If You Can See It, You Can Hold It: Does Manifesting Actually Work?
I once told the whole of Instagram that manifesting was for delusional women sitting on their a$$. I was wrong... and this is the practical, no BS version that built my life.
Henny's view is that manifesting works when it's a daily practice followed by action, not a wish. She used to call it bullsh*t, and she still thinks sitting on your arse hoping is delusional. The version she teaches is visualisation: get crystal clear on what you want, see it in your mind first thing every morning and last thing every night, then make one move every day that gets you 1% closer.
Key takeaways
- A vision board and visualisation are not the same thing. One is an object, the other is a daily practice.
- Once your brain knows what you want, it starts looking for clues and opportunities to make it real.
- The minutes after you wake up and before you sleep are your prime windows. Don't fill them with someone else's highlight reel.
- Don't know what you want? Write what you don't want, then what's on the other side of it.
- Seeing it is only half of it. You still have to get up and make a move.
Isn't manifesting just woo-woo?
A few years ago I got on my Instagram stories and told everyone that manifestation was a load of bullsh*t. Today I'm going to teach you exactly how to do it... and I have never been more f*cking serious.
I get it. I am the most straight-shooting, down-the-line woman you will ever meet. Manifestation, visualisation, all of it used to give me the BIGGEST ick. I distinctly remember telling my followers that anyone sitting on their arse hoping for things to magically happen was full-on delusional.
I definitely said that. If you saw that video, throw it out the window too. Mama Hen has been educated... in a good way, in a practical way.
Why does it feel like nothing ever works out for me?
I used to be the girl that nothing ever happened for. I was never picked for sports at school, never picked for the dance recitals or the musicals, and picked last for the majority of things for the majority of my existence.
The years you spend growing up form the pattern for who you become as an adult. So if your childhood was rejection, the boys who didn't like you back, the things you didn't get, that pattern quietly follows you into your twenties and thirties.
I don't wear that as a badge of honour. I wear it as proof. If I can do this, then so can f*cking you.
Why am I scared to manifest what I want?
Because in my head, if I wished for something and thought about it enough, that was a guaranteed way to make sure I'd never get it. I think most women carry that same fear. You'd sit in a daydream as a kid going "oh my God, imagine if this happens"... and then it didn't, and it felt awful.
So as adults, we tell ourselves that if we want it too much, the universe will take it off us. We're throwing that concept out the window.
What's the difference between a vision board and visualisation?
Here's the distinction nobody makes. A vision board is powerful, and I'm not going to diminish that for a second. But visualisation is MORE powerful, because visualisation is the daily practice of putting something in your mind.
It's not the woo. It's creating a world you are obsessed with, and then going back to it every single day. It's one of the most powerful tools in my own life, and it's why I do guided visualisations with the women in my app.
How do you actually visualise?
Get really f*cking crystal clear on what you want and what you want to achieve. Without limits. Without a time frame. Without judgement, fear, rejection, or any of the other junk you carry around in your day to day.
Dream Disney scale. The house. The body. The relationship. Waking up in your dream space with your car parked downstairs. It doesn't matter where you are, what you look like or what your bank account says right now.
How do I manifest if I don't know what I want?
This is the big blocker for so many women. So start with what you DON'T want. Write the list. Then pair every single thing on it with what's on the other side. That's where your vision is hiding.
And take the pressure off. So many people who have done wildly extraordinary things say they knew what they wanted from the time they were a kid. I had NONE of that. I'm 36 and I'm only just getting really clear on my vision now. It doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to exist.
When should I visualise?
As soon as you wake up and right before you go to sleep. Those are the quietest minutes in your head and your prime windows for planting the seeds. And whatever you do, don't fill them with someone else's highlight reel. Your first and last scroll of the day is not a hobby. It's real estate.
Why does visualising actually work?
When you rehearse a vision clearly and often, your brain starts treating it like something that matters to you. And once your brain knows what you want, it starts searching for clues and opportunities to make it real. Why weren't we taught this at school?
Think about the last time you wanted a new car. Say you decide you want a red Range Rover. Suddenly, red Range Rovers are EVERYWHERE. They were always there. You just told your brain to look for them. The exact same thing happens when you create a vision of your future self and your future life.
And this is where most women f*ck it up. You can't visualise once. You can't make a vision board, plant the seed and go "okay, off we go". Big goals take time and thousands of micro decisions, so the practice has to be daily.
Is that it? Just picture it?
Absolutely not. Then you get the f*ck up off your arse and make a move every single day that gets you 1% closer. The vision tells you where you're going. The micro steps are how you actually arrive.
I have a friend who manifests at the highest frequency. Whatever she wants, she gets it. But look at what she's doing: she networks, she puts herself in new environments, and she says out loud what she wants. Success leaves clues, guys. Every great who has done something extraordinary saw it in their mind first, and then actively pursued it. They didn't sit on their arse, make a mood board once and think about it once.
And it takes time. Way longer than most people expect. I once said to my partner Ryan, "I just don't understand the wall I keep hitting. I'm doing all the work and I don't feel any momentum." That's the messy in-between, and that is exactly where you need to stick with the process and DOUBLE down. (The whole method, step by step, is in the post linked below.)
Does it ever happen fast?
Sometimes it happens so fast it gives you whiplash.
The other day I'd just finished my visualisation on the treadmill, and I went into a full daydream about an activewear brand I want to create. The designs. The outfits. I was IN the campaign photo shoot. That afternoon I posted a story about it.
That night, an activewear brand messaged me asking to jump on a meeting.
I was like... holy f*cking sh*t.
Ryan's take? It's because I'm in flow. I'm trusting it, putting myself out there, talking about what I want and leaning in, so it's moving at a faster frequency.
Why not you?
If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hands.
So why the f*ck not you? Why not you having the extraordinary life? Why not you doing the extraordinary things?
Trust the process. Trust you. Trust the universe, dare I say... let's go a little further on the woo.
Do this today
Tonight, before you pick up your phone in bed:
- Write down three things you do NOT want in your life anymore.
- Next to each one, write what's on the other side of it. That's your vision, starting.
- Close your eyes for two minutes and see yourself living it. Where are you? What are you wearing? How do you feel?
- Tomorrow, make one move that gets you 1% closer. Just one.
Then do it again the next day. And the next.
Questions
Does manifesting actually work?
Henny's answer: as a daily practice followed by action, yes. Sitting and hoping, no. She used to call manifesting bullsh*t and now uses visualisation every day, alongside one move every day towards what she wants.
What is the difference between a vision board and visualisation?
A vision board is something you make. Visualisation is something you do every day: putting what you want in your mind and going back to it, morning and night. Henny says the board is powerful, and the daily practice is more powerful.
When is the best time to visualise?
As soon as you wake up and right before you go to sleep. They're the quietest minutes in your head, so keep them free of social media.
How do I manifest what I want if I don't know what it is?
Write down what you don't want, then write what's on the other side of each thing. You don't need a perfect vision on day one. It gets clearer as you go.
How long does manifesting take?
It depends on the goal, and big goals usually take longer than people expect. Sometimes things move fast, but the practice is to keep going through the stretch where nothing seems to be moving.
First published on Henny's Substack.
Fourteen questions, about three minutes. See which area is keeping you stuck.
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