Manifestations are essentially just experiences. Most people understand experiences to be that which is observed using solely the senses. So, a manifestation is just a real world tangible object, experience, or person that you encounter in your everyday life.
This definition is of particular importance if you are trying to create the life you have always dreamed of living through the use of the law of attraction. What is manifesting in your life right now, that which you are experiencing right now, is simply a manifestation that has resulted from the thoughts you have been thinking and the subjects you have been focusing upon up to this point in time.
When you know this to be true, you can easily understand why certain experiences enter your life. You can also use this truth to measure your progress as you attempt to accomplish a specific goal as well.
For example, let's say you want to own a specific car. So, in order to get the car you want, you start envisioning owning it right now. You imagine touching it, sitting in it, and driving it as you do so. By completing this process, you thereby increase the harmony between yourself and your desire.
Now, you might initially only engage in this process for a limited period of time each day though. The rest of the day you will likely incidentally give more attention to thoughts of the car's absence and thoughts that have nothing to do with the car you are wanting to attract. This is oftentimes what happens when one is not an experienced manifestor. Once you become more experienced at manifesting your desires though, you will then understand the value of keeping your focus centered upon good feeling thoughts of what it is you truly want in life.
Even if you do not give all of your attention to the idea of owning a brand new car, you will nonetheless still give some of your attention to it to some degree if this is a strong desire of yours. As a result, the Universe has to manifest a corresponding manifestation, or an experience, that matches your point of attraction, the way you feel as a result of thinking such thoughts. You likely already feel pretty good on an average day if you generally give your attention to subjects that make you feel good, but whenever you are focusing on a car you truly love, you likely feel especially good in return. So, if you choose to give your attention to really good feeling thoughts about the car you would like to own, the Universe will give you a corresponding manifestation and you may actually see the car you want as you go about your day due to your initial focus.
Many people might write this small experience off as a coincidence. Some people might even jump into thoughts of lack and corresponding feelings of lack in response to an event of this kind too, because they want the car so much, but they are also focused on what they do not want simultaneously, or the absence of the car in their life.
In reality though, this experience is nothing less than a miracle. For, you gave your attention to this specific car and it then appeared in your life experience as a physical manifestation. You should interpret an experience of this kind as a very good sign indeed, because it means you are doing something right with your thoughts. For this reason, you should always remember that whenever you are giving your attention to the car of your dreams while feeling good, you are at that moment attracting more experiences involving that car into your life.
This holds true for all subjects too. No matter what it is you want to manifest or experience, you can simply give your attention to it through the use of your imagination by imagining living the life you want to live and you will then experience corresponding manifestations that prove to you that you are moving towards the fulfillment of your desires.