It’s easy to say I want this, or I’d like to have that. But I think it’s jsut as easy to fool ourselves with half-hearted intentions.

Small desire equals small manifestation. Large desire, and therefore large energy, results in large manifestations.

Maybe this is simplistic. Maybe you could argue that desire is said to be something to avoid in Taoist and Buudhist teachings.

I would counter that all things have their place. And the fact remains that many people, myself included, have a tendancy to say “I want that”" without really having a strong desire.

Think about this: William Walker Atkinson in his great book Thought Vibrations asks if we want what we say we want…

“in the same way a prisoner wants his freedom…”

Really let that sink in. Do you want what you claim you want as badly as a man or woman behind bars wants to be free?

That’s a great and powerful analogy to consider the next time you aren’t getting what you say you want. The very fact may be that your desire is not powerful enough.

If you find your wanting is not as real as it could be, it may even be true that you simply don’t want this person, place, or event at all. Often we “want” what others believe we need rather than what our hearts really desire.

This is definitely something for thought.

At the same time if it turns out you are really drawn to your desire perhaps you simply need to strengthen your power of will. Most of us lose our power of will at some point and then need to regain it.

And willpower is more than just the ability one exerts to abstain from that second drink. True power of the will is the extension of our minds to harness our essence and manifest the world around us.

The average person loses his or her attention span every 6 to 10 seconds. It seems in our present form we are a pretty scatter-brained organism.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. In fact this statistic applies to people who do nothing to focus their attention (and therefore their intention). Individuals who practice meditation and related exercises on a regular basis can hold their focus for extended periods of time.

Some people are naturally able to focus better than the rest of us. But for the majority, it takes work and determination to improve our attention spans and the power of our focused intention.

There are two very basic meditation exercises that can help you focus your mind sharper and longer.

The first is the basic breathing meditation. Sit in a relaxed position, allow the tension to fall away from your shoulders and hips, and focus your mind on your breath.

Do not attempt to control your breathing in any way. Just be aware of the air flowing into and out of your lungs. Observe for several minutes without interfering with the motion of your lungs.

When thoughts wander into your mind, just acknowledge them and return your attention to your breath. Doing this for several minutes a day will improve your attention span tremendously.

Another exercise you can perform is object meditation. Find a crystal, a candle flame, or anything else and, sitting in a quiet place, watch this object intently.

Relax your mind and focus your full attention on all details of this object. Allow your eyes to follow the contours of the crystal’s surface, or to watch the flame as it flickers and moves.

As thoughts enter your awareness, simply let them go and return to your observations. Doing this for a few minutes each day will do wonders for your ability to focus and direct your intention.

And as you get better at focusing, you can bring more power and intensity into your visualization practices, thus manifesting your desires more easily.