Part 1: False Belief — “Manifesting? Yeah Right.”

When You Hear the Word “Manifesting”

Okay, I know what you’re thinking:

“Really, Dan? Manifesting? You had me until now.”

Trust me, I get it. I was in the same boat. The first time I heard someone talk about manifesting, I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my own ADHD diagnosis.

It sounded like pure fantasy. Just think about something you want, pretend the universe is going to hand it to you, and sit back while the money, success, and dream life roll in. Right?

Wrong.

But I didn’t figure that out until much later. And odds are, neither have you—because most of us write it off before we ever take a deeper look.

Why It Gets Dismissed So Quickly

Why? Simple. We’ve been taught that the only way to get what we want in life is through hard work, relentless focus, and the holy grail of success culture: grind.

And as someone with ADHD, you’ve probably tried to buy into that system a thousand times. Hustle harder. Push through. If you just wanted it enough, you’d figure out how to stay consistent. So when someone comes along talking about “alignment” and “attraction,” it sounds like a bunch of glittery nonsense designed for people who already have their shit together.

The Real Reason You’re Stuck

But here’s where it all goes sideways:Most people don’t understand what manifesting actually is.

They think it’s just wishful thinking. Toxic positivity. A Pinterest board for your dream life.

But in reality, manifesting isn’t about sitting on your couch visualizing a Ferrari until one shows up in your driveway. It’s not magic. It’s not spiritual mumbo jumbo. It’s a mindset shift—a way of navigating your desires without killing yourself to reach them.

And yes, it is practical. Especially for people with ADHD.

But you can’t see that until you peel back the surface layer.

Not Lazy—Just Misunderstood

At a glance, manifesting seems like the exact opposite of a “plan.” It seems passive. And we’ve been conditioned to believe that passive equals lazy.

But here’s the truth: thinking harder, trying harder, and judging yourself harder hasn’t been working. So why not explore the thing you’ve been ignoring this whole time?

If nothing else, let’s give it a fair shot. Not the Instagram version of manifesting. Not the “just vibe and everything comes to you” version.

I’m talking about the real deal.And we’ll get into that next.

Part 2: Truth — Manifesting Is Just Faith Without the Religion

Wait… Now You're Telling Me to Have Faith?

You're not going to believe this, but the next thing I’m about to say is that manifesting only works if you have faith.

I know.First I hit you with the “manifesting” thing, and now I’m following it up with faith. You’re probably picturing crystals, sage, and vision boards by now.

But hold up.I’m not talking about that kind of faith.

I’m not saying you have to believe in the Universe with a capital "U" (though that doesn’t hurt if you do). And I’m not asking you to find religion.

I’m talking about something much simpler—and honestly, more practical:

Faith that your life will work out… if you just stop trying to force it.

What Manifesting Really Means

At its core, manifesting isn’t magic.It’s just this:

Know what you want.Believe it can come to you.And stop strangling it with control and urgency.

That’s it.

It’s not about never taking action. It’s not about lazily waiting for fate to hand you a winning lottery ticket. It’s about staying open. Holding your desires in your heart without using them as a weapon to punish yourself daily for not having them yet.

And that’s where faith comes in.

Faith as an Emotional Strategy

When you adopt this kind of belief system—not spiritual, just logical—you stop putting your nervous system in crisis mode. You stop measuring every day as a “failure” just because you’re not “there” yet.

You replace pressure and shame with patience and peace.

Let me ask you something.Is it really that crazy to believe that if you keep your eyes on what you want, let go of all the guilt, and take small steps forward each day… that someday it might actually work out?

That doesn’t sound like witchcraft to me.That sounds like a solid strategy—especially if it lets you enjoy who you are today.

So... What's More Practical?

Let’s zoom out for a second.

Is it really more “practical” to feel like crap every single day until you hit your goal?

Or is it more practical to live in a way that gives you relief now, while also making progress bit by bit?

And here’s the kicker:

When you’re emotionally lighter, calmer, and not obsessing about outcomes, you actually accomplish more.

Think about it:Do you do better work when you’re calm and focused… or when you're scrambling, anxious, and constantly beating yourself up for not being there yet?

Do you build stronger relationships when you’re centered… or when you’re projecting stress onto everyone around you?

You Can Still Spike the Ball... Later

I’m not saying you won’t celebrate.I’m not saying you shouldn’t want amazing things.

But the truth is: chasing down your desires with desperation and urgency has never worked—not long term. And deep down, you already know that.

What if, instead of running at full speed toward some fantasy “end zone,” you walked forward patiently, step by step—and let the results catch up to you?

Wouldn’t that feel better?

Wouldn’t that feel lighter?

You’re not giving up.You’re finally starting to trust.

Part 3: Lightbulb Moment — The Real Power of Letting Go

You’re Not Broken. You’re Just in the Way.

Let’s go deeper with this. Because this isn't just about manifesting. This is about attaining a deeper "letting go" that will allow you to start living your life in a way you never thought about before.

See, the most practical benefit of Manifesting — the thing nobody ever talks about — is that it finally teaches you how to stop getting in your own damn way.

You've been so focused on chasing what you want that you never stopped to ask if maybe you’re the one blocking it from showing up.

When Wanting Becomes Desperation

Let me paint a picture. You’ve got this thing you want — a sale, a relationship, some kind of breakthrough. You're hungry for it. You feel like everything will finally click once you have it. So what do you do?

You go in too hard.

You ramble during the sales pitch because you’re nervous and trying to sound confident. The client senses the desperation and pulls away.

Or you ask someone out that you really like, but instead of just being you, you overcompensate. You try too hard to be charming or funny and you end up coming across like a douche-bag.

Sound familiar?

Yeah. We’ve all done it. And the worst part? In the moment, you thought you were doing the right thing. You weren’t trying to be weird or desperate — you just really wanted it to go well.

But that’s exactly the problem.

Desperation Has a Smell — and It’s Shit

The reason chasing doesn't work isn't because the thing you want is impossible. It's because you're showing up to the situation with a tremendous need to have things turn out the exact way you want.

The expectation of "outcome" is one of the most destructive forces in life. It does exactly what we just described; it makes you step up and try to "make" things happen. It's not evil, its just misguided.

Look I know how you feel. You just want these things to go your way, and then you can finally feel this contentment you've always wanted. But that "need", that "desperation"? The universe doesn't like it, and it will make you pay by keeping all of your desires just out of reach. Not because it's got a vendetta against you, but because you keep getting in its way.

This is the part where people roll their eyes and think, “Okay, now you’ve gone full spiritual hippie on me.”

But I’m not saying this because I read it in some mystical book about moon phases and vibrations. I’m saying it because I lived it. I've been the guy who chased and fumbled and tried to force things into place — and it always backfired.

So one day, I just decided to stop interfering. Stop the anger and frustration of things never going the way I wanted. And the only way to do that was to stop "expecting" things to go the way I wanted. Sure I still had an idea of how things should go, but when they didn't, I just told myself: "well I guess it wasn't meant to be", or "I guess I'll have to try something different".

My mindset became more of curiosity, and taking a "wait and see" approach.

But as time went on I noticed that things started working themselves out without me doing much, if anything at all.

I remember the first time it happened, I thought: "Well, that's just a coincidence, I got lucky".

Because my brain couldn't believe that this witchcraft actually works. But the more I did it, the more I let go, the more it happened. It wasn't on my timeline, or the way I expected, but I'll be damned if it didn't work out anyway.

So what's the answer? Why is this working?

Well, outside of a spiritual reason (which may or may not be a factor), to me the common denominator was "me". I took myself out of the equation on all of the things I desperately wanted both big and small.

Essentially I stopped fucking everything up by meddling and thinking I'm so great that the only way anything in this world can work out is if I "make" it work.

You’re Not the Director — You’re in the Cast

Here’s what I need you to understand: the universe doesn’t work on your timeline. It doesn’t care about your checklist or your 3-year plan.

You are not the director of this movie.

You’re just one of the characters.

And the more you try to control the script, the more you ruin the scene.You’re like a little kid holding the steering wheel in a car on a carnival ride. You can steer the crap out of that wheel, but the car is going to go where it wants.

Manifesting Is A Deeper Form Of Letting go

That’s why letting go isn’t giving up.Letting go is finally understanding how this whole thing works.

It’s realizing that the more pressure, urgency, and control you apply, the more things fall apart.You’re not helping. You’re interfering.

The universe is going to unfold the way it wants.

We are just little piss ants. You can see that, right?

We are insignificant compared to the forces that exist to make the universe, time, and matter unfold.So who are you to manipulate it into what you want, when, and where?

Having some perspective about that helps make surrendering to such power much easier. But that power isn't against you, it doesn't want to hurt you. In fact I believe it loves us and want's whats best for us.

All we need to do is get quiet, stay still, and let it come to us.

That’s the PhD-level understanding of “letting go.”

It’s not passive. It’s powerful. It’s choosing peace over panic.It’s stepping out of the spotlight and letting life move the pieces into place while you simply keep your heart open.

Problem: Manifesting for Cynics