“Manifesting is simply expecting good things to happen, which is a very anti-British way of thinking. We tend to expect bad news, bad people and bad politics,” says Candice Brathwaite, the author, podcaster and speaker, who has had a long and hard journey with manifestation. In her new book, Manifesto, she explains what brought her to manifesting practices in the first place and how each of us can start our own journeys.

So many of us tend to expect the worst, but according to Brathwaite, manifesting is all about expecting the best. “That doesn’t mean that every day is perfect, but I genuinely wake up every single morning and expect something good to happen that day,” she told the Stylist Live crowd.

However, Brathwaite accepts that many people may be turned off by the messaging around manifesting because they may not feel represented in the messaging and language. “There are so many societal hurdles I had to jump through, because when I turn on the TV or look at the front cover of magazines, I don’t see people like me. I’m not represented in a way that says I’m deserving of a good thing or a good life,” Brathwaite shared.

For the author, writing Manifesto was a way of understanding how many people forget the starting block is not equal for everyone.

“Black women, especially, aren’t even allowed entry into the space of allowing ourselves to have more and aspire to more – which ultimately pushed me to write this book.”

So, how do we get started with our own manifesting journeys? Well, there are three things to consider: it’s hard work, it’s not logical and you have to embody positive energy in order to get positive energy back. “Initially, the manifesting process is going to feel exhausting because you’re attempting to trick your subconscious into thinking in a totally new way,” Brathwaite added.

An initial step to incorporate manifesting practices into your life is what she calls ‘askfirmations’. “I’m terrible with affirmations so I use ‘askfirmations’ instead, where I pose a question to myself and have to come up with answers to that question throughout the day.” It’s all about tricking your brain into answering a question about yourself in a more positive way.

Another small way to get started with manifesting is to test-drive your dream. “I want you to walk around your dream neighbourhood or pop into a store and try that Chanel bag or view that dream property, because who is going to stop you? No one. I want you to test out your dream and see how it feels.”

Images: @shotby_farheenxo