I was half way through high school and I had made my decision. I was going to study Fashion Design.

I was going to be a mega famous world-renowned designer and I was going to go to the best school available.

The journey from that original desire to the end result proved to me that our thoughts can indeed create our reality. Of course at the age of fifteen I was not using phrases like “law of attraction” and the “power of positive thinking.”

I had no clear concept of manifesting and yet intuitively it must have held a space in some corner of my mind, because that’s what I did. I manifested my way into my dream school, whether I consciously knew I was doing it or not.

In hindsight (now that I’ve probably read 90 percent of the literature available on the power of thought), I see that every step I took toward making my dream come true was in complete alignment with what was said in those books.

I think I’m not alone in this. I’m guessing many of us have manifested incredible things only to later realize it when we look back.

As I look back on my roadmap, I can pinpoint four things that helped me manifest this particular dream.

1. I got laser focused on one desire.

When I decided I wanted to go to design school that was that. I didn’t flip flop between different majors; I stayed focused from day one. I immediately began looking into schools via our snail-paced dial up connection, and what seemed to be months later (gosh, internet used to be slow) I finally narrowed it down to less than a handful of schools. I made it my mission to get accepted into one of these choices. From that moment on I channeled all of my energy into achieving that single goal.

2. I took intentional action, always with my end goal in mind.

After determining my top schools I began the process of figuring out what needed to be done to guarantee my acceptance. I’d like to note that, at this point I knew absolutely nothing about the design world or design school. I didn’t realize how competitive the spots were or how the majority of the applicants were already training in fashion illustration, clothing construction and even taking professional classes solely dedicated to creating an impressive portfolio.

I was always a creative person with a fair amount of artistic experience but I had no background in fashion illustration or design. I realized this was something I needed to work on and if this was what I wanted to do I had better get good. So I would make myself good, simple as that.

I went out and bought any book I could find on fashion illustration. I signed up for weekly sewing lessons with a nearby neighbor. I even attended a four-week fine arts course, even though it wasn’t the ideal subject (the fashion design course was full.) I jumped on every opportunity that brought me closer to my goal. Everything I did from that point on was about educating myself, about becoming better, about being a designer.

3. I lived my life as though my goal was already a reality.

I lived my life as a designer before I was even a design student. I spent my days studying the industry, past and present, designing outfits to the point of obsession; I even began to dress how I imagined a designer would dress. I lived and breathed fashion. It was constantly at the forefront of my mind.

I become so immersed I convinced myself I simply must read Women’s Wear Daily (the industry’s go-to newspaper) and simply must get it delivered to my small town door step on a daily basis. I was a designer and designers need to be aware of these things. Little did I know (at least at that time) you couldn’t simply order such a paper, it’s for the industry after all, not small town girls interested in clothes. Luckily for me I have a mother who was just as determined as I. She spent days on the phone until she was connected to one of the department heads who graciously agreed to add us to the mailing list.

4. I never considered an alternative.

Of course there were challenges along the way but I never looked at them as obstacles. I viewed them as stepping-stones that would have to be leapt over one-way or another. I never considered an alternative. I thought the worst-case scenario was not to get into one of my top choices. Then, I would wait and apply again the next year. I refused to even apply to schools that weren’t “top rate.”

Now from a logical standpoint I’m not suggesting you put all your eggs in one basket. But in this case I did. While attending one of these schools wasn’t necessarily needed or required to become a great designer it helped to keep me motivated and on track. If I had started considering alternative or easier options there’s a huge chance I wouldn’t have pushed myself quite as hard.

When we know there are alternatives we tend to make excuses and find ways around otherwise challenging tasks. By confining ourselves to a single option, we are able to direct all of our energy into that one goal rather than diffusing it by sending our energy in multiple directions.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I can now see how each of these behaviors are essential factors in helping you to better manifest your goals.

I now use these same techniques to help attract other desires.

I think if we all look back at times in our lives where we’ve attracted to something positive, we would all be able to pinpoint the ways in which we made it happen. We all have the power to manifest wonderful things, but I believe the true power comes from knowing that we possess the power.

I believe that when we know we’re in control and know the steps we need to take, then we can intentionally choose whatever we wish to create.

Relephant Read:

Finding Happiness Amongst Uncertainty. {Pema Chödrön}

Author:  Stephanie Marie

Editors: Sara Kärpänen; Khara-Jade Warren

Photo: Milada Vigerova / Unsplash