them.
In comparison, manifestation can be defined as transforming ideas and desires into reality. Or, a less woo-woo definition is setting a goal, imagining your future with the goal in mind, and taking actionable steps to achieve it. Not so different from the SMART goals, now, is it?
Finally, the law of attraction suggests that a person’s feelings, thoughts, and beliefs can influence the corresponding outcomes in their life. For the sake of transparency, the law of attraction isn’t a proven scientific law but it comes from new-age spiritualism and self-help experts.
The first step to accomplishing any goal is putting pen to paper. Yes, it is old-fashioned, but the physical aspect really helps to connect your brain and body. Furthermore, you can hang this somewhere that you’ll see it every day vs. if it were in your Notes app, you have to purposely seek it out.
When writing your goal, be as specific as possible. The best way to do this is to envision how your life would change and what your future would look like if you accomplished this goal.
Second, write specific steps that you can take to accomplish this goal. Make sure to follow SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound.
For example, I want to study abroad in May 2027 in Japan. To do this, I need a grant from the Honors program. To get that, I have to take a certain amount of credits by the Spring 2027 semester with at least a 3.6 GPA.
My specific goal may look like, “I will get at least a 90% in all of my classes this semester by thoroughly completing each assignment, setting aside at least five hours per week for homework, and checking on Canvas for upcoming assignments and projects every Wednesday to stay ahead.
At the end of the day, whether you believe in manifestation, the law of attraction, or just good old-fashioned goal setting, it all comes down to what you do with your goals. Thinking about what you want is a good start, but you also have to put in the work to get there. Good luck!
