How the Universe and Manifestation Works

Is this the Real Life or is this just Fantasy?

I began having vivid dreams as a young child. I could see images on the ceiling of my parents' bedroom when the blackout curtains were closed. Most of these images were cartoons being replayed without sound. I watched a lot of TV as a child. That said, I've always had an incredible imagination. I couldn't watch horror films—though I could read the books—because the audio and visuals were too much for me. I still blame an early miscarriage on the Dark Knight scene where there's an explosion and something hits the camera. I gasped louder than anyone else and instantly felt my stomach clench.

To put it simply, I am strongly affected by the audio and visual elements around me. This includes dreams, the random sentences of strangers, and serendipitous situations.

Recognize Signs from the Universe

Over time, I've been mindful of what I call my gut calling. Some examples,

• A dream of having a snowball fight with a future boyfriend whom I would meet the next day.
• A migraine at a time when I accepted the wrong job in the wrong place, which led me to turn down a headhunter and change the track of my career.
• A dream of an emerald green mountainous landscape. I would move to Ireland within the year.
• A dream of a cyclist whom, after meeting, I would marry.
• Knowing my house was where I would live. Having everything from the offer to the mortgage happen as if it were meant to, despite incredible odds.

There is a saying, "If it's meant to be, it'll be." While it's easy to identify these 'signs' in hindsight, I can attest to knowing them to be true, and having witnesses either in the form of journal entries or people, to prove my convictions.

These signs stem from the desire to quiet the mind and let go of desires, while staying curious.

If you lose your objectivity, you will be blind to them.

Learn from your Failures

I have had some colossal failures where I believed what I was gunning for was meant to be.

However, in hindsight, I realize those circumstances were meant to place me in the right place, at the right time, to receive the right people or message.

• My miscarriage led me to paradigm shifts in relationships, spirituality, and practicing mindfulness.
• Failing out of a PhD taught me I did not need to finish what I started. To walk away from what no longer served me.
• Being let go from my favourite role taught me that burning the candle at both ends doesn't win you any trophies.
• Walking away from another job taught me to recognize and embody my value.
• Another job taught me what fulfilment and lack thereof were.

Be Open to Possibilities

As I let go of my judgment and ego, I see some messages more clearly.

• The man outside Shopper's Drug Mart who asked me if I was a teacher.
• The neighbour who said I should look into teaching, seven years before I would.
• The teacher who found out at my high school reunion that I was an author and said, "Of course you are, I would never have thought otherwise for you."

Putting Together the Puzzle Pieces

Even the progression of my jobs has led me down a path to spiritual enlightenment.

Learning to be a product leader opened up a world of possibilities. It taught me to respect all of my experiences that came before, while purposefully identifying familiar signposts that I had missed along the way.

• I'd always collected folklore, almost like I planned to do something with it one day—until that day came.
• Like magic, I have the canva skills, the marketing skills, the product skills... the ability to accept feedback and turn it into action—even if these skills were acquired over the last 20+ years.
• Is it luck that I have already been in the trenches with my toddlers and sorted out my for-now-home? Believe me, that cyclist-turned-husband is not an easy man to live with.

Am I lucky? Or am I exactly where I'm supposed to be?

Manifest the Courage to Succeed in Life

You can only manifest what you are meant to do.

Like a fool, I have always stepped forward with my eyes closed, trusting my foot will land on solid ground. I am, and always will be, someone who plans while flying by the seat of her pants.

BUT, I need courage...

None of the things listed above happened in a vacuum.

• I needed to learn to sing Karaoke at the top of my lungs before I could speak into a microphone without cringing from shyness.
• I needed to venture into a different country where I knew no one, and rely on strangers before I met and brought home the man I would marry.
• I needed to struggle and challenge myself while working for startups and entrepreneurs to learn what I was capable of doing and manifest the confidence to go it alone.

My most recent challenge:

I signed up for singing lessons, once a month... on a whim. Within a month, I pushed myself to sing with a friend at a funeral. Within a year, I was singing solo with only a piano for accompaniment.

In parallel to this side quest, I asked friends to join me in kickstarting my podcast. The training wheels came off, and I recorded several episodes on my own.

Singing is the same kind of bravery I need to experience to be fearless when I take the next steps with my podcast and books.

I am learning to put myself and my work out for the public to discern.

• The same week I sang in public, I published the first chapter of my novel, available to subscribers, on this website.
• I also reached out to local bookstores to carry my physical books.

Hard work isn't enough to push forward in life. We need to do things that help manifest our courage, our efforts, and our self-belief.

As I've been saying all month, small things add up.

-D.M. De Alwis