How I Accidentally Manifested My Dream Life + Discovered The Science Behind How I Did It
- manifestyourspback
- Jul 20
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 23
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional, medical, psychological, or financial advice. While I reference scientific studies and psychological principles, results are not guaranteed as individual experiences will vary. Always consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions regarding your mental health, relationships, or finances. By reading this post, you acknowledge and accept full responsibility for your own decisions and outcomes.
For most of my life, I just thought I was one of the lucky ones. Dream jobs, large sums of money, surprise upgrades, crazy aligned relationships… you name it. Things just always seemed to work out for me in the best way. I never thought much about it. I’d dream of something I wanted, get excited about it, forget all about it and somehow it would effortlessly fall in my lap.
But I’m also someone who needs proof. I’m logical by nature, and after enough “coincidences,” I couldn’t help but ask, was this actually manifestation… or just random chance?
That curiosity turned into full-blown obsession. I went down every rabbit hole, reading everything I could on the subconscious mind, energy shifts, quantum physics, meditation to discover if there is actual science behind manifestation. I even hired manifestation coaches (spoiler alert: they didn't convince me). But it turns out, there’s nothing random about it. Manifestation is real, and there’s clear psychology and neuroscience behind why it works.
Years later, as I was growing my career as a dating and relationship coach, I kept having people come to me wanting to reconnect with an ex, or manifest a crush chasing them, or shift their specific person dynamic. So I started testing everything I was learning—on myself, on my clients—and it worked. Faster than I expected. My mind still feels blown everytime I or my clients manifest something they've been dreaming of.
So this is my story of how I went from curious and skeptical to living proof that when you shift your energy and your identity, your entire life can change.
It All Started With California Dreaming
I was 24, living in Chicago after college, doing what everyone else from my Midwest university did... working, going out, and wondering if life was supposed to feel like this. Every day felt the same: gym, brunch, drinks, repeat. But something in me kept daydreaming about experiencing a more fufilling life under the California sun.
I’ll never forget this one freezing day in Chicago , the sidewalks were slushy, the sky was gray, and I remember thinking: I just want sun, the ocean, and a life that feels exciting. There was nothing to do in that kind of freezing, bone chilling sleet weather, but to warm up over a round of drinks with my best friend. We decided to splurge and treat ourselves to a cocktail at the fancy Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Over a round of espresso martinis, I brought up my daydream of packing it all up and leaving cold and windy Chicago behind to move to California, but that I was too nervous to start over in a place where I didn't know anyone. My friend had never even been to California at the time, but without hesitation, she said, “Let’s do it.”
To make a long story short, with absolutely no plan and no job lined up, three months later I quit my low paying event planning job, and we packed up a tiny U-Haul trailer to drive cross-country to move to California. We landed in San Diego, managed to sign a lease on a beautiful apartment that was miraculously in our price range. I barely had enough money to live off of for two months without a job, but told myself I'd figure it out. I was just excited to be in California.
I didn’t spiral about getting a job. I didn’t obsess over my résumé or fear rejection. I just knew I was meant to be there. I couldn't have been more grateful and excited to live life under the sun, near the oceans and mountains. California just felt like my soul's home.
That energy of calm excitement brought job opportunities I never would have imagined through random connections and chance meetings. Within a month, I had a new job that was way more aligned with my personality, in a gorgeous city, making just enough money to live out my California dream. That experience taught me how quickly things fall into place when you’re energetically aligned and not focused on scarcity.
That was my first taste of what happens when you follow your aligned desires without overthinking the “how", and that experience taught me how quickly things fall into place when you’re energetically aligned and not focused on scarcity.
When My Living Situation Fell Apart… and
Something Better Found Me
I had settled into life in California, at 28 was still having to find a roommate to be able to afford to pay rent. After my bestie decided to move on from California, I worked to find a new still decent living situation, and managed to find a girl looking for a new roommate in a cute part of town.
About a week before I was supposed to move in, the new roommate bailed on our lease last minute, and I was left scrambling to find a place to live in a town I could barely afford. I’ll be honest, my first instinct was panic. But I caught myself. I thought: if this is falling apart, something better must be coming.
And it did. Two days later, during a casual chat in my coaching class, a friend told me her parents were moving to Italy for two years, and she was looking for roommates to come and stay at their beautiful MANSION home with bay views, huge rooms, and a peaceful neighborhood. The Rent? $500 a month! INSANE. I ended up moved in with one of my closest friends, in a place better than I ever could have planned.
That was the moment I first experienced how letting go and trusting energy alignment always delivered something better, but still, I hadn't put the pieces together yet.
The $100,000 Check That Helped Me Buy My First Home
During that time of moving into my friend's house, I had also started dabbling in manifestation. As any assimilated California girl does in California, I got into all of the woo-woo activities like yoga, sound baths, Deepak Chopra, crystals and of course, manifestation.
I was curious but still skeptical, so one day I tried the famous Jim Carrey method. I wrote a fake check to myself for $100,000, dated for my 29th birthday (about 6 months later), and taped it above my desk. I didn’t think much of it, but had been dreaming of owning my own house someday, and dreamed of having enough money someday to do so.
Then the shock of a lifetime happened. Exactly two days before my 29th birthday, my mom called. A relative I was close to had passed and unexpectedly left me an inheritance. The amount? Exactly $100,000. That check allowed me to buy my very first home in San Diego, something I used to think was completely out of reach.
This was the moment when I started to think maybe I wasn’t just lucky. Maybe manifestation was real after all.
The Manifestations Just Kept Coming
From there the manifestations just kept flowing.
A few months after moving into my own placed, I looked around and realized that what I really wanted was someone to enjoy it with. I had been so focused on building my career and settling into my first home that dating seriously hadn't really crossed my mind. Oh to be in your 20s again!
I had a crazy month of travel ahead, and decided that the day I returned, September 14th, I was going to launch the daitng apps and lean in to finding my person! I was excited about it, and couldn't wait to be back in San Diego, so I could start meeting people.
However, on the last day of my trip, which just happened to be in the UK, a cute British man who also been working the event, invited me and some co-workers to extend our trip and he would show us around his hometown of London. funny enough, he spent a peculiar amount of time trying to convince me in particular to stay. Of course I said yes, and ended up extending my trip to spend time being shown around by a local in one of my favorite cities.
The next night, on September 14th, and the day before I was supposed to head back to the states, the cute British man confessed he had feelings for me, and we ended up diving into a two year whirlwind long distance romance that consisted of travel, adventure and lots of beautiful memories.
After awhile, I realized that the cute British man and I weren't necesarilly meant to be, and we decided to go our seperate ways. But what I was left with was the feeling of realizing that I craved more adventure in my life, and would love to someday experience living abroad in London. Growing up, I had always romanticized London. I’d spent summers there visiting family, always thinking “maybe someday.” In my mind it felt more like a lovely little daydream that I would excitedly visit from time to time, but not a real possibility.
Two months later, Covid hit. At the time I was working at my dream job, which yes I manifested as well, down to the EXACT DAY, but this post is already getting too long. I'll do a seperate post about manifesting a dream job another day. Anyways, back to my story. My dream job at the time was getting paid to travel the world hosting events, and sadly when Covid came, I was stuck at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Funny enough, a few months later as the world was beginning to open back up, London opened their doors to tourists, while my own state of California, was still in lock down. Without thinking, I booked a one-way ticket to London with no plan, and soon learned that a close relative had a beautiful, empty apartment waiting for me in downtown London to stay in. Fast forward, five years later and I'm still here, living my dream life with my dream man.
How I Manifested My Soulmate
My favorite manifestation? Meeting my current partner and what I believe is my soulmate in this life. How did I do it? I simply one day decided to write down all of qualities I wanted in a man and, more importantly, how I wanted to feel in the relationship. I got specific: tall, dark, and handsome because I wanted to feel safe and secure; aligned values like ambition, being active, and loving to travel; someone who made me feel deeply loved and excited about life. The kicker? I wanted him to be open to moving back to California someday, because I always knew I didn’t want to raise a family in a foreign country far from home. Cue my devastatingly handsome California man popping up on my Hinge profile just days after I decided to get clear and intentional. To this day, we’re together, traveling the world, and planning our future. For my birthday, he even surprised me with a year of adventures, promising to take me everywhere forever. Every day feels like a dream that I hope I never wake up from.
What My Own Journey Taught Me About Manifestation
When I reflect back on all that I've been so lucky to attract in this life, it's easy to see that there were a few common themes to how I did it. It was never about chasing or stressing or obsessing over every little detail. It happened effortlessly because I was clear on what I wanted, but more importantly didn't sit around waiting for things to happen. I continued living in a state of gratitude, letting the universe AKA the quantum field know what I wanted, and let life surprise me.
I surrendered, and was focused with building a life I loved, one that felt aligned, exciting, and full of good energy, whether or not someone or something showed up. I stopped worrying about when or how things would happen and stayed focused on feeling happy every day. Because when you show up excited about your own life, grounded in love and gratitude, the universe always delivers something better than you imagined. Cheesy I know, but I swear that's the trick.
How I Discovered the Science Behind Manifestation
As much as I love talking about manifestation, I’m also someone who needs to understand why things work. So I happily did a deep-dive into figuring out if there is actual proof that manifestation exists and how it works, so that you don’t have to.
I'm also a bit obsessed with personal development, cue my coaching career, and in my quested I studied everything from neuroscience and subconscious reprogramming to the reticular activating system, the law of assumption, and the law of attraction. I went straight to the source, learning from teachers like Joe Dispenza, Neville Goddard, Abraham Hicks, and Dr. Jim Doty.
And the good news? The science is clear: your subconscious mind is running the show, and your thoughts are driving 95% of your manifestations. Your self-concept literally filters what you allow into your life. Your energy, beliefs, and identity are constantly manifesting in the background whether you realize it or not. It's SO simple, and everyone out there seems to not be teaching it in a way that explains the full picture of how manifestation works. If you're like me, and need a little proof, check out my post The Science Behind Manifestation: How Thoughts Create Your Reality.
That’s why I decided to shift my coaching career into one that helps people manifest their dream lives. I don’t teach gimmicks or fluff. I teach a science-backed approach to manifestation that’s grounded, effective, and actually gets results.
If you're struggling to put all of the pieces together on how manifestation works, I'd love to work with you one-on-one, and teach you everything I've learned, so that you too can not-so-accidentally manifest your dream life too.
With Love + Light,
Elizabeth
Comments