How I manifested my dream apartment

A small note: this is my experience and my desire. I do believe in manifestations and the universe is listening and all of that. We all have different paths and different timelines to achive our desires. I write to inspire you to go after your desires and have faith and patience, and gratitude. We're not in a race or competition against one another - we're simply helping each other to take the next steps.

Here we go.

(1. The idea/desire)

I’ve wanted an apartment for as long as I was introduced to the concept. It was probably around high school. There was a course that we took, where we had to ‘plan’ for our future; create budgets, and slap together some pictures on a poster board, of what we wanted our ‘futures’ to look like.

At the time I was in love with dance and I still am. But back then, I was more in love with it, like that’s all I wanted to do with my life after high school. I was reading into dancers, studying them, and came across, Misty Copeland. I remember reading, how she had her upper east side apartment in New York, while she was studying at ABT. (American Ballet Theatre)

That was my dream. To just own my own space, having the freedom to be myself, and to do whatever the fuck I would like to do, without my parents saying otherwise.

So it’s been an ongoing desire for let’s say the span of 8 years. We’re in 2022 now. Just making sure the math adds up.

…

When I started university in the fall of 2015, I moved to the city of Ottawa (Canada’s capital), out of the small town of Labrador City, Newfoundland - take a moment to google it. Yep, that’s where I lived.

While living there, I had the opportunity to travel outside of that small town - courtesy of my dad who never hesitated to drop deposits on travel trips, or, if it wasn’t that, it was education. So I was exposed to the world beyond my small red house and cold temperatures. Perhaps, not to be limited in my choices to live or study.

Instantly, I was fascinated with the big cities. I loved Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal. Later, I would visit Vancouver, which would also be ranked on my favourites list.

Any one of those cities would do just fine. And landing an apartment, that I could somehow afford, would be like striking a gold mine.

(2. Ongoing desire)

Over the years that I did my undergrad (2015-2019), I lived at home. No way was our dad going to drop twice as much cash on allowing us to live on campus when we could live at home for free. Let alone, he was already paying for both my sister and I to attend university.

Ever heard of brown privilege? I feel like that's it to some degree.

However, my desire to land an apartment was still brewing in the back of my mind. I didn't feel free at home.

At some point during my university years, I gathered at a Starbucks with some theatre friends of mine. We had our laptops and coffee to our sides, discussing apartments, over spreadsheets and google docs. Something about that didn’t feel right. I wasn’t sure how I felt about ‘roommates’. I’ve heard stories, and some of them aren’t that bad - not until you’ve experienced it. However, luckily I didn’t, but I wasn’t sold on the idea of living with roommates. Ideally, I’d want to live with one person (Someone I really liked and trusted with my life - probably was gonna be my sister or a best friend, or perhaps a romantic partner).

So that didn’t work and I wasn’t ready.

As the years went by, I would still think of it. I would visit my friends’ apartments or residencies, and imagine what it would be like to live on my own. During the commute to school and back, I would glance at the apartments opposite the river and sunsets, (the building I’m currently living in with my partner), and wonder about them too.

Trying to get a sense of what it would feel like.

(3. The universe presents a tool that might help achieve that desire and starts making arrangements)

Toward the end of my undergrad (2018), I meet a guy. I fall in love with him, and we start a romantic relationship.

Years into the relationship, we somehow always managed to see each other and spend time with each other as best as we could - even during ‘lockdown’ periods at the peak of covid in 2020, when we weren’t even supposed to. Separated by two houses, we didn’t live too far from one another either; by foot, it was a 15-20 minute walk, by car 5 minutes tops.

Somehow we both enjoyed each other's company and being together and we constantly expressed that - however conscious or subconscious.

4. (The universe listened, and presented an opportunity to achieve more of that feeling)

In the spring of 2021, I decided to move in with my boyfriend and his parents for a few months. It was because of the lockdown. Technically, we couldn’t see each other as much because of household limits and all of that shit. So he suggested that I move in, and if I want, move back in with my parents once the lockdown ends. (I ended up staying for longer than expected) and I admit, it wasn’t ideal, but a step closer to what i wanted.

It was chaotic. Too many people in one house - let alone his brother's kids as well. We shared a room. A small room, with too much clutter. There was only 1 bathroom to share amongst the 5 of us.

Yes, I'm pointing out the negatives, but it also led us to seriously consider getting our own apartment together.

And so we did…with our restaurant jobs, mind you!

5. (Give gratitude for the things you don’t have yet, as the universe will deliver and you will start to get more of those things. And feel it as if you already have it).

So during that year of sharing a tight room, I started to become more and more grateful for even sharing a space together - however small and chaotic. I even started becoming grateful for an apartment that we weren’t renting yet.

And so we put our gratitude into action. On our off days from our restaurant jobs, we would casually take drives to different areas around the city, smoke some joints, and enjoy each other’s company, looking at apartments. We would put out thoughts of being grateful for an apartment, and for anything really that made us happy, almost regularly as if we already had it.

I would marvel at the apartment buildings and wonder about them, and the rent - knowing that whatever financial situation we were in, we’d be able to afford it - because the desire was so strong.

6. Practice faith and patience

Toward the end of that year 2021, I started booking apartment viewings sporadically, and the search would begin. We would go to at least 5 different ones before landing our ideal one.

Long story long, it was a process and we had to be patient and patient we were. Needless to say, we landed our dream apartment - after years, months of manifesting, writing, giving gratitude, having faith, and patience.

It’s been 5 months since we’ve been living in our own apartment, and let me tell you, it’s not easy - there are bills to pay and food to buy. However, I’m happy, deeply. I can truly and honestly say, I’m happy. Money isn’t everything, but having a space where you can be yourself and grow into the person you desire and go after your dreams, has more value, than money.

Achieve your dreams and the money will follow. I promise.