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That is correct. When you affirm that whatever you want is on its way to you (and you certainly have all the technical knowledge to back it up, based on all the information you have read in this book), you are softening your resistance. You are not focused as much on the lack of something. Instead, you are focused on the presence of the desired object in your life. That is a very powerful place to be in.

Some readers, especially those who read lots of self-help books, may be worried that when they say something is “on its way” to them… it will always be “on its way”. They are worried that the Universe will take it literally.

That is one of the biggest myths and misconceptions in manifestation! And it is going back to one of the fundamental points I’ve made. The Universe does not pick up on your physical words. The Universe picks up on the sum total of your feelings and emotions. Therefore if saying that something is “on its way to you” allows you to soften your resistance and gradually ease into a more desired reality… if saying that something is “on its way” allows you to feel better… then it actually makes the things you want come faster.

Those who believe that the Universe takes them literally have not fully mastered the art of manifestation. They are still caught up at the level of words. These are also the individuals who are likely to be using lots of forceful affirmations, like “I now ____”. I have nothing against strongly-worded affirmations. But in using them, one must be mindful. You must be careful to ask yourself how you feel on the inside as you use those affirmations. It makes all of the difference.

Many readers of self-help material suffer from “affirmacitis” ! They have affirmations everywhere, in every room of their house. And I say this only half-jokingly because I used to be one of them. At one point in my spiritual journey, I had over 30 small colored Post-It strips pasted all around the edge of my computer monitors! Thirty of them in different colors! Each one of them contained a different affirmation or spiritual nugget which I read from self-help books! I was hoping that my subconscious would absorb the messages from those notes as I was doing my work.

If it worked, I was too bogged down to see the effect. Once again, what is the inner state of an individual who sees the need to paste these affirmations all over? He is likely to be quite worried and desperate to make things work, like me back then. So his inner state is already not conducive for any changes to occur. It may be true that the subconscious can pick up on all these messages that are pasted all over… but do not forget that the subconscious is also brewing in its own worrisome thoughts all day long. The negative effects of those worrisome thoughts will cancel everything out.

There was one additional disadvantage. Each time I consciously noticed or read those affirmations, I would immediately be reminded of the fact that things were not the way I wanted them to be… and that led to more internal disharmony. So it is really like a double-whammy here. Looking at those affirmations reminded me more of my unwanted reality.

I think one of the best decisions I ever made was to throw away all of those affirmations and Post-It notes I had stuck all over the place. I got rid of those thirty (!) Post-It notes around my computer monitor and in various places. Once I did that, I felt free for the first time in my life. It was like I had given up all expectations of any outcome. Now most people will see it as a step backwards. They are unwilling to do so because they think they are removing these powerful goals to move towards, but I can assure you that the opposite happens.

Again, someone who worries about that is barking up the wrong tree. Your manifestations depend on your inner state, and not upon whether you are putting up all these stickers or reminders around the house. Give up any need to “remind” yourself or to send any signals to the Universe. The Universe picked up on your intentions the first time you held them. This means that the first time you desired something on the inside, the Universe has already picked that up very clearly. We always have a divine connection to the Universe.

Subsequently, any of these external acts are for our own reference only. I like to say that they’re for our own reminder only. Some people do it because it makes them feel good. They have a book of things that they want, and flipping through it pleases them because they love to look at all the beautiful aspects of those items. That is a productive activity. Then on the other hand, there are individuals who keep such a book as some sort of a “manifestation tool”. They hope that reading the book repeatedly will reinforce it into their subconscious, which will in turn “attract” those items into their lives. Same action, but very different inner states . That’s why the former results in fast manifestations, but the latter results in more waiting and disappointments.

This goes back to a point which we have discussed earlier. If someone is “trying too hard”, the best gift to oneself is to free yourself of all expectations. That means removing all these “reminders” from your external environment that remind you of the absence of your desires.

Yes. The state of desiring nothing is a very powerful state. It is a profound title so I would like to take all of our readers through the thought process here. First, when we talk about “desiring nothing”, we are not really talking about having no desires. It is impossible to have “no desires”. Certain religions (and I believe it is a matter of interpretation) have turned “desire” into some sort of a bad thing which is frowned upon. They say that it is bad to have desires, and so the whole point of the religion is to eschew desires completely, to give up desires completely.

But desires do not have to be physical. They can also be subtle preferences and likings. So your “desire” can be something as simple as taking a particular route to work over another. Your “desire” can be something as simple as choosing to eat one food over another, or choosing to give to one charity over another. I see desires as the choices we make, and the preferences we have in life. Life is a series of choices, which means it is essentially a series of desires. To move forward in life, to live fully, we have to make decisions and choices. New preferences emerge from within us and therefore new desires emerge from within us. In that sense, we will always have desires as long as we live.

The reason why I say that it is a “matter of interpretation” is because many modern interpretations have portrayed desire as something bad. It is not the desires themselves that are bad. As you can see, I can have a desire for constructive change. I can have a positive desire to write these series of books. I can have a desire to make these teachings available to everyone around the world. All these are desires that move us forward. Therefore, the desires themselves are not “bad”… It is our attachment to the outcomes of those desires that is often counter-productive. I believe this is what the spiritual masters were getting at: Our strong attachment to the outcomes of those desires. This means that after having a desire, you want it to turn up or end up in a certain way. You want it to be fulfilled in a certain way for you. Our stubborn attachment to these desires causes the problem.

Now if you look at this issue closely, it actually resembles the manifestation paradox we talked about earlier. The manifestation paradox is about wanting something and yet not wanting it! This is similar. It is about desiring something and yet not desiring it! So in essence, the ancient spiritual masters were really saying the same things as what we are saying today. They often say, “Let go of any attachments to the outcome.” They were in essence, referring to the manifestation paradox.

Here’s how to apply all this in your daily life: First, I would see desires as healthy and normal. If you subscribe to a religious framework that sees such desires as unhealthy, as something not spiritual… then you cannot possibly be an effective manifestor because you have a roadblock in your own thinking. So give up all these unresourceful beliefs if you have them.

Second, I would accept my desires and let myself have them. If I have a preference, intention, or desire for something… and if it is really aligned with my highest good, if I feel good about it, I would set an intention for it. That is about as far as I would go. That’s why I always encourage using a light touch that is neither too forceful nor desperate. Use a light touch. Set an intention by saying, “I would like ____” or “I prefer ____” and let it go. You don’t have to set your intentions at the level of words. You can always set them through your own good feelings about something.

Third, after I have set my intentions… I let them go. That is really what I mean in the subtitle of this book — “How to Desire Nothing and Manifest Everything”. When I set my intentions and let it go, I have set powerful Universal energies in motion, yet I desire nothing to be different from that point on. I am at one and at peace with everything. I am peaceful, happy and fulfilled.

If they get fulfilled, it’s alright for me. If they do not get fulfilled (for whatever reason), it is alright for me as well. I am open to the ways and means by which something can come into my life. I do not try to force the outcome or dictate how something should be. I do not worry or concern myself with when and whether it will come into my life… because I know that it will! That is the second part of the subtitle, the manifest everything part. When you adopt this inner state and mindset, everything you possibly want (and more) manifests into your life.