Word of the Year: Manifest
We are drawn to manifesting because we are each seeking our own personal breakthrough moment, on our own terms, regardless of what’s going on in the world
👋🏼 Hey, I’m Joanna! I’m a communications consultant sharing insights and ideas relating to democracy, wellbeing, business, AI, culture, spiritualism and the human condition…read on if this has piqued your interest.
“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” – Maya Angelou
The Cambridge Dictionary has just published its annual Word of the Year, a tradition it upholds since introducing it in 2015. If you’re a regular reader of The Breakout Room you will twig that a “Word of the Year” is something that tickles me deeply, just as much as how we use capital letters and what this means/doesn’t mean.
Yes, the annual “Word of the Year” is a distinctively online phenomenon – after all, it’s the words which are heavily populated on the internet which usually wins the title. But on the flip side, it enables us to discover what’s of collective and international interest at a specific moment in time. Think of it like Google Trends, providing a snapshot of buzzwords and themes, offering an insight into the cultural zeitgeist and how we are reacting and responding to it.
Despite the flippant and fun nature of the annual naming, it’s something which future historians can use to make sense of the times we live in. Indeed, they ought to.
What would they think of the Cambridge Dictionary word of the year for 2024, “manifest”? What reasons would they come up with to explain its popularity? And how should we personally make sense of manifesting in the here and now?
Manifest was looked up almost 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website, making it one of the most-viewed words of 2024.
Here is the definition as provided on the Cambridge Dictionary website.
Manifesting is a method which breaks down and simplifies the process of making something happen; as aspect which resonates deeply, I think, because of the overwhelm of information we face on a daily basis. No wonder people are hot on manifesting in 2024.
Manifesting may sound a bit airy-fairy-magical-fairy-dust. But to manifest something is to identify what you want and embody it into reality through visualising, speaking, trusting, aligning and acting. The focus is supremely positive and forward-thinking – a deep contrast to the hum of collectively negativity caused by world events in the last few years – and provides a sense of momentum, growth and self-actualisation.
It’s a word I welcome, despite some of the criticisms surrounding the practice of manifesting, with the specificity of what we each seek to manifest a brilliant way of focusing and reclaiming our energy away from things which neither help us in the journey of our lives or help others in the process.
Manifesting also speaks of self-control, a companion to self-help and wellness. Just as “manners maketh man” originated in the late 1300s to encourage self-awareness of good conduct, politeness, civility and honourable behaviour amongst men, manifesting has evolved to foster self-belief, trust, resilience and flow.
Instead of events being imposed on us externally without our say or control, the focus of manifesting is from within, using our innate human qualities such as imagination, belief and trust.
Manifesting uses and directs our imagination, actions, behaviour and manners in such a way that guides us towards what we want – and not what we don’t want (a focus of our energy and attention which we can easily fall into) without interrupting our internal flow. And to be in a state of flow, without distractions or interruptions, is ultimately what makes manifesting a desirable thing to do. It boosts our metal health and engages our creativity to help us grow and find purpose. A regeneration that is self-initiated, not self-imposed.
This is why manifesting, whether you love it or hate it, is a deeply human thing to want to engage in. With AI attempting to undermine human creativity and creation through LLMs such as ChatGPT, loneliness at an all-time high and trust in institutions at an all-time low, this is one of the reasons why manifesting is so popular; it defies “logical” restrictions and opens space for the possibilities for miracles to happen. And through a miracle-mindset, we’re more likely to see good events and luck occurring because we’re more in-tune with the synchronicities of the Universe and positive moments when they show up.
When the world seems shaky, placing trust in your own sense of self and worth is something which seems easy, attainable and pleasurable in comparison. It’s empowering. If we’re projecting positivity, then positivity and positive things are more likely to be projected on to us. And whatever creates a sense of peace, most of us would willingly jump on board.
What’s not to like about manifesting?
I imagine that future historians would say that our interest in manifesting stems from our human-need to tell the truth, our own personal truths and what we really desire; a strange counter-response to the disinformation and insincerity often filling public spaces and political discourse at this current moment.
In this sense, to admit that you manifest and believe in the power of manifesting shows that you (and many others) seek to have space for sincerity and seriousness – qualities which are often mocked by cynicism and humour in recent years.
This is why I find the place and popularity of manifesting right now a fascinating phenomenon. We can be sincere and seriousness about our own manifestations, but less willing to offer this to the institutions that can make it a collective reality. No doubt the low-vibrational energy of political discourse is a significant reason for this.
We attract whatever frequency we are. High-vibrational people naturally attract high-vibrational people and are more easily able to influence and shape their reality as their energy is clean and fluid, fast and magnetic. A manifestation may not occur as soon as tomorrow. But holding a high vibration speeds up the process and loosens the fear and doubt which can block and arrest the manifestation from coming into reality through low-vibrational energy and attention.
My own experience with manifesting has been long-standing. The momentum of manifesting is a flow which I’m familiar with; it ebbs and flows then comes at me in full force. Big things – extremely specific things and visions I’ve had – have come to life. This includes taking up a research level role at Cambridge University without possessing a PHD, appearing in British Vogue and the relationship I’m in now. At one point I had an inkling that I would end up in California. And here I am now, writing this piece from LA. It’s pretty wild, thinking about it.
If you can see it in your mind’s eye, you can hold it within the palm of your hand.
However wild and far-fetched a vision may be, we often have and hold these visions for a reason. And manifesting is a practice which allows the positive aspects of our soul’s evolution to come into force.
Manifesting has a clean energy to it; there’s no friction or static shit in the way. It’s a💯 gut instinct that it’s going to happen, this thing and idea that’s floated in my head will happen. Our role is to be proactive, but not to force.
Our physical selves are instruments of consciousness. Manifesting is a state of mind as well as a state of being. When we seek to manifest, we seek to feel and experience something – from jubilation to satisfaction to fulfilment.
It’s a strictly IRL reality we’re going after, not the static Instagram version.
Could it be that we’re leaning into manifesting because we want to experience a richer IRL reality?
To manifest is to make sense of our place in the world and how to move through it in such a way that aligns with how we want to be and how we want to live.
Our energy goes and compounds where our attention flows. Rather than direct it towards things which are energetically weak and loose – the job you think you should apply for because you can rather than the job which makes you intuitively excited and enthusiastic – manifesting teaches us to focus, distil and utilise our energy towards things which are a vibrational high match for our best selves.
What are you seeking to manifest?
This is so interesting. Will you please write a sequel to include the relationship/interaction between Oxford and Cambridge - brain rot and manifest