A friend recently posted the accompanying quote from Rumi and I thought it held a lot of valuable wisdom.
Manifestation is much more than people have been led to believe by New Age gurus. There are, frankly, some aspects that some people aren't ready to align with. Maybe they're too stubborn, fickle, controlling, doubting or unaware to allow the process to happen the way it happens. So they generally think it doesn't work, because it doesn't work for them.
The need to remain positive and believe is one of those things. People will say "I want a lover to enter my life and believe one is on his/her way, but the only people that seem attracted to me are losers or married people. This sucks! There is nobody out there for me! *feeling sorry for self*"
Everything said prior to the "but" is great. Everything else is why manifestation doesn't work for you. You don't actually believe or you wouldn't be complaining. You wouldn't be focused on the past, but instead you'd be open-minded about the future. You'd be trusting. And you'd be a lot more careful about things you say, because you would realize the power your words have to negate the plans the universe has for you—plans you may not fully understand...plans that may somehow require losers to cross your path in order to learn lessons that will prepare you for Prince Charming. But then the universe sends you pre-Charming losers in all its infinite wisdom and you complain and say you don't want that. Confusing.
Another place people trip up, in my opinion, is in asking for specific things and not feelings. This is what triggers the "be careful what you ask for" syndrome. You ask for a new job at Google and you move out to California, but can't afford the same kind of home and land you had in Iowa. And there are earthquakes. And it never snows. And they expect you to work long hours under pressure and you don't feel as smart as you did at your old job. Meanwhile, there's this hot new startup in Iowa that is EXACTLY what you wanted—a great work/life balance, near your farm, four seasons, exciting projects to work on, good money. But you didn't get that because a) you're in California, so you didn't know about it and b) that's not what you asked for. It may have been what you wanted, but you asked for a job at Google. And that's what you got.
So Rumi's quote brings up another one of those aspects—how hard do you have to work to get what you want? Well, I believe you at least have to move in the direction and show an interest in receiving. But have you ever had someone offer to help you in the kitchen, then they ask where the knives and bowls are. So you show them. Then they need a chopping board that is in plain sight. So you point it out. Then they start to chop the onions, but in the stupidest way. So you show them how. Then they chop too big. And by that time, the bacon you were cooking when they offered to help got burned. So they really weren't any help at all and just managed to keep getting in the way?
Well, that's how the universe feels when you try to help too much. You think you know what's right, because you wanted to meet a great guy. So you joined dating sites and started going to whiskey bars and now the only time you're in public, you're either with another man or in some location the right guy for you would never go. You're getting in the way and trying too hard.
So what this Rumi quote is saying is that what you want also wants you. Trust in that. And instead of running around trying to help the universe out, maybe your time would better be spent opening yourself to receive the universe's grace when it comes. If you want a man, let the universe find the man and prepare yourself to be the kind of woman the kind of man you want wants. And if you want a new job, stop trying to tell the universe which job is best for you. If you were so good at that, you wouldn't be looking for a new job in the first place. Instead, focus on being the kind of candidate a dream employer would want.
Each time we try to manifest things in our lives, there are certain things we need to understand. It may not happen on our timetable.The more you try to control the universe, the harder time you're going to have. The more critical you are of everything that happens during the process of manifestation, the more you work against it. Be careful of what you say you want, because you're likely to get it. And the harder you try to make something happen, the less you trust that what you're trying to manifest is also trying to manifest you.
With all the logistics that are required to match you with the things you want—and considering the universe has a plan in place that you don't actually know, as much as you might think you do—your best move is stand in place, ready and confident to receive, and let your desires flow to you.