Gratitude is a Trap: Stop Using It to Manifest

Gratitude is often preached as a fundamental practice for manifesting your desires. You’ve probably heard it a thousand times — “Be grateful, shift into the state of receiving, and you’ll attract abundance.” But let’s cut through the fluff.

You don’t need to be grateful to manifest anything in your life.

I know this might sound controversial because the common belief is that gratitude aligns you with the vibration of receiving. That’s the logic most people follow, right? But here’s the thing — I don’t know a polite way to say this — it’s a load of crap.

Now, before you come at me, let me clarify. It’s not that gratitude doesn’t work. As I always say, whatever you believe in is going to work for you. If you truly believe that practicing gratitude is the key to manifestation, then it will work — because you are the source of your reality. But that’s exactly the point. You don’t need gratitude.

The Misconception About Gratitude and Manifestation

Gratitude is a great tool if you’re in a dark place — if you feel stuck, hopeless, or like nothing is going your way. In those moments, gratitude can lift you up and help you shift your mindset. But will it give you the long-term results you’re looking for? Not necessarily.

I’ve manifested so much in my life without ever sitting down and deliberately practicing gratitude for what I wanted. It’s not that being grateful is a bad thing — it’s just unnecessary when it comes to manifestation. I never felt the need to express gratitude, yet I was still able to manifest effortlessly.

Here’s why: If you are the source of everything in your reality — if your external world is just a consequence of your state of being — then how can you be grateful for something that came from you? Think about it.

Your physical reality is an extension of you. It wouldn’t exist without you. So, if you are the root cause, how can you be grateful for something that is merely a byproduct of your own state? If anything, the things you manifest should be grateful for you, not the other way around.

The Biggest Problem with Gratitude

When you practice gratitude for things you want to manifest, you unintentionally place them above you. That’s the last thing you want to do when consciously creating your reality.

Manifestation isn’t about chasing, hoping, or placing things on a pedestal. You’re always manifesting — 24/7, whether you realize it or not. The key is to take control of it. And taking control means normalizing your desires, not worshiping them.

That’s what visualization, affirmations, and all these techniques really do. They help you get familiar with your desires so that they feel normal to you. Whatever feels natural is what manifests.

So, when you put your desires on a pedestal — even through gratitude — you’re creating a gap between you and them. You’re making them feel distant and special, which is the opposite of what you need for effortless manifestation.

Be Grateful for the Right Thing: Yourself

I’m not saying don’t be grateful at all. But instead of writing in a gratitude journal about things you want, be grateful for yourself. Be grateful that you are the source. Be grateful that everything flows through you.

And I know this part might trigger some people, but hear me out: You are God. Not in the religious sense that society has conditioned us to believe, but in the sense that you are the creator of your own reality.

This concept might take time to sink in, and that’s okay. I’ll dive deeper into the flawed societal concept of God in another piece, but for now, just understand this —

You don’t have to be grateful to manifest. You are the source of everything in your life. Your desires are simply consequences of you shifting into a new state of being. That’s it. There’s no need to be grateful for anything outside of yourself.

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