Why I Prefer Co-Creation Over Manifestation

I’ve always found the word manifestation to be problematic. It's been distorted by oversimplified views—like placing an order at a universal drive-through and expecting your desires to be ready at the next window. When things don’t happen immediately, people feel disillusioned.

Instead, what if we looked at it differently? When you set your intentions—your dreams and desires—you’re not just throwing them out into the universe. You are acknowledging them to yourself. You are the lead project manager of your own life. The first step is not obsessing over the final outcome but breaking it down into smaller, manageable steps. Sometimes those steps involve personal growth—changing skills, values, or aspects of your lifestyle to become the person ready to be responsible for what you desire.

It’s not just about organizing tasks in your external life, like work or relationships. It’s about becoming the person who can fully handle every aspect of what you’re dreaming of. Think of it as setting your intentions, then stepping up as the universe that’s going to help you fulfill them. Be your own universe. That’s where true mastery and growth happen. When you’re walking this path, it’s essential not to get too attached to the outcome. Dreams are shaped by where you are at the moment, but as you take steps toward them, you might find yourself growing beyond the original vision. That dream you once held was just a piece of a bigger puzzle.

Often, the journey reveals that your desires were merely one thread in a much larger tapestry. The process of co-creation is about gathering all these pieces—understanding that you’re not working toward one fixed end, but accumulating experiences, lessons, and wisdom that form part of something far greater.

This is why I prefer the term co-creation rather than manifestation. Manifestation implies instant results, which sets people up for disappointment. True co-creation, however, is about taking deliberate steps over time. It’s about understanding that everything—especially the meaningful things—takes time.

Some projects are lifelong. You can be working on something for years and only see it come together much later. And that’s okay! Change, growth, and creation are processes that require time, effort, and patience. The sooner we move away from the mindset of instant gratification, the sooner we start embracing the beauty of the journey.

Co-creation involves working collaboratively with the universe and your unseen supporters. It’s not about doing everything on your own—ask for blessings, ask for help, and know that support is there for you. But it’s also about using the resources you have here, physically, around you. Who can you lean on? Who can you delegate to? A true project manager knows how to assess their own skill level, as well as others', and uses this knowledge to manage the project. You're not just responsible for placing opportunities in front of yourself, but also for recognizing what’s available to you right now. It’s about using your communication skills to ask for support from people in your life. You don’t have to do everything on your own—lean into the support that is physically here, while working with the unseen. You’re not here to be passive. You didn’t come to this planet to sit back and wait for things to happen. You are an active participant in your life’s unfolding. You must make opportunities, take every challenge as something to grow through, and apply yourself fully.

It’s important to understand that co-creation isn’t linear. It happens in cycles, phases, and stages. There are times when you’ll be asked to contribute to something larger than yourself, something for the greater good. Other times, you’ll be planting seeds for your own dreams. It’s a reciprocal process—sometimes you’re helping, and sometimes you’re being helped. If you expect things to look a certain way and demand results on a rigid timeline, you’ll miss the beauty of the process. Co-creation is about being fully immersed in the journey. When you embrace that, you’ll start to see that what you’re creating often evolves beyond your initial vision.

Think of your dreams as seeds. A seed grows into a tree, and that tree drops more seeds, which grow into more trees. That’s how co-creation works—what you set in motion is part of a much bigger picture. Your ideas, dreams, and projects are connected to an expansive web of possibilities that grow and expand with you. Every project, every goal is a piece of a larger puzzle. Don’t limit yourself by thinking that one dream is the end. It’s just the beginning of something greater, something ongoing, and constantly evolving. You’re not just achieving dreams; you’re contributing to an ever-expanding tapestry of life. Remember, this isn’t about instant results. Co-creation takes time, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment. The universe will test you, and it’s up to you to keep going—through every challenge, every delay, and every doubt. It’s about showing up and doing the work, understanding that every step is part of your growth and the unfolding of your larger purpose.

As part of this process, it’s crucial to understand the phases you will go through—times when you will be tested and challenged. These tests may reveal areas where you’re not quite ready, and learning to alchemize challenges to your benefit is a key skill. There will be times when it feels like nothing is going your way, everything is moving slowly, and you might be tempted to give up or stop because you’ve put a time limit on things. These moments are part of the test. You may be tested like this multiple times as part of growing into the incredible version of yourself. The key is to persevere. Don’t stop. Whatever the universe throws at you, find a way to improve your situation. Take these moments as reminders that you need to learn more, grow more, and become more. You will ace these tests by adopting this mindset.

Remember, these phases can feel humbling, and you may question your worthiness—but you are worthy of your dreams. Always. There is no timeline for achieving them. Don’t look left or right at others' journeys, although you can take inspiration from them. Stay focused on your own path, knowing that your dreams will unfold in their perfect time.

So, let’s drop the word manifestation, with all its misconceptions, and focus on co-creation. Co-creation acknowledges the process, the time, and the dedication required. It celebrates the collaboration between you, the universe, all the resources around you, and the people who can support your journey. This is the mindset that leads to true growth and fulfillment. It’s about embracing the cycles, knowing that each dream, each step, is part of something bigger. And that’s the most beautiful part of it all.