4 Proper Steps to Manifest According to Science | Mel Robbins

Summary

In this motivational video, Mel Robbins outlines a four-step process for effective manifesting based on research and science. She emphasizes the importance of giving oneself permission to dream without limits, visualizing the steps towards a goal rather than just the end result, feeling the emotions associated with taking those steps, and ultimately doing the work required to achieve one's aspirations. Robbins uses examples from studies and personal anecdotes to illustrate how this method trains the mind and body to align with goals, overcome self-doubt, and take actionable steps towards success.

Takeaways

• 😌 Manifesting involves aligning your mind, body, and spirit with your goals, which requires more than just thinking about the end result.
• 🔑 The first step to manifesting is giving yourself permission to dream without limits, which helps overcome self-doubt and fear.
• ✍️ Writing down your goals every day can increase the likelihood of achieving them by 42%, as suggested by research mentioned in the script.
• 👀 Visualization is crucial for manifesting; it's not about visualizing the end goal but focusing on the steps that lead to it.
• 🏃‍♀️ Manifesting is about preparing your mind and body to take the necessary actions, not just daydreaming about the outcome.
• 🧠 The reticular activity system (RAS) in your brain acts as a filter that can be adjusted through habits like daily goal writing.
• 🏆 The power of visualization is backed by scientific research, such as the UCLA study on students' test performance.
• 🌟 Feeling the emotions associated with achieving your goals, like pride and determination, can amplify the effectiveness of manifesting.
• 🏞️ To manifest effectively, visualize the journey and the small steps, not just the destination, to keep yourself motivated and engaged.
• 💪 Taking action is the final and most critical step in manifesting; without action, the visualization and mental preparation are not enough to achieve your goals.

Q & A

What is the definition of manifesting according to the script?

Manifesting is defined as a skill that trains your mind, body, and spirit to align with what you want to achieve in life, preparing and socializing your mind and nervous system to take necessary actions to get what you want.

Why is it important to give yourself permission to dream with the lid off?

It's important to dream with the lid off because it allows you to fully explore and set goals aligned with your deepest desires without being limited by self-doubt, fears, or insecurities.

How does the reticular activity system (RAS) in the brain relate to manifesting?

The RAS acts as a filter in the brain. By changing the structure of this filter through deliberate actions like writing down your desires, you train your mind to allow the flow of desires and align with your goals.

What is the significance of writing down five things you want every morning?

Writing down five things you want each morning helps solidify those desires in your mind, making you 42% more likely to achieve them, according to research. It also signals to your brain that you deserve and genuinely want these things.

Why should you visualize the steps leading to your goal rather than the end goal itself?

Visualizing the steps leading to your goal is more effective because it prepares your mind and body for the actions needed to achieve it, whereas focusing solely on the end goal can lead to feelings of unmotivation and discouragement due to the perceived distance from it.

What did the UCLA study on visualization and manifestation reveal about student performance?

The UCLA study revealed that students who visualized themselves studying for a test (the 'hard workers' group) performed better than those who visualized themselves achieving the end result (the 'vision board' group).

How does feeling the actions you're visualizing contribute to manifestation?

Feeling the actions you're visualizing engages your mind, body, and spirit, making the mental rehearsal more vivid and effective. This practice helps to lower resistance and motivates you to take the necessary actions.

What role does pride play in the manifestation process?

Pride acts as a booster in the manifestation process, amplifying the memory imprint of the actions you're visualizing. It helps reinforce the positive feelings associated with doing the work towards your goals.

Why is it crucial to take action as part of the manifestation process?

Taking action is crucial because manifestation is about preparing your mind and body to do the work necessary to achieve your goals. It's only through actions that you can overcome obstacles and achieve the desired results.

What is the one simple trick mentioned for manifesting steps when you've never done something before?

The script alludes to a simple trick for manifesting steps when facing something new, which is explored in the next video. It suggests using visualization techniques to rehearse the steps mentally, even if you haven't physically taken them before.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Power of Authentic Desires in Manifestation

The paragraph emphasizes the importance of being honest with oneself to manifest effectively. It suggests that focusing solely on the end goal can lead to feelings of unmotivation and discouragement. The speaker, Mel Robbins, introduces the concept of manifesting as a holistic practice involving mind, body, and spirit. She proposes a four-step method to manifest correctly, based on research and science, which trains the individual to align with their life goals. The first step is to give oneself permission to dream without limits, which is crucial for overcoming self-doubt and fear.

05:02

📝 The Practice of Dreaming with the Lid Off

This section delves into the first step of the manifesting process: giving oneself permission to dream without restrictions. The speaker suggests a practical exercise of writing down five things one wants every morning to train the mind to dream freely. The scientific basis for this practice is the reticular activity system (RAS) in the brain, which filters information and can be influenced by deliberate actions. Writing down desires is said to increase the likelihood of achieving goals and signals to the brain that one is serious about their aspirations.

10:03

🎯 Visualizing the Path, Not Just the Goal

The paragraph discusses the second step in manifesting: visualizing the steps leading to the desired outcome rather than just the end goal. It highlights a study from UCLA that compared two groups of students, one visualizing the end result and the other visualizing the process of studying. The group that visualized the process performed better, illustrating the power of envisioning the journey rather than the destination. This approach is said to reduce resistance and motivate action, which is essential for achieving goals.

15:04

🏃‍♀️ Feeling the Experience of Doing the Work

The fourth paragraph continues the discussion on manifestation by emphasizing the importance of not just visualizing the steps but also feeling the experience of doing the work. It explains that manifesting is a mind-body-spirit practice that requires engaging the nervous system. The speaker uses the example of studying for a test, suggesting that one should visualize and feel the process of studying, including the environment and emotions, to create a strong mental imprint. This mental rehearsal is compared to a training run, preparing the individual for the actual task.

20:06

🏔️ Taking Action to Overcome Obstacles

The final paragraph stresses the importance of taking action as the ultimate step in manifestation. It warns against focusing on the end goal, which can create excuses and self-doubt, and instead encourages focusing on the immediate steps and taking action despite obstacles. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about preparing for a marathon, illustrating how visualization helped overcome fears and excuses. The key message is that consistent mental rehearsal of the process, including feelings of pride and determination, prepares one to take the necessary actions to achieve their goals.

Keywords

💡Manifesting

Manifesting, as discussed in the video, refers to the practice of using one's thoughts, feelings, and actions to attract or realize their desires. It's a concept rooted in the belief that the energy and focus you put into something can make it happen. The video emphasizes that manifesting is not just about thinking about what you want but also about aligning your mind, body, and spirit to take the necessary actions to achieve it. For example, the speaker talks about manifesting as a way to 'train your mind, your body, your spirit, to align with what you want to achieve in life.'

💡Mind, Body, Spirit Alignment

Mind, body, spirit alignment is the concept of harmonizing one's mental, physical, and emotional states to achieve a goal. The video suggests that for effective manifesting, one must not only think about their desires but also feel and embody them, engaging the entire self in the process. This is illustrated when the speaker says, 'manifesting is mind body spirit we got to get your nervous system involved, we've got to make you feel like you're at the scene.'

💡Reticular Activity System (RAS)

The Reticular Activity System is a filter in the brain that selects certain information to be attended to while ignoring other information. In the context of the video, the RAS is mentioned as a mechanism that can be influenced by habits and practices, such as writing down goals, to help individuals focus on and achieve their desires. The speaker explains, 'you have a filter in your brain called the reticular activity system... you can do simple things that change the structure of that filter.'

💡Visualization

Visualization is the act of creating mental images or scenarios to help achieve a goal or outcome. The video highlights visualization as a critical step in manifesting, where one should visualize not just the end result but also the steps leading to it. This is exemplified when the speaker advises to 'visualize the steps that lead you to the thing that you want, not the end goal.'

💡Action

Action in the video refers to the physical steps and efforts taken to realize a goal. The speaker emphasizes that manifesting is not just about thinking or visualizing but also about taking concrete actions that lead to the desired outcome. This is clear when the speaker states, 'what ultimately creates results in your life are actions.'

💡Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is the internal skepticism or lack of confidence that can hinder one's ability to manifest their desires. The video discusses how self-doubt can prevent individuals from fully committing to their goals, which is why it's important to 'give yourself permission to dream with the lid off.'

💡End Goal

The end goal in the context of the video is the final outcome or result one is aiming for. However, the speaker cautions against focusing solely on the end goal, as it can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed or unmotivated. Instead, the focus should be on the journey and the steps involved, as illustrated by the speaker's point that 'if all you do is focus on the thing that you want... you start to feel really unmotivated and discouraged because you're nowhere near it.'

💡Daily Practice

Daily practice, as mentioned in the video, involves consistent daily actions or habits that support the manifestation process. The speaker provides an example of a daily practice where one writes down five things they want each morning, which helps in training the mind to dream freely and aligns with the manifestation process.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a 'fraud.' The video touches on how manifesting can help remove such self-limiting beliefs, allowing individuals to take actions towards their goals without being held back by insecurities.

💡Resistance

Resistance in the video refers to the internal or external obstacles that prevent one from taking action towards their goals. The speaker talks about how manifesting can help lower resistance and motivate action, as in 'preparing your mind and visualizing yourself doing it, lowers your resistance and leads to you taking the action.'

Highlights

Manifesting involves aligning your mind, body, and spirit with your goals.

The four steps to manifesting according to research and science are introduced.

Step one is to give yourself permission to dream without limits.

The reticular activity system in the brain acts as a filter that can be adjusted.

Writing down five things you want each morning can increase the likelihood of achieving them.

Visualizing the steps towards your goal, not just the end result, is crucial for manifestation.

Research from UCLA demonstrates the power of visualizing the process rather than the outcome.

Manifesting is about training your mind and body to take the necessary actions.

Feeling the sensations of doing the work is essential for manifesting success.

The brain cannot distinguish between vividly imagined actions and real actions.

Incorporating a sense of pride into your visualization can amplify the effect.

An example of using visualization to prepare for running a marathon is provided.

The final step in manifesting is to actually take action and do the work.

Excuses and self-doubt are common obstacles that must be overcome through consistent visualization.

Manifesting prepares you to push through resistance and obstacles by rehearsing them mentally.

The video concludes with a teaser for the next video on manifesting steps for things you've never done before.

Transcripts

you aren't even able to manifest

properly because you're not even honest

with yourself about what you actually

want what happens is because you've only

focused on the end goal you start to

feel really unmotivated and discouraged

because you're nowhere near it

manifesting is mind body spirit we got

to get your nervous system involved

we've got to make you

feel like you're at the scene and this

is where a lot of people not naming

names

but this one is like really important

[Music]

hey i'm mel robbins and i'm gonna teach

you the four simple steps that you need

to follow in order to manifest the right

way

according to research and science i'm so

glad you're watching this manifesting is

an incredible skill to develop in your

life and to

practice and build consistently

as something that you do my definition

of manifesting

is manifesting when you do it following

the four steps you're about to learn

according to research and science what

manifesting does is it trains

your mind your body your spirit

to align with what you want to achieve

in life manifesting is a way to prepare

or socialize your mind and your nervous

system and your body to do the work

that's necessary to getting what you

want and so the steps that i'm going to

walk you through work they're based in

research and what they're doing is they

remove all of the obstacles that would

normally stop you from taking action

because just thinking about what you

want isn't going to get it done what

ultimately creates results in your life

are actions and so manifesting is a way

to train yourself

to take the actions that will change

your life that will help you get what

you want manifesting also removes

self-doubt resistant excuses impostor

syndrome all the things that would

normally stop you from taking the

actions the four steps that you need to

follow really simple step number one

is give yourself permission

to dream with the lid off

this is really important and the reason

why this is important is because i

guarantee you

that right now you are not even allowing

yourself

to fully

dream or

think about or set goals that are truly

aligned with what you deeply want in

your heart

that you aren't even able to manifest

properly because you're not even honest

with yourself about what you actually

want this is a really common thing

because you're allowing yourself

self-doubt you are allowing your fears

your anxiety your insecurity you're

allowing where you are to dictate and

limit where you want to go and so step

one super important you must allow

yourself

give yourself permission to start

dreaming with the lid off now the

scientific reason why this is so

important is because you have a filter

in your brain called the reticular

activity system i write about the ras

for short the reticular activity system

extensively in the high five habit

the ras is a filter in your mind and you

can

do simple things that change the

structure of that filter in fact the

filter in your mind the res is always

changing so one thing that you can do

in order to teach yourself how to

dream with the lid off is to adopt a

simple habit every single morning i do a

very simple thing i write down five

things that i want

that's it

when i start my day after i get up on

the alarm rings i make my bed i pull on

my exercise clothes i set an intention i

high-five myself in the mirror i then go

out into the kitchen i crack open my

high five journal and then inside the

journal there are prompts that walk me

through the steps of visualizing and the

first prompt is dream with the lid off

set your spirit free write down five

things every morning that you want and

this is important because when you get

what you want out of your head

and you physically put them on a piece

of paper research shows that you're 42

more likely to achieve those goals

simply by writing them down that's

pretty cool

secondly your mind is paying attention

and when you take deliberate action and

you write down what you want you are

signaling to your brain

that you

deserve to have these things you are

signaling to your brain that you do want

those things you're not just going to

think about them these are things that

matter to you and that helps train your

mind to allow you to let the desires

flow through you because right now

you're not manifesting properly because

you're not even allowing yourself to

dream with the lid off so that's step

number one you're gonna start writing

down five things that you want every

single morning as a way to train your

mind to let you dream freely so a couple

things about this little practice of

writing down five things that you want

every morning as a way to train your

mind to allow you to dream again

first of all you can write down the same

five things every day it's your list

your dreams you get to do this how you

want the second thing that you could do

is you could just write down different

things every day it doesn't matter

because really what manifesting is is

manifesting as a way to train and

prepare your mind body and spirit to

help you and if your mind is blocking

you and your mind won't even allow you

to fully

want the things that you want

like for example maybe you want to be a

new york times best-selling author

but you won't even write that down

because you don't think it's possible

if you won't even write it down because

your self-doubt is stopping you you're

not dreaming with the lid off and so

this simple exercise write down i want

to be a new york times best-selling

author i want to house by the beach i

want to take my family to disney world

i'd love to meet the love of my life i'd

like to climb mount kilimanjaro i want

to open a wine bar i'd love to get in

the best shape of my life i'd like to do

a handstand this year in yoga i'd like

my dog to start rocking at the neighbors

whatever you want it doesn't matter

you're just training yourself to dream

and that's step one

allow yourself to want what you want

step number two for manifesting properly

according to science

is

you must

visualize the steps that lead you

to the thing that you want

not the end goal

this is a major mistake that people make

they manifest

improperly because all they do is focus

on the end goal

if you've ever made a vision board

think about what you put on the vision

board you put up just the beach house or

the million dollars in the bank or you

crossing the finish line are you

launching that business are you having

the body that you want are you a driving

the maserati whatever it is the end goal

is what you put up on a vision board

that is not what you're going to do when

you manifest if you start focusing on

crossing the finish line of the marathon

that is a one-way ticket to being

unmotivated and completely discouraged

in fact research shows that if all you

do is focus on the thing that you want

and you just focus on that vision of you

and your bikini body or you with the

love of your life on your arms or you at

the

oscars winning that award or the grammys

what happens is because you've only

focused on the end goal

you start to feel really unmotivated and

discouraged because you're nowhere near

it

that's where manifesting comes in

because we're not going to focus on the

end goal

you got to pick something that you want

in order to get started but manifesting

isn't about the end

it's about the bridge

it's about going from where you are here

to where you want to go

imagine that there is a bridge

that connects where you are right here

with what you dream about doing

now that dream could be to be a grammy

award-winning

singer-songwriter that dream might be to

have a family of your own that dream

might be to have a beach house or a ski

house or to take a trip to fiji that

dream can be whatever the hell you want

it to be

but when it comes to manifesting

once you've given yourself permission to

dream with the lid off and really want

what you want to feel the pull of that

thing now we got to talk about the path

that connects where you are with where

you want to go

and this is all about visualizing the

little steps there's a lot of research

that proves why visualizing the steps

is

the most important thing that you could

do

there was a study done at ucla for

example

where they were researching

manifestation and the power of

visualization and they broke students

into two groups and they had group a

we're going to call these the vision

board group they had group a

close their eyes visualize in their mind

and feel in their body

themselves taking the test

and then walking up

to a board where the tests

scores were posted

and finding their name and seeing an a

plus

that's what group a the vision board

group were told to do

to visualize themselves achieving what

they wanted

group b

we're going to call these the hard

workers these students were coached in

this research project to close their

eyes and to visualize going back to

their dorm room

sitting down at the desk

and studying

and staying up late

and putting in the work studying and

preparing for the tests

now let me ask you a question

which group do you think did better on

the actual test

was it group a the vision board group

who were taught to visualize and picture

themselves walking up to a board and

seeing the a plus

or was it group b the hard work group

the group that was taught to close their

eyes and visualize and seeing themselves

doing the work to study for the test

well if you answered group a you're

wrong

if you answered group b

you got the correct answer the reason

why group b

the students who visualize studying for

the test got better test scores is

because when you visualize yourself

doing the work visualizing it leads you

to doing the work

and it's only through actions that you

will get the result that you want

preparing your mind and visualizing

yourself doing it

lowers your resistance and leads to you

taking the action that's why manifesting

works you know the same is true in

sports there's all kinds of research in

sports psychology in fact our olympic

athletes for the u.s olympic team

they hire sports psychologists who train

our top olympic athletes particularly

after they've been injured

in visualizing themselves competing

when you coach an athlete to mentally

rehearse every single detail about going

through the competition you are training

the mind body and spirit to show up and

dominate this is particularly true for

athletes after they've been injured and

they're stepping back into competition

if you've been injured in competition

you're naturally going to feel anxious

you're naturally going to be nervous

your brain and nervous system circuitry

is now programmed with the intensity

from that injury the memory from the

injury so of course it's natural to

bring that in to your pre-competition

feelings about it right

so manifestation properly remember what

it is manifesting is preparing your mind

body and spirit to do the work it's

aligning your mind body and spirit with

what you want it removes the obstacles

that would normally stop you which then

prepares and motivates you to take the

actions to succeed so in the case of

athletes who visualize themselves and

see themselves doing all the steps over

and over they're removing the nerves

they're removing all the programming

related to the injury they are preparing

their mind body and spirit to go in and

frickin dominate and so are you because

that's step two you gotta see it

the third step is you're gonna feel in

your body

what it feels like to do the work

so let's go back to the research project

at ucla

not only do i want you to close your

eyes

and picture yourself going back to the

dorm room notice i'm closing my eyes

it's because

manifesting is a habit for me and when i

manifest i get in it man i close my eyes

i go into my mind i am literally

in my imagination there and i not only

can see myself doing the work i can feel

it you can feel what it's like to walk

into that dorm you can feel what it's

like to sit down you can feel the heavy

backpack hit the table you can feel

yourself crack open that book you can

feel yourself sitting at that desk in

the desk light and you can also even

feel what it's like can't you as the sun

starts to set and it gets darker outside

and the light on your desk starts to get

brighter and take things over you can

just put yourself right there and the

feeling is super important because again

manifesting is mind body spirit we got

to get your nervous system involved

we've got to make you

feel like you're at the scene one of the

reasons why feeling it is so important

is because it magnifies the imagery in

your mind

and when your mind rehearses something

here's what's cool about your brain

your brain doesn't know the difference

between you

studying for that test

or you doing the work

to

start that business or get healthy or

put yourself back out there or heal your

trauma or

save the money to get that house that

you want or whatever it is that you're

visualizing your brain doesn't know the

difference between you visualizing those

things

and you actually doing them

in your mind it's the same

so it's almost like a training run for a

marathon you are building a muscle that

helps you win when you take the actions

it's so cool and so you not only want to

feel

what it's like

to

study for that test put yourself at the

scene you also want to feel

a sense of pride that you're doing the

work and the pride piece is really

important because the pride piece acts

almost like a booster

it amplifies

the memory imprint when you like bring

this wow there i am i'm doing the work

i'm proud of myself i'm staying in i'm

putting in the extra work somebody said

no and i kept on going i didn't stop

when the first venture capital firm said

they wouldn't invest there i am

investing again when you feel this sense

of pride in yourself it supersizes the

imprint and the rehearsing and so it's a

super important part of the feeling not

only feel the steps feel the pride that

you're doing it this is so important

that i want to give you yet another

example let's say that your bucket list

something on your bucket list is to run

a marathon for me

it was on my bucket list when i was a

young mom to run the new york city

marathon now what's interesting is i

applied i got a number and when i won

this number out of a lottery system with

the new york city marathon i was a brand

new mom i was totally out of shape i was

not at all in any kind of of a place to

run the new york city marathon now

here's the thing i used

visualization to help me

lower my fear and my excuses because

when i got the number i did not have a

lot of time if i had been a a person who

was not visualizing i probably would

have said up i don't have enough time to

train i'm not ready i can't do this all

the excuses would have come in but

instead i used visualization now how do

you use visualization for say a marathon

you do not want to visualize crossing

the finish line that is how you

visualize incorrectly

luckily i knew

how to visualize at this moment in my

life

you need to visualize yourself going

from

zero

to preparing to run that raise so what

does that mean that means

you need to visualize oh there i am it's

five o'clock in the morning

ugh i don't feel like getting up but i'm

getting up and i'm putting on my

sneakers and it's dark out and i don't

feel like going for a run but there i am

going out the door alone in the cold wow

i am going for i'm i'm pretty proud of

myself because i'm training oh here's

another thing you could visualize i'm on

a training run it's mile 7 and it starts

to rain

and i keep going

wow i'm wet and i'm still running i'm

proud of myself because i'm out there

training it's mile 11

and my earbuds just lost battery i don't

have any more music

i got five more miles to go i'm out here

for almost another hour

and i continue going and i continue

going and i see myself completing that

16 mile training run and i allow myself

to not only feel what it feels like to

push through

that moment when those earbuds run out

of battery

but i also feel proud of myself for

pushing through that's how you prepare

yourself

for

the thing that you need to do

because it removes the obstacles that

would stop you

from pushing through

at mile 11 when your earbuds run out

because you've already rehearsed the

moment in your mind and then finally

step four and this is where a lot of

people

not naming names

but this one is like really important

you need to do the work okay

you gotta do the work

because it's only through your actions

that you will accomplish what you want

let's say uh that you've always wanted

to climb a particular mountain okay

there's a mountain called haystack it's

not even that tall so i should probably

pick a bigger one but let's just call it

haystack mountain you've always wanted

to climb haystack mountain you pull up

to haystack mountain

and you get out of the car you park at

the you know national forest parking lot

and you make the mistake of looking up

at the mountain which is the end goal

right

and you notice it's up in the clouds

and then you start to think oh my god

that's a really far way away

you know i don't really know how i feel

about doing this anymore because that

looks like it's going to take a really

long time and then all of a sudden it

starts to rain and you go i don't think

i want to do this because i don't think

i feel like doing this and next thing

you know you are back in the car driving

back down the road to that little diner

that you saw and instead of climbing the

mountain that you've always dreamt of

climbing you've now

come up with an excuse

and you have abandoned ship you now have

literally become your own obstacle you

talked yourself out of it you started to

doubt yourself you told yourself you

weren't ready and that you didn't feel

like it you pull the rip cord you're out

of there in order to have what you want

in life

you must stop staring at the top of that

mountain

you must stop creating excuses for why

you can't or don't feel like it and you

must put your head down

and look at the first step in front of

you

and then you must take the action and

start walking toward what you want and

it'll be a hell of a lot easier for you

to do that if you have also

been putting in the time every day

consistently to not only see yourself

walking up that trail step by step but

that you have felt yourself pushing

through

the resistance the fear the obstacles

the

the excuses that are stopping you now

and feel proud in every fiber of your

being as you push through those

obstacles and see yourself and feel

yourself doing the work that's how you

manifest properly

and if you do that before you pull into

the

national park parking lot

if you look up at that mountain and you

see clouds and it starts raining it

won't matter

because you've already rehearsed this

moment in your mind body and spirit

and you my friend will start walking up

that trail

and you're going to be proud

that's how you use manifesting to get

what you want that's how you leverage

all the science and research to train

and prepare your mind body and spirit to

help you get what you want and that's

how you hack the motivation and

inspiration that you need to take the

actions that get you everything that you

want and deserve in life

now i know what you might be thinking

because it is one of the biggest

obstacles that people face

and that is well what if i know what i

want mel

but i actually can't

possibly visualize the steps because

i've never done this big thing i don't

even know how to get started

well that's a very common obstacle and

that's why

i want you to watch

the next video

which is one simple trick that you can

use to start manifesting the steps that

you need to take to accomplish something

you've never done before

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