Yeah agreed, I guess it's prayer rebranded for people who wouldn't necessarily be religious otherwise.

My parents have fully bought into it and it's taken over their lives. They're constantly focusing on their ideal future rather than enjoying what's in front of them and it makes me sad.

I hadn’t really heard of the new technique of “manifesting” until now. I read this for an explanation. It does sound very similar to the mindfulness practiced through prayer.

At least from my perspective, the difference being that prayer includes other things like thankfulness, asking for forgiveness for mistakes I have made, etc. I think prayer is a bit more “complete.” I also believe there is a huge advantage to acknowledging that we are simply not in control of everything that happens in our lives. That sounds like a lot of pressure to assume your success is only dependent on your actions.

I am all for people finding ways to healthily better there own lives. If manifesting fills that niche for non-religious people, it seems like a good thing.