Why I am not “manifesting” this year…

Jan 5

Written By Megan Mccann

By Megan McCann

I accomplished a lot in 2023.

In business, we hosted three-100+ person events, filled up 2 destination retreats, bought an investment property in Boise, hit 6-figure months, major media mentions in international magazines and Idaho tv appearances, and we also had a waitlist for our coaching programs.

I'm proud of these accomplishments, however, when I look back at 2023, there a BIG something missing in pursuit of these accomplishments.

If I could sum up my emotions over the past year it would like something like this: I have felt both pride and guilt, energy and and exhaustion, clear and and confused, focused and overwhelmed.

The duality of these emotions could only equate to one thing: I am a woman.

I do not believe I am an outlier.

My business partner Jen, published a book of stories of women who have shared similar sentiments. This book entitled The Duality of the Modern Day Woman became a best-seller because most women today I believe feel pulled in different directions. They experience polarizing emotions daily because there are often many expressions of who we are and what we desire.

As businesswomen, we hold a strong desire for big accomplishments but at the same time, our values are important to us. We find ourselves in this paradox of high achiever vs. present parent/wife/friend.

Over the past year many of our clients have expressed that they desire more financial gains but not at the sake of time with their family. In other words, their family is typically their “why.”

But sometimes our “why” is the thing that is sacrificed in pursuit of our goals.

On paper, one would assume I would have nothing to complain about. But when you look deeper, my accomplishments feel messy. My above achievements do not note the countless sleepless nights I've endured worried about the thought of being away from my kids.

They do not describe the anguish felt when I had to miss out on my daughter's preschool graduation, or a mother-daughter trip, or a softball tournament because of a big event I had already committed to hosting.

They do not share the amount of times I've been interrupted by a zoom call to calm down a crying kid or barking dog.

Or the times I didn't hear my husband share something about his day because I was so focused on my work that I couldn't think about anything else.

I always said I would never sacrifice important time with family in pursuit of a business goal. And without knowing it, I felt myself slipping into this cycle of constant business travel where missing precious time with family proved inevitable.

So what does this have to do with “manifesting”?

Manifesting has evolved into a buzz word over the past 5-10 years. The art of manifesting is a practice that is attributed to the success of most prosperous business owners.

In the business world, we define manifestation as the ability to attract or create something out of thin air.

I have taught the art of manifesting in business over the years and it has proven to be undoubtedly powerful. I have helped women create wildly successful businesses out of out thin air and I attribute this to the principles I have learned. Personally, I have been able to attract money, travel, cars, clients, my dream wedding, big events, a best-selling book, and even homes out of thin air using these principles.

But in my experience this year, the act of manifesting or keeping "my eyes on the prize", has inadvertently caused an unnecessary amount of sadness, anxiety, and disappointment in myself. I ended 2023 feeling tired.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have beef with “manifesting”. It’s a beautiful practice that has the ability to create a beautiful world for those who truly understand it. Learning how to create out of nothing has provided my life with more joy and fulfillment than I would have ever expected. I am forever grateful.

What am I saying though, is that in pursuit of “manifesting”, we can easily forget about the magnificent things we already have in front of us. I would never coach a client to risk their values in pursuit of a goal.

The reality is that none of those things I've manifested above are at the core, really that important to me.

The intention for those accomplishments was not for the accomplishment itself, but to act as a means for joy and sovereignty;

Freedom to be with family and provide financially.

This is why I'm not focused on manifesting this year. Yes, I have no doubt I'll create a lot in 2024, and my clients will do the same. But my mindset around it has changed.

Because the truth is that, for the moment, I already have everything I need right here and now.

Megan Mccann

Why I am not “manifesting” this year…

I accomplished a lot in 2023.

In business, we hosted three-100+ person events, filled up 2 destination retreats, bought an investment property in Boise, hit 6-figure months, major media mentions in international magazines and Idaho tv appearances, and we also had a waitlist for our coaching programs.

I'm proud of these accomplishments, however, when I look back at 2023, there a BIG something missing in pursuit of these accomplishments.

If I could sum up my emotions over the past year it would like something like this: I have felt both pride and guilt, energy and and exhaustion, clear and and confused, focused and overwhelmed.

The duality of these emotions could only equate to one thing: I am a woman.

I do not believe I am an outlier.

As businesswomen, we hold a strong desire for big accomplishments but at the same time, our values are important to us. We find ourselves in this paradox of high achiever vs. present parent/wife/friend.

Over the past year many of our clients have expressed that they desire more financial gains but not at the sake of time with their family. In other words, their family is typically their “why.”

But sometimes our “why” is the thing that is sacrificed in pursuit of our goals.

On paper, one would assume I would have nothing to complain about. But when you look deeper, my accomplishments feel messy. My above achievements do not note the countless sleepless nights I've endured worried about the thought of being away from my kids.

They do not describe the anguish felt when I had to miss out on my daughter's preschool graduation, or a mother-daughter trip, or a softball tournament because of a big event I had already committed to hosting.

They do not share the amount of times I've been interrupted by a zoom call to calm down a crying kid or barking dog.

Or the times I didn't hear my husband share something about his day because I was so focused on my work that I couldn't think about anything else.

I always said I would never sacrifice important time with family in pursuit of a business goal. And without knowing it, I felt myself slipping into this cycle of constant business travel where missing precious time with family proved inevitable.

So what does this have to do with “manifesting”?

Manifesting has evolved into a buzz word over the past 5-10 years. The art of manifesting is a practice that is attributed to the success of most prosperous business owners.

In the business world, we define manifestation as the ability to attract or create something out of thin air.

But in my experience this year, the act of manifesting or keeping "my eyes on the prize", has inadvertently caused an unnecessary amount of sadness, anxiety, and disappointment in myself. I ended 2023 feeling tired.

What am I saying though, is that in pursuit of “manifesting”, we can easily forget about the magnificent things we already have in front of us. I would never coach a client to risk their values in pursuit of a goal.

The reality is that none of those things I've manifested above are at the core, really that important to me.

The intention for those accomplishments was not for the accomplishment itself, but to act as a means for joy and sovereignty;

Freedom to be with family and provide financially.

This is why I'm not focused on manifesting this year. Yes, I have no doubt I'll create a lot in 2024, and my clients will do the same. But my mindset around it has changed.

Because the truth is that, for the moment, I already have everything I need right here and now.

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