In the emails I get from readers of the Abundance Journal, one question comes up frequently: “I’m doing everything right, I’m visualizing, I’m focusing, I’m feeling good - why aren’t I manifesting what I want? How soon will it come?”

There are a lot of answers out there to this question. Abraham-Hicks, for example, often tells people they want you to get into the feeling place of “already having it” to such an extent that you find you don’t even need to have your desire appear physically.

I think that feeling of “already having it” is a very powerful tool. It lets you set your desires free, without all the angst that comes with the feeling of “not having it” - and that feeling of “I don’t have this” is one that can quite easily creep into all our visualization and focusing efforts.

Sometimes, the very act of directing energy (sometimes tremendous energy, when we want something very badly) towards the visualization of our desire has the very effect of highlighting to ourselves that, no, we don’t already have this. And we want it now!

So what’s a person to do?

Go From Zero to Manifestation

Embracing the entire feeling of going “from zero to manifestation” has been a very powerful tool for me. When I say “from zero to manifestation”, I mean the entire route that you actually go through from where you are right now, to where you want to be (the achievement of your desire).

Have you ever had a long-time desire fulfilled? And you experience those wonderful moments of pure bliss - that rush of joy that you now have your long-desired dream. That it’s real, it’s here, and you have it!

Every one of us has had those moments about something in our lives.

But did you ever notice something else?

Those moments don’t last. I mean, sure, there are some dreams that, once fulfilled, thrill you day in and day out for weeks and weeks. But eventually, familiarity takes over. You settle back into your newly enriched life. And another dream or desire takes the place of your fulfilled dream.

This is human life. Personally, I think that’s why we’re here in the first place, to experience all the thrills of all those fulfilled dreams. And so we keep dreaming new dreams, holding new desires.

An Analogy

Let me give you an example. Let’s say John has a dream. He wants a new car. Not only does he want a new car, he has his eyes set on a specific make and model. It’s a luxury car that at the present moment is well out of his reach.

Now let’s take a look at John at the point in his life when his dream comes true. He’s holding in his hands the keys to his new luxury car. Let’s say that for weeks, every morning he slides into the front seat of that car, smells that new-car smell, and is filled with incredible bliss and joy.

Eventually, though, the car loses its new car smell. And while John is always appreciative every time he drives his beautiful new car, the feelings aren’t as sharp as they were on the day he first held the keys to it in his hand. And on top of that, he has a new dream that’s been occupying his mind.

Like I mentioned above, this is absolutely normal. Always having access to new dreams is the stuff of life. It’s what makes us human. Having new goals and new dreams adds that continuous spark of passion to our lives.

What does this have to do with the answer to the question, “When will my desire get here?”

My answer is, “It’s already here.” But ah, you say, that’s the classic answer, and you think that fudges things a lot. And my answer to that is, “It’s already here, because it’s all about every step of the way. It’s about the road you take from zero to manifestation.”

The Cumulative Effect

Going “from zero to manifestation” works so powerfully because it’s all about the cumulative effect. It acknowledges that the fulfillment of our desires brings with it that glorious flash of bliss and happiness, but at the same time, it widens your perspective on what exactly “having my dream come true” means.

Having your dream come true is about more than just those moments when your dream lands into your life, full-blown and in vivid color.

It’s about the entire path you go through to get from here to there. The path you take as you go from zero to manifestation.

Back to the Analogy

So let’s go back to John, and take a look at what happens in his life as he goes from the now of not being able to afford his dream car, to that wonderful moment when he holds the keys to his new car in his hands.

1. The gift from Aunt Betty. About a month after John has picked out the make and model of his dream car, he gets a phone call. It’s from his Aunt Betty. She’s sending John a check for $5000, because she’s a firm believer in making gifts to her family gradually in the here and now, instead of waiting until death. She enjoys life, and wants to share this enjoyment with her family.

What does John feel when he gets this call? Elation. Happiness. A moment of pure joy. He’s one step closer to his dream, too. He uses most of the money to pay down his credit card debt, and uses the rest of it to fund a weekend ski trip he’s taking with his friends.

2. A holiday bonus. Fast forward a few months. Christmas is approaching, and John’s work place is speculating on the nature of the holiday bonus this year. Rumor has it that the company has made huge profits. John walks into his office a few weeks before Christmas and finds a plain white envelope in his in-basket. He opens it up and finds that his holiday bonus this year is equal to a month’s salary!

What does John feel at this moment? Joy, happiness, elation. Yes, all the same feelings that came up with his last mini-manifestation, and all the same feelings that will come up when he gets his hands on his dream car.

Now he’s paid off all short-term debt.

I won’t go into detail the rest of the mini-manifestations that happen on John’s road from zero to manifestation. But let’s just set them out chronologically:

3. A great performance appraisal.
4. A promotion, accompanied by a big raise.
5. John visits his banker to see whether he qualifies for a car loan. He does, and for an amount that’s almost enough to buy the new car, with a small down payment.
6. A friend of a friend is being sent overseas for a new job. He wants to sell his new car. Is John interested? Turns out the car is the same make and model of John’s dream car.
7. John meets this friend of a friend with the car to sell. They hit it off, but the asking price for the car is still beyond John’s reach. John’s happy that he’s made a new friend who shares the same passion for this car that he does.
8. The new friend calls. He’s willing to lower the asking price to something that John can afford, because above all, he wants someone who will take care of the car the way it should be taken care of. Plus, he likes John.
9. John holds the car keys in his hand. His dream car is his!

At every single point in this road from zero to manifestation, John felt elation. Bliss. Joy. Happiness. Sure, the manifestations were “minor”, but the feelings were not.

The Key is in the Mini-Manifestations

When you celebrate every point on the road from here to the fulfillment of your dream, and in your celebration of each point you understand that each mini-manifestation IS a part of the manifestation of your ultimate dream, you’ll never have to ask, “When is my dream going to come true?”

It already is coming true, and being aware of all the mini-manifestations as you journey from zero to manifestation will make this even more clear.

It’s Happening All the Time

We all have more than one dream. Every day, we hold dozens and dozens of dreams. It’s just that some are “small” (”I’d really like a blueberry muffin right now”) while some are “big” (”Now, once I get this log cabin on 5 acres by the lake, how should I furnish it?”).

And because we are always holding dozens and dozens - maybe even hundreds - of desires at every moment, during most moments in our lives, we’re experiencing the bliss and joy of a mini-manifestation. We have access to those feelings of bliss and joy during many, many moments in our day. And they are real and concrete. We don’t even have to visualize them.

So celebrate all those moments as you go from zero to manifestation for all of your desires. See them for what they are - each is a mini-manifestation that IS a part of the manifestation of a dream. Relax into that cumulative effect. You’ll have more fun, and you’ll rarely ask, “When will my dream come true?”

Because it already is.