It can be really frustrating when things take longer to manifest than you think they will. I’ve run into this so many times and while there are countless reasons why things take time to manifest, and many of them may be outside your control, sometimes those reasons come back to you, your energy, and your habits. You could very well be blocking yourself from manifesting what you want without even realizing it.

Here are four of my favorite ways to remove self-created blocks that could be preventing you from manifesting your desires:

1. Be sure you’re 100% clear on what you want and write it down. I’ve said this a million times but it is the most important thing you can do when it comes to manifesting. The universe is like a restaurant, and it can’t bring you your meal unless you tell it what you want to eat! Get clear, be specific, and write it down.
2. Be honest with yourself about your habits–both your actions and your thoughts. Do they really align with what you are trying to manifest? Manifesting is a combination of intention and action. And yes, thoughts are actions too; they act on energy in a very powerful way! Be sure that when you set an intention your thoughts and actions support that intention. For example, if you say you want to improve your health but you eat a lot of fast food and don’t exercise, you are sending a very clear message to the universe that you don’t really want to improve your health. Likewise, if you say you want to meet a new romantic partner but your self-talk is critical, negative, fearful and full of reasons why you don’t deserve a great partner, that partner is not going to show up. To use the restaurant analogy again, when your thoughts and actions don’t align with your intentions, it’s like saying to yourself, “I really want a burger” but then ordering a salad. You can’t be disappointed when that salad shows up because it’s what you ordered! It may be painful to admit that your habits are foiling your manifestation mojo, but the first step in changing them is to become aware of them. Then you can decide if what you want is important enough for you to adjust your thoughts and behaviors to help you get it.
3. Make sure you’re not so focused on what’s next that you’re not really present in your “now” situation. While it’s important to hold on to what we’re trying to manifest, sometimes we do it in a way that causes us to resist the current situation and fail to be present in it, which I’ve found jams up energy and drastically slows progress or keeps us stuck. So what if the now isn’t what you want? The now already exists, so you may as well accept it and make the best of it, because that is the only way to keep your energy flowing toward what you want. You may be wondering how it’s possible to both stay focused on what you’re trying to manifest and accept your present circumstances for what they are. It’s simple (but not necessarily easy!): find a way to feel grateful for your current situation–as a stepping stone, learning experience, way to pay the bills, etc. Being present and grateful in your current circumstances frees up energy, which is essential for manifestation. Remember that you have the power in every moment to choose how you feel. Consistently practicing acceptance and cultivating gratitude will not only help you manifest more quickly and easily, but will also make you straight up happier, which is an even better benefit in my opinion.

4. De-clutter your home. For serious! I touched on this in my last blog post, and mentioned a book that helped me a lot with de-cluttering. I really thought I was a minimalist before I read it, but I learned so much about the energy of belongings and I ended up getting rid of so much stuff. I was truly amazed by how much stuck energy started moving almost instantly when I started clearing things out. This was a few months ago, but I just did another clean-out and am even happier and more energized; I’ve also noticed that things are falling into place for me in ways I never could have imagined. So if you are really stuck and the previous tips all seem too hard, start here. Just grab a trash bag and spend 15 minutes collecting things that you no longer use or love, or that just don’t resonate with who you are (or who you’re trying to become!). You will be astounded by the positive effect this has on your mindset and energy level. Do it every day for a week and you’ll really start to feel the energy flow!

Have you been waiting around for something to show up in your life, and it’s just taking its sweet time? Do any of these techniques resonate with you or do you have other tricks you use to help you manifest your desires more easily and quickly? Please share in the comments below!