I'm manifesting the hell out of this creative life
I'm finally following the advice I've given others for years
Heads up: There’s some intense language in this one, but necessary for effect.
I’ve always maintained that mindset and manifestation were key to achieving success in things we want. I believe that mindset can be altered simply by choosing to think differently about a situation. “I’m not tired; I’m bored, and that’s something I can fix.”
Manifestation is a powerful tool, and I use it often with others, but I don’t practice it nearly enough on myself.
My son is a high-achiever; good in school, excellent in athletics, but had been on a bit of a plateau lately. At a recent swim competition, he turned in a performance that was below his potential. He beat himself up for hours after that. I didn’t say anything to him about it for several hours, but after he’d lightened his mood a little, we had a chat.
I asked about how he felt, what he was thinking and feeling prior to the event, and what he thought could have been different. There were physical aspects that he could have done differently (not stood in the blazing hot sun for several minutes before the race, drank more water, not been on his phone right up until the moment he needed to be on the blocks). I asked about what he was thinking right before the race, and he said that he was thinking about not being as fast as the guys he was competing against.
He wasn’t as fast.
He’s a 16 year old boy swimming against grown men. He had no chance at winning, that’s true, but by thinking it right before the start, he sealed the deal for himself. He lost the set, and added over a second on his qualifying time. This event wasn’t about winning, but racing against a former version of himself. How much could he beat his past times?
On the road to the competition the next day, we talked more about mindset and I asked him if he was open to talking with me right before his race. He agreed, and he came to see me right before he needed to be in the staging area, but I did not mince words.
“Yes, these boys are fast, but you’re a racer. You’ve done it your entire swim career; chased down the fastest guys in the pool because you refuse to be beat. You have to decide right now, are you slower than them, or are you going to be the fastest in that pool, and none of those mother fuckers can touch you?”
He eyes got wide because I never talk to him like that. He was listening.
“Say it. Say these fuckers can’t touch me. I’m going to smash them all right now.”
He said it back, with a little less intensity, but you could see on his face he was a little liberated by the feeling.
“Say it again, louder.”
He did.
“Now you repeat that in your head all the way up until you hit that platform, and you will not lose! I promise.” A lofty statement I risked my reputation on with him.
Not only did he win his heat, but he smashed his previous record by more than a full second (a lifetime in swimming terms). He didn’t win the whole event. The big wins went to the college-aged men he competed against, but he made his mark. He went on to win most of his heats the rest of the weekend, and he’s now convinced the magic works.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
Napoleon Hill
It sounds like such woo-woo bullshit, but if I was a believer before, I’m becoming an absolute zealot of manifestation now. Except, I only seem to be practicing this with others. I’ll share that same enthusiasm with you all day long, but never use this powerful magic on myself, ever.
The magic makes the man
After a quiet weekend with the family, I spent a lot of time thinking about where I am and where I want to be. I don’t know what triggered me to suddenly think of my son’s achievements during that swim meet from a few week prior, but the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of Elizabeth Gilbert books landed on my head.
Why don’t I used manifestation for myself? Was I really a believer, or a hypocrite? I wouldn’t call it lack of faith, because I’d seen the proof first hand. I believe it’s a lack of self-awareness. I just don’t think of using it.
That changes now.
It starts with belief, and then a fearless repetition of ideas that seemed unachievable before now. Here are my mantras in real time;
My creative work is worthy of the praise I receive.
The attention I get from others is because I’ve proven myself to be knowledgeable and trustworthy, and I am an expert on the topics I speak on.
I will see all of my new projects through to the end.
I will allow myself to indulge my curiosities, celebrate those experiments, and praise the opportunity to share the experience with others.
I will make $50,000 from my creative work between now and December, 2026.
The Creative Generalist will grow to over 10,000 subscribers over the next six months, with over 100 paid members.
I will continue to trust the process, and celebrate the wins as they come.
I don’t live in a vacuum, and life will always try to interfere, but I maintain three rules for myself and these mantras.
Believe big—no small ideas.
No negative connotations in the mantras
In moments of self-doubt, remember that it’s a mindset, and I can choose to change it.
Want to Go Deeper?
I work to bring quality content to all subscribers, and becoming a paid gets you some serious bennies. Free subscribers get twice a month updates, but members get:
A weekly dispatch, every Friday - The raw thinking behind whatever I’m working through that week, and behind-the-scenes work done in the shop as I rebuild my online sales.
The monthly creative challenge - Each month I try a creative impulse I haven’t mastered to see how it adds (or takes away) from my work. Free readers get the takeaway, but members get the process while it’s happening: the resistance, the almost-quitting, and the heroes journey (yeah, it’s like that).
Monthly digital asset pack - Texture and image packs pulled straight from my own camera roll. There’s no clip art to be found here, and it yours as part of membership, no extra charge.
First look at LostMixtape.com - The sales side of things, which is ever-evolving. I share my e-commerce experiences, new product drops, decisions before anyone outside this list sees them, and real-life strategies for selling creative goods.
Member-exclusive chat - Where the conversation happens away from the public comments. Also, direct line to me, always.
Finally, I’m a bit of a wild stallion, going off script (and apparently mixing my metaphors), and handing out goodies randomly whenever I get the impulse. No guarantees on that, but I feel a generous streak coming on… just saying.
The future of things
I’ve relaunched my e-commerce shop as an HQ for all my creative work. If I’m selling what I made, regardless of what it is, it goes in the shop. I have a long way to go with getting it fully stocked, but I’m excited for the adventure of it all.
I’ve talked about doing more building in public, sharing my experience as I build up and grow my shop; but I never got much response when I talk about it. I stopped bringing it up out of self-doubt, but we’re not doing that anymore.
Growing my creative business is something I want to talk about more, and I’m manifesting the audience for it. If that’s something you’re into, drop a comment below and let me know.
Or don’t.
I’m not your dad.