I'm a self-confessed recovering control freak. I've spent tons of energy in my life trying to be perfect and do or say the things I think will produce certain outcomes.
What did I learn? It never works that way, and I ended up cranky and dissatisfied. On the other hand, I've been the recipient of controlling behavior. I've been manipulated and micromanaged to a point where I didn't want to end up that way either.
I finally was turned on to the Law of Attraction through The Secret where I learned about manifesting outcomes through positive thinking, divine intuition, meditation, visualization and a number of other soul nurturing positive techniques. After practicing these techniques for a while, I started to wonder if manifestation was a fancy form of manipulation.
As I let the thought incubate in my mind, it came to me that manifestation comes from spirit, and manipulation stems from ego. Spirit is the pure connection to soul and source within you and ego is the need to consciously maneuver and manage the environment around you.
When you manifest out of a place of spirit, you are tuning into an honest place within yourself. From that place you learn to love yourself and love others, and where there is love, there is no manipulation. As you meditate on your desires and visualize them as absolute fact, you can grow stronger in your visions and invest your energy and creativity into your desires. It is possible to manifest your dreams and have it all because you can!