Jim Carrey wrote himself a $10 million check before he could cash it—a few years later, he did: Here's the science behind manifestation

Manifesting a raise or promotion in 2026?

You’re not the only one. There are over 9 million posts on TikTok championing the use of manifestation and visualization techniques to achieve your goals. And experts say it may actually help — but not because it’s magic.

Take for example the famous story of A-List actor and comedian Jim Carrey. In the early 1990′s he wrote himself a check of an amount that he didn’t have the funds to cash yet.

“I made a check to myself for $10 million for acting services rendered, paid to the order of Jim Carrey, post-dated Thanksgiving 1995, [and] stuck it in my wallet,” Carrey said while appearing on The Graham Norton show in 2015.

“And six months before that due date came due, I was making $10 million for a movie.”