NYLON's guide to 3x33 manifestation
Ivan Gener/Stocksy/Getty Images/Shutterstock

Manifesting

How 3x33 Manifestation Can Help You Tune Into Your Goals

Experts explain the dos and don’ts of this technique.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 

For some, manifesting their every desire is as easy as speaking it into existence or creating a vision board. It sounds easy enough, but when it comes down to it, attempting to wield the fabrics of the universe in your favor can seem like a complete joke if you’re new to the idea. But as many a manifestation TikTok can attest, changing your beliefs can rapidly alter your reality. Whether it’s money, a dream home, or an ideal partner, the believers are out here proving that you actually can do (or have) anything you set your mind to. One method that actually works for loads of people? The 3x33 manifestation technique.

Give it a Google and you’ll see that there are tons of manifestation methods out there, but keep in mind that what works for you might not work for someone else and vice versa. “It’s not exactly a ‘one-size-fits-all’ experience,” Kathrin Zenkina, manifestation and mindset coach and CEO of Manifestation Babe, tells NYLON. “There is more than one method available to people, and not every single method works for everyone.”

According to Zenkina, manifestation is about aligning with your innate co-creating powers with the universe through the power of intent: You make a decision that you want something, believe you can have it, and take “aligned inspired action” to bring it to reality. The process in which a person does this and what works best for them is unique to everyone. “Try different tactics out,” Zenkina offers, “but I always recommend paying close attention to what resonates with you and what doesn’t, and to keep in mind that manifestation is a co-creative practice in which you have a part and the universe has its part.” The 3x33 manifestation method is just one of the tools to try out, but often, this approach has proven a quick and easy way to tap into a manifesting mindset.

What Is The 3x33 Manifestation Method?

The 3x33 manifestation method is extremely simple, which makes it great for beginners. In a nutshell, the strategy entails writing down your intention 33 times for three days in a row. But just going through the motions is not going to make you a millionaire by Wednesday (sorry).

“Sometimes we unconsciously put so much power into the tool,” Anita Mae Aguilar, a money mindset coach and host of the Manifesting Money Podcast, tells NYLON. “We forget that it's really just amplifying the power that we already have.” So, where is the real power? In you. While you’re setting your intentions, what’s most important is how you’re feeling as opposed to what you’re doing as you’re sitting there with your pen and paper. You want to tap into what it would really be like to have this thing, “and your mind is going to expand that,” Aguilar offers.

How Does The 3x33 Manifestation Method Work?

Manifestation is something that’s occurring at all times, whether you’re aware of it or not. It’s a mashup between neuroscience and the metaphysical, as the experts point out. Have you ever bought a new car or been in the market for one and suddenly started seeing that specific vehicle everywhere? You never noticed it before, but because you’ve essentially told your brain that any information regarding this exact car is important, your brain is going to affirm this belief, and you’ll see it in your reality.

“We're all made out of energy, and we are constantly attracting whatever it is that we are consciously or unconsciously dominantly thinking,” Aguilar tells NYLON, adding that this method is “for anybody who just needs to build their belief in a specific story.”

If you subconsciously feel like you are always struggling for money or physical beauty, that’s what is going to manifest into your reality. Even if you consciously tell yourself otherwise, your subconscious disagrees. When you’re doing your 3x33 manifestation and writing down your affirmation over and over again, it’s helping reprogram your subconscious mind to align with what you’re writing and thinking. According to Aguilar, “Your subconscious mind is what creates 95% of your reality, so what it does is put [the intention] in your frontal lobe so that it's now important information for your mind to seek.” The repetition and seeing your intent written in your own handwriting, Aguilar says, are what’s programming your subconscious faster.

3x33 manifestation can also encourage you to tune into the energy of your goal, according to Zenkina. “This method can be really helpful for getting aligned with the energetic frequency of your desire to become a vibrational match to it,” she explains. And this isn’t some magic jargon — your brain is actually creating new connections as you write. “It’s been proven that the process of physically writing while focusing on something literally creates new neural pathways, so this is really great because it brings your subconscious mind into the game, which makes the process more potent,” Zenkina tells NYLON.

Who Is 3x33 Manifestation Best For?

As mentioned, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach here, so while powerful and effective, 3x33 manifestation isn’t going to work for absolutely everyone. Zenkina recommends this journaling method specifically for people who don’t already have a lot of limiting beliefs or resistance around their intentions. “If surrendering to the process comes easier to you, this strategy could be super useful,” she tells NYLON, praising its potential to serve as a fun and engaging ritual for people who are new to conscious manifestation. “It prompts them to really emphasize and focus on their desires [and] serves as a beautiful reminder to keep focusing their intention on what they desire to show up in their realities,” she notes.

However, there are those for whom 3x33 manifestation might not be the best choice. “For people who have limiting beliefs around their ability to manifest something, or simply hate the process of writing things down over and over again, it can create mental resistance,” she clarifies, noting that for some of her students this method lacked key elements they particularly required, like “deeper subconscious reprogramming and release work,” resulting in disappointment or loss of faith in the process. “Addressing their belief systems and doing this reprogramming work makes various manifestation strategies, tools, and exercises SO much more effective,” she adds.

How To Get The Most Out Of 3x33 Manifestation

Use Gratitude

When you’re writing your affirmations, it’s the feeling that matters, because that is what you will manifest more of. That’s why Aguilar suggests structuring your intentions like, “I am so happy and grateful for [insert intention].” Gratitude, she says, is the powerful emotion that is “what's actually really pulling [your manifestation] into the vortex faster because you're vibrating at the same frequency.” The more you can tap into gratitude, the quicker things will materialize. And if that structure is too formal for you, that’s OK. Spice it up however feels right for you: “I’m so [enter sting of curse words here] happy.” Write whatever makes you feel the feels — like you’re writing to a friend and are stoked about this amazing thing that just came into your life.

Write In Present Tense

Aguilar also emphasizes the importance of writing in present tense. Instead of structuring it as “I am so happy and grateful I’m going to have a new car,” you would swap the future tense so it would read “I am so happy and grateful I have a new car.” This goes back to the whole subconscious mind explanation. When you’re affirming that you will have something, you’re energetically aligning yourself to having that thing in the future, not actually having it. Make sense? You’re basically setting yourself up for a perpetual state of waiting. “The more that you can get into that present moment and say, like, ‘OK, I do have abundance’ even if you don't have anything in your physical reality,” Aguilar explains, “your conscious mind doesn't know the difference.”

Avoid Negative Words

Another aspect your subconscious mind doesn’t quite grasp? Negation. “A lot of times people unconsciously put words, like ‘I don't work at my nine-to-five anymore,’ but your subconscious mind doesn't register the [negative words],” Aguilar expresses, explaining that your subconscious is like a child in a way — “you know, when you tell a little kid ‘don't do that’ and then they do it.” All the child, or your mind, processes is the “that” part, not the “don’t.” Instead, Aguilar recommends wording your affirmations with positives only so you’re not accidentally bringing in the exact opposite of your intention. For example, instead of “I don’t have acne,” you would write “I have clear skin” or something to that effect.

Don’t Obsess Over It

While Zenkina supports using 3x33 manifestation whenever you have a new desire you want to bring focus to and align with, she cautions against using it too frequently to avoid obsessing over manifesting your dreams. “Releasing the outcome after declaring your intentions and desires to the universe is just as important as practicing the rituals that help you get energetically aligned — if not more so,” she explains.

She also recommends keeping a close tab on how you feel during the practice, as it should be a positive experience. “If it feels good and expansive to do it — amazing,” she notes. However, “the moment you start feeling resistance, discouragement, desperation, or scarcity in the process, it’s time to take a break and try something new that actually feels like fun,” she says.

There’s a reason so many have sung the praises of the 3x33 manifestation method. It’s simple, easy, and yields quick results for those with an open mind and an attitude of gratitude and abundance.

Experts:

Kathrin Zenkina, manifestation and mindset coach, CEO of Manifestation Babe, and educator of The Manifestation Babe Academy

Anita Mae Aguilar, a money mindset coach and host of the Manifesting Money Podcast

This article was originally published on