Manifesting My Dream Timeline
I’ve only just realized that I’m living in my dream timeline. And this is how I think I manifested it.
From where I was even three years ago, life is completely unrecognizable (in the best way possible). The city I live in. The career I’m building. The version of motherhood I’m living. And while it wasn’t an overnight thing or something I hustled my way into, I do think there were certain things I did, quietly, inconsistently, sometimes unknowingly, that nudged the timeline into place.
This is the story of how that happened.
1. I surrendered to the unknown and leaned into difficult choices.
This story starts a few years ago, back in Goa. I had just moved back to India after a decade in Southeast Asia. I'd left behind a corporate career and decided to start something on my own… something that felt more aligned and heartfelt. I ended up running a small studio where I worked with women-led businesses, mostly passion-led entrepreneurs, and while it was meaningful, it was also completely draining.
Running a business when you’re still figuring yourself out is no joke. I didn’t have the confidence, the structure, or the systems. I was doing all the right things, but I still felt like I was floating. I’d start projects and never finish them. I didn’t feel like I had roots anywhere. And even though I was surrounded by beauty… beach days, long drives, spontaneous gigs with friends, life felt blurry. I was in limbo.
Then I got pregnant. And I swear to God, I thought it was COVID at first.
I took a COVID test. It was negative. Something still felt off. Took a pregnancy test just to rule it out. It came back positive. Multiple times. The first 24 hours were pure panic. We were trying to figure out how to undo this “mistake.” But slowly, I realized that this might be the very thing that would wake me up.
It was the shake-up I didn’t know I needed. So I made myself an internal promise that I’m going to get my shit together and build the best life for this baby and my family.
2. I let my desire simmer… quietly and without pressure.
When I say I decided to get my shit together, I don’t mean I suddenly started waking up at 5 a.m. and doing breathwork on the beach. I mean I started thinking more seriously about the kind of life I wanted to give this baby. The kind of mother I wanted to be. And the kind of woman I wanted to become.
In the beginning, everything was a blur. I wasn’t ready to jump into anything. I didn’t even have the mental space. But once I got through those first few postpartum months, something inside me started flickering again. I wasn’t forcing anything. I wasn’t even actively applying for jobs. But I was watching. Listening. Letting myself think about what I might want again.
And somewhere in the middle of all the naps and night feeds, I started quietly imagining the kind of future I’d like to live.
3. I stayed ridiculously (and naively) optimistic
I’ve always had this strange little trait. Even when things are bad, there’s a part of me that just decides it’ll be okay. I’ve always believed I’ll figure something out. That when the time comes, I’ll land on my feet.
And that quiet, almost naive optimism? It carried me. It stopped me from spiraling when things were uncertain. It reminded me that even though I didn’t have a five-year plan or a Pinterest-perfect life, I had options. I had experience. I had value. And I was allowed to believe that good things could still happen to me.
4. I daydreamed the hell out of my next chapter.
My husband and I started talking about Bangkok. At first, it was a light conversation. A maybe-someday kind of thing. But we both loved the idea of it… the rhythm of the city, the cultural overlap, the cost of living, the food, the schools, the energy.
I started imagining what life there could look like. I researched areas to live in, read through Reddit threads, joined expat groups, stalked grocery stores and preschools online. I let myself get excited. I let myself fall in love with a life I hadn’t even started yet.
And I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was manifesting. Not through scripting or affirmations or burning sage… but by dreaming vividly. Repeatedly. Joyfully. I was rehearsing the reality I wanted until it stopped feeling far away.
5. I took aligned action when it finally showed up.
And then one day, out of nowhere, I saw a job opening.
It was for the same kind of role I had done in Singapore, but in Bangkok. Same company. Same skillset. It felt familiar but new. I wasn’t even sure I was ready—but I applied anyway.
I messaged someone I used to work with. They connected me to the hiring manager. I interviewed on a Monday, had the second round on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, I had an offer.
Just like that.
Not because I forced it. Not because I had everything figured out. But because I stayed open. Because I planted the seed months ago. Because I let myself want something more… and trusted that I was allowed to have it.
So if you’re waiting for your life to shift, try this.
Don’t force it. Dream and surrender instead.
Let yourself want things again. Let yourself imagine. Be a little delusional if you have to. Stay curious. Keep an eye out. Do the inner work. Take the naps. Cry if you need to. But don’t stop believing that you’re allowed to live a life that actually feels like yours.
And when the moment shows up (even if it’s on a random Tuesday), be ready to say yes.
Because honestly, that’s how I think it happens.