In 2013, I was in one of the most stressful periods of my life.
From the outside, everything seemed fine.
But inside, I was living in a constant state of overwhelm.
I was burning the midnight oil almost every night, convinced that the only way to make progress was to outwork everyone else.
I pushed through exhaustion like it was some kind of badge of honor.
I told myself it was just “temporary” — that soon I’d catch up, soon I’d find balance.
But weeks turned into months, and the pressure didn’t ease up.
In fact, it built even more.
I was sleeping less.
Working more.
Ignoring the signs my body was desperately trying to send me.
My health wasn’t in top shape either — the result of too many late nights, too much stress, and too little self-care.
But like many high achievers, I thought if I just powered through it, if I just stayed one step ahead, everything would eventually “click.”
Spoiler alert:
It didn’t.
One night, sitting alone at my kitchen table — tired, restless, wired but exhausted — I had a call scheduled with Srikumar Rao, a legendary MBA business professor (and now Mindvalley author) and sage whose teachings I’d admired for years.
Honestly?
I almost canceled.
The thought of one more meeting, one more conversation, felt like too much.
But something in me—some small voice still holding on—said: “Show up.”
So I did.
On the call, Rao could sense my exhaustion almost immediately. And intuitively, he paused our scheduled conversation. “Vishen, before we continue I’d like to read you a poem” he said.
In my mind, I was thinking, “Do we really have time for poetry?” But I paused and listened.
And then, instead of offering advice or “success hacks,” Rao did something unexpected:
He simply read me a poem by Rumi—a poem that would go on to alter the trajectory of my life:
“When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of distress and anxiety;
If I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without any pain.
From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me.
There is a great secret in this for anyone who can grasp it.”
Do you get it? Read that a second time if you must.
That poem cracked me open.
Here’s the thing about Rumi:
He was a mystic who grasped what modern science is only now beginning to hint at — that reality is fluid, and that it’s our resistance, not the circumstances themselves, that creates our deepest suffering.
When I heard those lines, I realized something profound:
I wasn’t manifesting.
I was manipulating.
I was clinging to old ideas of success.
I was trapped in a cycle of effort, overwork, and control.
I was forcing life to move at a pace that my soul knew wasn’t sustainable.
And it wasn’t working.
Rumi’s words invite us to a different way of being:
To shift from pursuit to attraction.
To stop running frantically after dreams… and instead sit—centered, aligned, open, and allow the dreams already seeking us to flow naturally into our lives.
This is the “great secret” Rumi speaks of:
What you seek is already seeking you.
The key isn’t more struggle.
It’s a deeper surrender.
Surrender isn’t giving up.
It’s giving over.
Giving over the frantic timelines.
Giving over the illusion that we have to fight for everything.
Giving over the belief that worthiness comes from exhaustion.
When I shifted — when I finally gave myself permission to trust, to breathe, to realign — everything started changing.
Not because I worked harder.
Not because I found the “perfect strategy.”
But because I let go.
And when I let go, what I truly needed was able to find me.
Manifestation isn’t about chasing.
It’s about becoming magnetic to the dreams that are already yours — waiting for you to open the door.
And magnetism?
It’s activated through surrender.
“Manifestation happens when you release your white-knuckled grip on life — and trust that the dream is running toward you, too.”
If you’re reading this right now, maybe it’s your moment, too.
Maybe it’s time to stop sprinting toward your dream. And start inviting it to sprint toward you.
Why you’re not manifesting faster (and how surrender collapses time)
Let’s get brutally honest for a sec:
If manifesting your dream life were as simple as “think positive and wait,” you’d already be a barefoot billionaire, sipping fresh coconut water in Bali, meditating on mountaintops while your inbox explodes with dream opportunities.
But here you are—still hustling, still hoping, still wondering, WTF, Universe?
And guess what?
It’s not because you’re broken, lazy, or “bad at manifesting.”
It’s because nobody ever taught you the second half of the process.
Manifesting isn’t just about setting intentions and visualizing until your third eye begs for mercy.
It’s about mastering the art of surrender.
Miss this part?
You’ll stay stuck in that maddening limbo — seeing signs, feeling progress… but never quite crossing the finish line.
What’s really killing your dreams
Here’s where 90% of conscious creators trip themselves up.
They set bold intentions.
They visualize so hard that their third eye practically needs an ice pack.
They create vision boards so grand they could hang in the Louvre.
But then…
They grip.
They obsess.
They panic.
And whether they realize it or not, they start sending out a dangerous broadcast to the Universe:
“I don’t actually believe it’s happening.”
As Dr. Joe Dispenza teaches:
“Your personal reality is created by your personality — your thoughts, emotions, and energy.”
When you radiate fear, doubt, or neediness, you don’t just delay your dream…
You push it away.
Energy master Jeffrey Allen puts it even simpler:
“Every second, you’re either pulling your dreams closer — or pushing them away.”
And the wild thing is:
It’s never about how hard you work.
It’s always about the energy you’re vibrating.
The real science behind “letting go”
Surrender isn’t just “giving up” with a sad shrug.
It’s precision energy work.
Here’s what modern science tells us:
Your Reticular Activating System (the brain’s filter) literally tunes reality based on your emotional expectations.
Your heart’s electromagnetic field is 5,000 times stronger than your brain’s — and it syncs your outer world when you lock into elevated emotions.
Translation?
Feel fulfilled before your dream arrives — you magnetize it.
Feel lack, neediness, or tension — you repel it.
You don’t manifest by needing harder.
You manifest by untangling your happiness from your goal.
Have a goal, but don’t tie your happiness to achieving it. Be happy BEFORE the attainment of your goal.
What the masters know about surrender
The world’s most powerful manifestors don’t hustle harder.
They master surrender. Let’s look at some of the quotes and advice from Mindvalley’s panel of Manifesting teachers who will be on stage at the upcoming Mindvalley Manifesting Summit on May 17-18.
Joe Dispenza: Feel it first
Joe Dispenza teaches something that should be carved onto every vision board:
“Feel the emotions of your future—before it happens — and you’ll change your destiny.”
The world’s greatest manifestors don’t sit around waiting to feel happy after they get what they want.
They step into the emotional energy of fulfillment now, knowing that life will eventually rearrange itself to match.
You don’t wait for your dreams to make you feel whole.
You become whole, and your dreams catch up.
Regan Hillyer: Trust the future you
Regan Hillyer didn’t create a 7-figure empire through spreadsheets and micromanagement.
She manifested it by releasing control and focusing on becoming the future version of herself who could easily hold that success.
Her mantra was simple but powerful:
“If not this, something even better.”
When you trust that something even better is on its way, it is.
Roxie Nafousi: Radical self-worth
Roxie went from rock-bottom addiction to bestselling author and transformation coach.
Her secret?
It wasn’t trying harder.
It was claiming her worth before any outer success showed up.
By deciding she was worthy first, she stopped clinging.
And when she surrendered, her life exploded into miracles.
Her book Manifest went on to sell a million copies. (How’s that for alignment with the Universe)
David Ghiyam: Certainty is Light
The Kabbalah master David Ghiyam says:
“Certainty brings Light. Doubt creates delay.”
In every moment you choose certainty, you become a magnet for miracles.
In every moment you indulge doubt, you slow your own timeline.
Why surrender collapses time
Because attachment slows you down.
Because fear fractures your field.
Because obsession keeps you vibrating in lack.
When you let go, you’re not “giving up.”
You have faith. You simply know it’s “on the way”.
This is the secret Rumi speaks about.
3 rituals to master surrender (starting today)
1. Future gratitude (the Roxie Nafousi method)
Every morning, take out a journal — nothing fancy, just something you can fall in love with — and start by writing:
“Thank you for my thriving business.”
“Thank you for my soulmate connection.”
“Thank you for vibrant health.”
Feel it as if it’s already here.
Smile as you write it.
Let your heart swell with gratitude for a future that already exists in the field, waiting for you to align.
This simple daily practice wires your body to believe — and when your body believes, the Universe responds.
2. Bold action + radical release (the John Lee approach)
Every day, take one bold, scary, courageous action toward your dream.
Send the email.
Launch the product.
Ask for the introduction.
But then — and this is crucial — release the outcome.
Say to yourself:
“I plant the seed. I trust the harvest.”
Because farmers don’t sit around digging up the soil every five minutes to see if the seeds are growing.
They plant, water, trust, and know.
3. Daily energy reset (inspired by Jeffrey Allen)
Find a quiet place.
Sit still.
Close your eyes.
Feel for any tension in your body — any clenching around “when will it happen?”
Breathe golden light into that tension.
Exhale the fear.
Imagine each exhale dissolving layers of resistance.
With each breath, come back to that sacred knowing:
“It’s already on its way.”
You don’t need to hustle the Universe.
You just need to stay open.
Final word: You’re manifesting right now
You’re always manifesting.
The only question is:
Are you broadcasting lack?
Or certainty?
Next time your mind says, “It’s not happening fast enough” —
Smile.
Laugh.
Whisper:
“This or something better is unfolding—right now.”
Because the faster you surrender…
The faster your reality bends.
As Rumi reminds us:
“Be crumbled.
So wildflowers will come up where you are.
You have been stony for too many years.
Try something different.
Surrender.”
Master surrender—LIVE?
Join us at the Manifesting Summit 2025. You can attend live in LA or join online on Zoom for just $29.
Learn from the masters — Vishen, Joe Dispenza, Regan Hillyer, Roxie Nafousi, and more — how to set intentions, embody certainty, and collapse timelines like a pro.
Get your ticket here.
The future’s not waiting.
It’s listening.
PS: If this stirred something inside you — a spark, a shift, even a tiny “hell yes”—drop me a comment below and tell me what hit home. I actually read every single one, because your insights are the magic fuel behind everything we create.
And if someone you love needs this nudge, too? Forward it to them. Good energy multiplies when we share it.
With Love, Vishen
82 Responses
Vishen, thank you for writing this. For sharing so generously your stories and knowledge. For boldly walking your talk and for paving the way for so many including myself in extraordinary transformation and growth! It’s been a wonderful journey seeing you grow as a person along with Mindvalley. Both blossoming, expanding, becoming a beacon of light and positive influence for millions! For what it’s worth, – I’m so damn proud of you! 🙂
I have “manifested” my way into coming to LA for the manifesting summit and I cannot wait!!
This particular post on surrender really spoke to me. The wanting, and asking seems to be the easiest step for most of us but the “receiving” can be tricky. Rumi’s poem speaks volumes. Surrender. Thank you for that reminder to just chill! Let go. Ahhh…that feels good! Thanks Vishen!
Vishen, I really appriciate your Weeklys and LOVE the Mindvalley app and what the courses do for me❤️ And this Weekly was a great reminder of what I have already learned… but sometimes forget in my day-to-day. I had a “hell yes” with this comment: “Certainty brings Light. Doubt creates delay.” …I’ll just go ahead now and move forward, not second guessing, not trying to do things “perfectly” and not clinging to the outcome. I have set my intentions and goals and I will receive “if not this, something even better” 🎈
Hi
I’ve had the mindvalley app a while. I love it. I feel i am making progress.
But part of me cannot quite let go of the ‘lack’ ‘procrastinating’ and ‘worry’ Ive kept with me probably most of my life.
I was starting to be resigned to the fact- maybe this is just me?
I did the Jo Dispenza meditation (Breaking the habit of being yourself) this morning and felt ‘ I just can’t quite let go’ for some reason? Although feel I am getting better the more I practice.
I checked my emails after this, which i don’t normally do, only to find this email. Perhaps a divine intervention?
I have signed up for the Manifesting Summit and am excited as this maybe my opportunity to find the vital piece to my jigsaw puzzle, so I can finally be free of this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.
My life is good & I’m fortunate really with what I have, so I can’t understand why I still feel this. Thank you
Thank you Vishen. This is what I needed for today.
See you in LA!
Hell yeah! Great article.
“It’s already on its way.”
You don’t need to hustle the Universe.
You just need to stay open.
I’ve heard this story from you before, Vishen — and yet, it never gets old. It hits deeper every time. It’s such a beautiful reminder that surrender isn’t giving up — it’s stepping into alignment. It’s choosing to trust, even when everything in your nervous system screams for control.
In 2017, I gave birth to my first son. I remember looking into his innocent eyes and thinking: I have to break the cycle.
At the time, I was deeply stuck — chasing jobs just to survive, grinding endlessly, ignoring my own exhaustion, and living with a voice inside that wouldn’t shut up… but instead of helping, it kept spiraling me further into fear and self-sabotage. Still, somewhere deep down, I sensed it was trying to wake me up.
Then I did something that changed everything: I became a Mindvalley member.
Not all at once — but gradually, course by course, reflection by reflection — I started healing the inside. And when I finally surrendered, truly surrendered, everything shifted.
A dream job appeared — one I didn’t even know I wanted. I downloaded a deep, intuitive message: I’m here to help more people. And now, I’m building my own company as a data innovation specialist, while working part-time in that dream role. It all feels handed to me. All I had to do was accept the invitation and deliver the best of me.
Ideas flow. Connections come without pushing. The work feels guided.
And this is coming from someone who once had such deep self-doubt — masked behind a seemingly perfect exterior — shaped by a childhood filled with abuse and struggle.
So thank you, Vishen. Your words, your work, and the entire Mindvalley journey have not only inspired me — they’ve helped rebuild me.
From the inside out.
Thank you, Vishen, for consistently sharing such valuable insights. I found this blog particularly resonant and could relate deeply to the points you raised. I, too, believe that we are in constant communication with the universe whether through positive or negative energy. At times, it can be challenging to overcome the weight of negative emotions or thoughts that arise during certain periods in our lives. I believe most of us experience such moments occasionally.
I would greatly appreciate any guidance or perspectives you could offer on how to effectively process and manage negative thoughts, so we can create space for more positive opportunities and growth.
Thank you again for your inspiring content.
The idea of being in “not knowing” goes against my life long belief that there is something I must and more amusingly, can do to control my outcomes. I have started to be with exactly where I am and not where I think I should be. No judgement just observation and surrender and when I can truly let go and surrender and not create a story but rather remain open, my anxiety goes down and so does the chatter in my head.
Thank you for the prompts. I over think and spin at times. I will be on vacation sorry to miss the seminar. Rumi hit home thank you for your grace.
Thank you Vishen, I am on the verge of shedding old patterns and blooming new life inside me full of Gratitude & Unconditional Love. Your email with the message – Surrender, was just meant for me. Read every single line, which is meaningful and what struck me hardest is, the poem – When I run after something my days are of distress & anxiety. When I surrender & sit with patience, what I need flows to me…How wonderful. Deepest gratitude for sharing these liberating words. I received what I needed, unexpectedly 🙂
I absolutely loved this content in my email today. It is much needed. My word of the year is surrender and I struggle with it daily. I took notes and I am ready to surrender!
Powerful stuff!
I’m hoping to manifest a sponsorship to the manifestation summit.
In exchange for travel and a press pass, I’ll help you with event promo, exposure, and website conversions.
Please (universe), get in touch to discuss more.
Thanks!
Thank you for this email Vishen. It meant alot and came along at a time when I needed it the most. I’m trying to trust the process despite what my 3d reality might be showing and at times it can be truly tough. My business of 16 years is going through a very hard time and the future seems quite daunting. I’m trying to let go and trust that everything is always working for my greatest good.
Thank you so much Vishen, for your big heart and your generosity of spirit. There was a time when manifesting what I needed came so easily to me, then I went through some trials and coming out the other side with an Empty Nest, I realized something had changed and now it felt so difficult to do what used to flow so easily. Recently you sent an email with Elora, the manifesting coach and I clicked on the link and started chatting with her. She’s wonderful 🙂 .. and she said something that has resonated so deeply that I feel like things are really turning around for me as I continue to work with her .. she said, “We don’t manifest money (things), we manifest alignment. Money comes through THAT.” … OMG .. I’m so grateful for that line .. it has given me so much perspective and support. Thankyou so much Vishen, for all that you and your team do. I hope to be on your team one day 🙂
Hi Vishen, I’m writing because you wrote that you actually read these. I did Silva Mind when I was very young, 7-8 years maybe. And then I lost track of it until my adult life when I learned what Mindvalley is. My whole family did Silva Mind, Juanpa Barahona’s family on the Sotela side, our grandmothers were sisters. As I write this I’m seeing 4:44 on my clock, which to me means keep writing and hit send. I’ve been doing relentless work on surrender this past year, and here is the most important phrase of this message, I believe you’ll like it: I speak to the universe everyday morning “You are the plasma of life, the space between everything and myself, may my level of Trust match Your Divine intelligence, this is co-creation.”
You’re doing amazing work, keep going! 🙂 I also want to leave a huge thank you to Dr Joe Dispenza, his work has helped me understand which version of my teenagers I choose to see. It worked. I have cracked the teenage code, and it has nothing to do with them, everything to do with me <3
Hi Vishen
I just read your message and each time I read about it, there are big question marks in me. I’m working with women in Afghanistan, women that are imprisoned in the worst way. Also I’m working with a single mom (Afghani, no Indian passport – her girls have an Indian father and an Indian passport, but her husband has been extremely violent, so she left. But officially she can’t work now). So, I’m working with them, giving them seeds of hope and real life. But you know, in the world of mind valley, these women seem not to exist. They have their dreams, but nobody wants them. They even can’t leave their homes. Or like the woman with her girls in Delhi, the air is so polluted, they inhale poison with every breath. Where in your world do these people exist?
They don’t have the money, some of them try really hard to manifest, but the government is brutal, incredibly brutal.
While I read your words and feel, how they are partly true: Where are the trees, where are the flowers, where is climate change, where is the war, where is the poisoned air and the drying rivers? Where are the fallen almond trees and the desert in the central valley of California? Where are the frightened Mexican, that have become illegales? Do they exist in your world?
To this moment I never got an answer to these questions, when I asked them. Maybe you will answer.
However… still you add to this world and let get pained hearts at ease.
Thanks Flurina
Thank you for giving me a reason to stop and read your very eloquent words interpreting Rumi.
I created a community call and a mantra for women that are based on my healing journey through cancer and family trauma. I also created 6 custom sounds healings that align with the mantra.
I know I am manifesting an incredible next step as doors I could never imagine are being opened.
Thank you for giving me this reminder to surrender. . . AND please enjoy this surrender sound healing with my compliments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nb0NUhoS0M&t=1202s
CHRISTINE TONER
Author of I AM: My Strongest Self
Creator of C2 Community Call
Founder of STAY127.com properties
Co-founder of the LENS OF BEAUTY podcast
The timeliness of this is incredible. I have been searching for a new job and have been positive and open, I keep saying that my job is there for me already and will be delivered when it’s the right time. Then I had a call yesterday and was told by a coach that I need to network in a way that is very uncomfortable for me, and I had this visceral reaction, I felt like my world was crumbling around me. I decided that I would do no work today, would stop pushing to find a job and make this my Day of Receiving…and then your email arrived. This was just what I needed to hear. I am back on track and know that the steps I’m taking are enough and I can achieve my goals in a way that feels comfortable to me. I am going to make everyday my day of receiving. Thank you for this blessing 🙂
Hi Vishen!
Your email was timely for the week. I’ve been telling my clients about manifesting like this for years, and from experience I’ve also lived by the act of surrendering and not being attached to the outcome. Just allowing.
This year, I self-published my own Oracle Guidance card deck called “Take Back Your Power” – a 9-year project, because ‘life happened’ – and I have been pleasantly humbled and extremely grateful for how well it has been received! I created a vision board last year (2024) in January, focusing on finishing the deck (and after finding an amazing artist who was right there with me all along:). I trusted the process, even with the delays in printing. I was able to land an extraordinary opportunity to do my passion and travel on Tour with a Psychic fair that travels from Ontario to British Columbia, Canada this year, doing Intuitive readings, and getting my oracle card deck ‘out there.’ Again, trusting the process and already excited to have accomplished being an author, I had faith that Spirit was in co-creation with me to present the card messages to the right people at the most beneficial time (i.e. letting go of the outcome, and trusting), and I cannot tell you how INCREDIBLE it has been!:D We’ve taken the hard copy decks with us on the Tour, and all 500 decks are almost SOLD OUT (in 3 months)! We had to do an emergency print for more before we ran out:D. A great predicament to be in:).
A couple of other readers/psychics and myself pulled cards from my deck this week to see what the next half of our journey would be like, and the thoughts conveyed in your email about manifestation, surrendering, applying emotions, and letting go of attachment to the outcome came up! There is also an undercurrent of being humble and knowing wealth is not just about financial wealth, but is about your worth – plus respecting Self and being grateful. Very interesting thoughts given that we are now doing events in the 2 “richest” Provinces in Canada (Alberta and British Columbia).
I just had to let you know that your words in this email were profound, given my current circumstances:D.
Keep them coming, my friend! 😉
Blessings,
Lygia
I am currently on a 21 day streak of practicing the six phase meditation (after being off and on for a couple of years). I have been slowly but surely working on important changes in my life, and this newsletter was relevant and encouraging! Thank you!