I'm going to say something that might trigger some people.
I was broke. Not "I had to cut back on dining out" broke. I had $47 in my bank account, my wife was pregnant, I had no income coming in, and I was getting phone calls from collection agencies. That kind of broke.
And in that season, I discovered something that sounds completely insane: the way you talk about money — to yourself, out loud, in your own head — has a direct impact on how money flows in your life.
I know. I know how this sounds. Trust me. I grew up being told this was邪教 stuff. "You think you can just wish money into existence?" That was me. That was my entire worldview.
Until it started happening anyway.
Why Skeptics Are Actually the Best Candidates
Here's the irony: skeptics like us are actually perfectly positioned for this work.
Why? Because we won't fake it. We won't stand in front of a mirror chanting affirmations we don't believe. We won't put on a fake smile and pretend we're confident when we're not.
We need the real thing. And the real thing actually works.
What I learned isn't about positive thinking. It's about alignment. When you're in a state of financial anxiety and despair, you make different decisions than when you're in a state of financial confidence and hope. And those decisions compound.
Let me explain.
The Mechanism Behind "Manifestation"
When you're in financial fear, you make fear-based decisions. You take bad deals because you can't afford to say no. You over-deliver to clients who don't value you because you're terrified they'll leave. You charge too little because you don't believe you're worth more.
These decisions keep you broke. Not because the universe is punishing you. But because your internal state is driving your external behavior in ways that perpetuate the problem.
Now look at the alternative.
When you're in a state of financial confidence — not arrogance, confidence — you make different decisions. You say no to bad deals. You set expectations clearly with clients. You charge what you're worth.
Those decisions compound in the other direction. They create more financial opportunity, not because you visualized it, but because your behavior changed.
The manifestation isn't magical. It's behavioral. But the behavioral change is real.
Two Types of Abundance Declarations
I've noticed there are two kinds of people who talk about financial abundance:
The cop-out crowd: They stand up and declare "I am wealthy! I am abundant!" while sitting in $30,000 of credit card debt. They're lying to themselves and everyone can feel it. This doesn't work because there's no alignment between their words and their actual state.
The surrender crowd: They make declarations not from a place of pretending, but from a place of trust. They say: "I don't understand how this is going to work, but I'm going to move forward anyway." There's a humility there. A release of the need to control the exact outcome.
The cop-out crowd gets nowhere. The surrender crowd gets results.
The difference is internal. One is trying to convince themselves of something they don't believe. The other is making a choice to shift their state — even when it's hard.
What Surrender Actually Looks Like
When my wife and I were at our lowest point, we started doing something that felt ridiculous. Every morning, we'd declare: "Money is flowing to us easily. We have more than enough."
And then — this is the part most people skip — we'd take action anyway.
We'd make calls. Send emails. Have meetings. Follow up. Work the business.
The declarations without action are just delusion. The action without declarations is just hustle. You need both: aligned state plus committed action.
Here's what happened. Within a few weeks, we got a check in the mail from an old client we'd written off. It wasn't a huge amount, but it covered what we needed exactly when we needed it. Then another check came. Then a new client inquiry. Then another.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I watched it happen month after month. When we were in fear, things stopped flowing. When we made the declarations and did the work, things opened back up.
I'm not telling you this to be mystical. I'm telling you this because your internal state is a tool. And you're probably not using it.
How to Start (If You're a Skeptic)
If you're a skeptic — like I was — here's how to approach this without feeling like an idiot:
Don't declare what isn't true. Saying "I am a millionaire" when you're not will just feel like a lie. Instead, declare what you're moving toward: "I am open to financial abundance. I am releasing fear around money. I am taking steps toward my financial goals."
Pair declarations with action. Every morning, declare your openness to abundance, then spend the day taking real action toward your financial goals. The two together create momentum.
Pay attention to what shows up. Start noticing when opportunity appears. When you shift your state, do you start seeing possibilities you'd previously filtered out? Most people do.
Watch your inner voice around money. Most of us have a constant low-level financial anxiety running in the background. Start noticing it. When you catch yourself in a fear spiral about money, interrupt it. Change the channel. Refuse to go there.
This isn't about ignoring reality. It's about not letting fear make your decisions. Because fear-based decisions keep you exactly where fear wants you: stuck, small, and broke.
I'm a skeptic who came around. You can too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Doesn't calling financial abundance 'manifestation' make this sound like magic?
It can sound mystical, but the mechanism is practical: your internal state drives your behavior, and your behavior drives your results. It's not magic — it's psychology and decision-making.
I'm too practical for this. Why would declarations work for me?
Skeptics actually have an advantage. You won't fake it with hollow affirmations. You can approach this as a behavioral experiment: try it for 30 days and see if your decisions change. That's the real mechanism.
Does this mean I don't need to take action?
Absolutely not. Declarations without action are delusion. You need both: the aligned internal state AND the committed external action. Neither alone is enough.
How do I make declarations if saying 'I am wealthy' feels like a lie?
Don't declare what isn't true. Instead, declare what you're moving toward: "I am open to abundance. I am releasing fear. I am taking action toward my financial goals." That's truthful AND directional.
What if I've been broke for years — is it too late?
It's not too late. It's never too late. The fact that you're reading this means you're still in the game. The first step is deciding your past financial situation doesn't determine your future one.
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About Jeremiah Krakowski
Jeremiah Krakowski is a coaching business mentor who helps coaches, course creators, and consultants scale from $3k/mo to $40k+/mo using direct response marketing, AI systems, and proven frameworks. He runs Wealthy Coach Academy and has 23+ years of experience in digital marketing. Learn more →