Congratulations to my valued book development client, Igor Vainshtein, on the publication of his groundbreaking new book, Practical Manifestation: How to Leverage the Principles of Project Management to Turn Your Dreams into Reality.
This book combines two seemingly unrelated approaches to achieving goals into a unified framework, showing you step by step how they can complement each other to create a method stronger than either one on its own.
The first approach, the agile method, originated in software development but has since been embraced by many industries. It is often paired with the scrum methodology, which serves as its operational framework. While agile and scrum come with formal rules, in practice, these are adapted to fit the unique needs of the team and project.
At its core, the agile/scrum approach emphasizes delivering workable iterations of a product. Rather than completing and delivering a finished product all at once, this method focuses on building a simple, functional version first. The customer tests and accepts this initial version, and through iterative improvements—often organized into “sprints”—additional features and refinements are added until the product fully meets the customer’s requirements. For instance, if a customer needs a website interface with product recommendations, the team might first deliver a basic version and then enhance it through successive iterations.
This approach offers two major advantages. First, it allows flexibility to adapt and reprioritize deliverables as the project progresses—this is the essence of agility. Second, delivering a simple, testable version early on helps identify and address bugs or defects that could otherwise become more challenging to fix later. The scrum framework keeps this iterative process efficient and organized, making the best use of the team’s skills while maximizing value for the customer.
The second approach, manifestation, focuses on the psychological aspect of goal achievement. Rooted in the law of attraction, manifestation emphasizes the importance of mindset and attitude in achieving success. Unlike the operational nature of agile and scrum, manifestation recognizes that human beings are driven by emotions as much as logic. A positive mindset can often be the determining factor in success, influencing how opportunities are perceived and pursued.
