Why The Law Of Attraction Seems To Work … Sometimes
Yesterday’s post about the dangers of positive thinking sure hit a nerve with a lot of people – especially those who see through “The Secret” for the insane marketing madness that it is. Looking on the bright side of life can get you feeling better about your situation, but there’s no substitute for action. As Brett points out in today’s Viking Fridays post, there’s “no lamb for the lazy wolf.” Indeed.
“But Dave, The Law Of Attraction Really Worked For Me!”
I’m sure at least one of my readers is going to chime up “But Dave, you just don’t understand … the Law of Attraction really works! I focused on <insert thing> and it happened the next day!”
I’m certainly not going to argue that sometimes the this seems to work – in fact, it’s “worked” for me over and over again in my life – but not because of any quantum physics magic. It’s “worked” for simple, provable reasons I’ll go into in a second. For now, let’s get clear on what the Law Of Attraction is all about.
Our dear friend Wikipedia says that in order to use the Law of Attraction you must do four things:
- Know what one desires and ask the “universe” for it.
- Focus one’s thought upon the thing desired with great feeling such as enthusiasm or gratitude.
- Feel and behave as if the object of one’s desire is already acquired.
- Be open to receiving it.
Super, all I have to do is ask for what I want, focus on getting all warm and fuzzy and act like I already have it? Wow, that’s so profound, so incredibly deep and magical that … it’s not magical at all. It’s an illusion that makes it seem like the universe is doing the work for you. Let’s break it down.
Step 1: Know what one desires and ask the “universe” for it.
Step 1: Get clear on what you want. (You don’t need the universe’s permission.)
This is so simple it’s common sense. When you get clear on something you can start taking definitive action on it – and more importantly, you start making distinctions and decisions that move you towards it. If you decide you want to lose 20 pounds this year, and you get really clear on that, then you’re more likely to take action to do so. You become more conscious of what you eat – and you find yourself making smarter decisions. There’s an expression – “awareness is curative.” This is what’s happening here.
Forget “asking the universe.” When you try this step of the Law of Attraction, all you are doing is mentally raising the priority of what you want. You decide it’s worth wanting, and you create a “pull” that increases your chances of taking that all important goal-stompin’ action.
Step 2: Focus one’s thought upon the thing desired with great feeling such as enthusiasm or gratitude.
Step 2: Think about what you want, and get emotionally attached to achieving it.
Let’s imagine this – you want to lose 20 pounds, or make more money, or attract the person of your dreams. Now, if you spent a great deal of time focusing on how incredible it would feel to have that thing, how lucky you feel to have that in your life, don’t you think that maybe – just maybe – you might find yourself more likely to take significant levels of action to make it happen?
When you create strong emotional attachments to what you want, it becomes harder and harder to act contrary to that. Advertisers make billions off of this. If they can get you to make a powerful emotional connection with their product and your idea of happiness, you are sold. You will most certainly take action. When you can do it to yourself, you own your life again. No magic required.
Step 3: Feel and behave as if the object of one’s desire is already acquired.
Step 3: Disassociate from self-doubt and begin acting the part.
You’ve heard the phrase “Fake it ’till you make it.” It works. If you act with certainty that you have something (or that you’re going to be getting something), you boost your chances of acquiring it for three key reasons.
- First, you break the hold of self-doubt and free yourself to take bolder actions. You stop worrying about “what if” and focus on what to do next instead. Certainty is a great motivator – if you believe you already have what you want, you’re going to take stronger action to achieve it.
- Second, you notice opportunities you didn’t track before when you believe that something is coming to you. Just like when you buy a car, you suddenly notice that car everywhere. Those cars were always there – it’s just now you notice them because you’ve mentally given it priority. When they say “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” there’s no magic there. The teacher was always present – now you just notice her. (And she’s hot.)
- Third, people smell confidence and certainty the same way that animals smell fear. We gravitate towards people who are confident and give off an air of certainty, because we want that for ourselves. When you act as if you already have something, people will notice you more – and realize that they might have a resource to help you achieve what you want.
Step 4: Be open to receiving it.
Step 4: Be open to receiving it.
Ok, this one I should have just left alone, because it’s basic psychology. If you feel like you don’t deserve something, or that something is impossible for you to attain, then you absolutely will never allow yourself to take it when it’s available to you. It’s like a guy and a girl who have strong feelings for each other but never act on them because they believe the other person is out of their league and would reject them. Or the victim who refuses help because he believes he’s beyond helping (or not worth helping).
You can’t invite someone (or something) through a locked door. When you are willing to put aside the self-doubt, anxieties and human hang-ups that make you hold back, you’re willing to accept the fact that hey, maybe you’re worth it. Maybe you can have that (or be that). You stop sabotaging the opportunities that are working in your favor.
The Real Secret: The Law Of AttrAction
The secret is out: You don’t need to have a magic genie to have more of what you want in life. You just have to get clear on what you want, get emotionally invested in achieving it, act from a position of certainty, and keep yourself from self-sabotage.
So where does that leave “the universe?” That I leave up to you to decide. I’m only human – and there are plenty of things outside my understanding. Prayer, meditation, faith and belief in that higher power – I can’t dispute that there are factors outside of our physical actions that shape how things get done in this universe. But I can tell you one thing: Believing that all of existence is a vending machine that’s just waiting to give you a sugary fix without the work? That’s just plain nuts.
And that’s no secret.
One powerful action you can take right now is to subscribe to this blog for more straight-up, own-your-life tips. Or if you’ve already done that, join the Rock Your Day newsletter. It’s genie-free stuff you can actually use.
Good expansion on yesterday’s points Dave. I especially like the way you cleverly incorporated the key ingredient I pointed out was missing from the “Law of Attraction” placebo, but hidden right in the title. (The “action” in “attraction”)
Robert Ringer wrote a great book called “Action: Nothing Happens Till Something Moves.” Anyone caught up in the LOA (or anyone who just wants to get things done) should pick it up. Ringer is a great bottom-line author who’ll proves that action attracts results.
JP Micek’s last blog post..Persuasion for Profit: Houdini and the Secrets of Packaged Perception
*jumps up and shouts: “Hear! Hear!”
Lodewijk’s last blog post..Productivity Secrets
@JP –
I love Ringer’s books – especially “Winning Through Intimidation.”
(Which is actually a trick title for those who don’t know – it teaches you how to avoid OTHER people using intimidation to win against YOU).
@Lode –
Glad you liked!
This is great. This is logical damned thinking that empowers PEOPLE to take charge versus leaving it all up to some sky-guy out there. Opportunities are all around us. Wallowing in pity? Wishing and desiring but doing nothing?
IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN.
But if you want something and you do something – anything – some damned little thing – to start changing your beliefs and start believing you can achieve your goals, then you bloody well will. Or at least something just as good.
I started out at 2$ an hour. I believed with all my heart that I was going to make it big. I did. I’m here. Why? BECAUSE I WORKED AT IT AND DIDN’T WAIT FOR THE UNIVERSE TO HAND IT TO ME.
But I can bet I had an easier time finding those opportunities that seemed to fall right into my lap. When you’re open to seeing what can be, you bloody well see it.
Oh, by the way. I’m not done making it big. I’m going even bigger, boys. Watch me fly.
(Hm. Now I have this old song stuck in my head that said, “He must be a magic genie…”)
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..A Drive-By Case Study: EditMe
I’m still pretty new to all this, but I know a woman who is heavily into LOA and has built a coaching business around it.
She roles her eyes at “The Secret”. I think most people who know what LOA is really about does the same. She calls it “Law of Attraction Lite”.
The LOA comes in for the visioning part of it. To getting clear about what you want and putting that down on paper. That *is* taking action. She is all about taking action and not ‘let’s think about it for a day and it will appear’. She knows that’s bogus. I think true LOA involves all of the things you’re pointing out above (maybe it’s just worded differently).
“The Secret” was pretty incomplete and people bought into it because it was easy. Lot of folks want easy. So fire away at “The Secret” Dave.
But I wouldn’t lump *all* Law of Attraction principles into your analysis of it. Because it IS about taking action as well. Real LOA believes that “nothing happens till something moves”.
At least that’s how I’ve come to understand it.
Karen JL’s last blog post..Want Some Free Story Consulting?
Dave,
I like how you analyzed and extended this – I tried to explain to someone once that “The Secret” was sort of a dumbed-down version of life change / productivity stuff that had already been written, and I was shouted down for being a “non-believer”…
And thanks for the pingback, too.
Now, off to catch and eat that lamb…
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..viking fridays – everything you always wanted to know about life change*
@Karen JL – Your comment made me realize something. I think that a lot of coaches out there are really looking to help people with improving their life. The LOA is only one of the ways or concepts that can achieve this, as there are many others. In the end it’s about what works I guess.
What I realized is that I hate the fact that it’s called the Law of Attraction. It’s not a law, it’s a concept, an idea. A law is something you prove (like Newton did) or something you legislate. The LOA is neither, and that’s why I think it’s wrong. The deceipt is in the name.
Lodewijk’s last blog post..Productivity Secrets
@ Lodewijk
You may be right.
True practitioners of it might want to use another name… “The Secret” probably gave real Law of Attraction a bad name.
‘Think and Grow Rich’ is essentially LOA…it’s just not called that.
Karen JL’s last blog post..Want Some Free Story Consulting?
I could not agree more with the writer.
Law of Attraction is worthless.. It’s law of action that works most of the time. It’s really a great piece of practical Advice..
Thanks for sharing.. I arrived here from Digg
Maria’s last blog post..IF This is Motorola’s Best, God Save Motorola!
I’ve never been a fan of “The Secret,” but I love how you’ve revamped it to be something realistic. I seem to also recall some people closely linked to The Secret saying that if bad things happen to you, it’s because you brought that upon yourself in the same way (I could be mis-remembering this though)… but I refuse to accept that people would want cancer, car crashes, failed marriages… all the more reason for me to dismiss The Secret.
When The Secret first got popular (aka when Oprah talked about it on her show) my mom called me up and said, “You should watch this video about The Secret! You would love it… it talks about quantum mechanics!” Not knowing what The Secret was at the time, I watched the video… and nearly cried. They f***ed with QM even more than that “documentary”, What the Bleep Do We Know. *sigh* Although it is always fun to hear my physics professors rant about these things.
Oops… that turned into a bit of a rant. Sorry about that. *blush* Great post!
Allison’s last blog post..Carburetor
mother of mercy i have been teaching the law of action for nearly 20 years. yep, you got it, the law of attraction and the secret f***ed me over royally, when my clients began to question me actually making them take action. here i was actually making them do things to make their goals a reality, and along come people with high profiles telling them that they can just think and grow rich (sorry ). i have them read the little engine that could…i think i can, i think i can…but then he actually put the pedal to the metal and did.
lisa
launching pad coaching
It still doesn’t explain how my dad consistently kicks my butt in Monopoly by asking the universe for the exact number on the dice that he needs – and then rolls it!!! I am serious… it seems to work for him more than 50% of the time which is just statistically NOT RIGHT!!!
But that is ok, my Dad needs his little victories.
Seriously – I love your stuff! I’ve been recommending this post: http://www.rockyourday.com/catch-yourself-making-excuses-then-do-something-about-it/ to a lot of people (via my blog, our monthly newsletter and personal e-mail’s). This post will be the new one that I’m linking to help people get off their butts and DO SOMETHING!!! Thanks!
I’m not a LOA coach (but I play one on TV?). However, I started AS AN EXPERIMENT (and skeptic) following the steps outlined in another LOA book that were very clear this past April and my life has, in fact, changed pretty significantly. Yes, many things were the result of my action (which were motivated by writing things down and getting clear). Honestly, I don’t think your changing of those principles is anything most of us would argue with.
But there does seem to be this little something “extra” that is different from goal setting or similar. Much of it is focus/perspective. We don’t notice the extra $100 that shows up before we start paying attention, or the new sofa, or the free trips to Cabo (who knows)? And now we do.
Here’s what I know. It does help motivate me and improve a great deal of the time my attitude. You can read about my experiment at http://www.mizkcreations.blogspot.com.
Kelly
Thank you, Dave, for finding a way to reach the sceptical! What you describe as something different, is the Law of Attraction according to Napoleon Hill and Mike Dooley. As Mike says, you have to be active and keep pitching balls to the Universe so she can hit the home run for you!
However, I would like to point out that the proof of the Law of Attraction, isn’t in our successes, but in our failures. Our successes we work for. We can see where they come from, except when we get those unexpected breaks….
But, the bad “luck” that we wish on ourselves is proof that the Universe is listening and givining us everything that we ask for. When we are saying, “I’m going to be late. I know that I’m going to be late for this most important meeting!” and we are. Being late would not be notable except that we are late, not because we left late, but because we had a flat tire or a water main break stopped traffic for miles. That took some doing to coordinate that! I worked with a client who was always doing that to hereself, until I suggested that she change the message. She did, and she began to be on time. As you say, she also responded to the internal instruction by leaving more consistently on time, but prior to that, even when she left on time she was late.
Teachers too can tell you that whatever you expect from children, you get. They rise, or fall, to your expectations so consistently, you have to believe that there is a level of communication that does not involve sound waves. I would call it quantum level energy. What would you call it?
Thanks for your thoughtful support.
- Nancy
Thanks for what you have written here, Dave. As a psychotherapist, I have witnessed first hand, the damage that Rhonda Byrne & Company can do with their “Secret.” If you —- and your readers —- have a moment, I hope you will visit the web site I created to register my objections to The Secret. I call what I have written, “The Antidote.” You can read it, and more at http://www.thesecretantidote.com. Thanks. Thom Rutledge
Excellent expounding of the steps, Dave. They were all bang on.
I especially liked step 2. I wrote something like that yesterday for my post. Having a very strong WHY as to what you want is what truly gets you motivated, and the more emotionally attached to it you are, the greater your chance of achievement.
steph’s last blog post..No Lamb For the Lazy Wolf
Dave,
The hardest step, in my experience, is step 1. Just being willing to commit out loud to [seeking a new relationship, writing a novel, opening or expanding a business, losing weight, whatever] —right there, most folks get comfy where they are and give up. The self-defeating begins before the commitment is even made, and they’re sunk.
You wrote that people smell confidence the way animals smell fear. True, and so is the reverse. People smell fear. Sometimes I find that people who say they can’t get support from family/ friends are not supporting themselves with confidence, and those around them are really feeding off their own self-doubt. Not always, of course, but if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will, for sure.
Great companion to yesterday’s article.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly Erickson’s last blog post..Tip of the Week: Nailing Your Focus
@James –
EXACTLY. Action creates results – and there’s more than enough opportunity out there waiting for people willing to hunt it down.
@Karen –
Disagree first:
Agree and disagree.
My beef with the LoA is the “Law” part of it. There’s nothing “Law”-ish about it. Gravity is a law – you drop something, it falls. Every time.
LoA doesn’t fit that. In principle, there’s nothing wrong with believing those things if it allows you to take action. It’s a good framework for the “visioning” part. I’ve used the principles myself with mixed success (but I worked my ass of, too).
But the moment that the “Lite” part comes in (as in the Genie video I linked to), it all goes to hell. From the video:
“I know that when I ask for what I want, no matter what it is that I want, the answer must be, “your wish is my command.”
That’s pure hucksterism, no way around it. It’s a candy coated sell to people who want something for nothing.
Now the agree part:
If someone truly believes the LoA (Not “The Secret” version) – and they give it 100% – it’s more than likely they will get above average results, aside from any “universe” factor as I went into above. I’ve got no beef with that – after all, belief drives action.
The tough part is, that’s not how it’s being sold – not at all. And that’s tragic.
Now if your friend – the LoA coach – is coaching people to do the LoA *and* take massive action, they will very likely get above average results, and she will likely have all the clients she can handle … because shwe took action herself
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Karen – I always like when people add to the conversation.
@Brett -
Glad to give some shelter from the storm (he he ..).
Let me repeat it though – I’m not criticizing “belief” and “faith” at all – just the implication that you don’t need to take action.
I’m willing to entertain the thought that the universe will meet you halfway – as long as you start walking first :-p
@Lode -
100% Agree.
@Maria –
Good to see a Digger here today
@Allison –
It’s important to recognize that all great legends are based in fact .. that’s what makes them so powerful. All you need is a little bit of fact in there (the psychological fctors I talked about) and people become ready to buy in.
The shame – as you noted – is when it gets reversed, and victims are told they have only themselves to blame.
@Lisa –
*sigh* I’ve been there. I know what you’re talking about … but “The Secret” will soon pass …
@Julie –
Glad you like, and thanks for the linkbacks … I’ll ask the universe to help you win at Monopoly a little more.
@Kelly -
I won’t argue with that – and I’m not disputing that there are forces outside ourselves that can work in our favor – I’m just ranting about the idea that inaction and wishful thinking can make the magic happen.
As Pete Rose once said to someone who said he was lucky to have his talent:
“I find that the harder I work, the luckier I get.”
@Nancy -
I can’t agree with that. If you’re saying “I’m going to be late,” mentally you’re prepping yourself for poor levels of action (like leaving late). But you bring up random events, like flat tires, water mains … but that can’t be construed as proof.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten flat tires/delays when I left early and *knew* I would get somewhere on time.
The problem with using the word *proof* is is implies something is dependable – that it operates that way every time. Your client’s improved awareness is certainly commendable, but we simply cant call non-repeatable, random events as proof of something.
Changing the message is good, no argument there. But using the word “proof” is the problem.
PS – I’ve got 3 kids, and they surprise me sometimes by excelling at things I *know* the won’t do well in and struggling with things that should come easily to them.
“What you expect from children, you get” is an absolute statement, and doesn’t hold up.
“What you expect from children, you are more likely to get” would be better, since your expectations drive the way you treat people – and that drives how they respond.
@Thom –
I’ll check out your site this weekend – thanks for dropping by
@Steph –
Glad you liked.
@Kelly –
#1 is scary. But if you don’t get #1 handled, all you’ll be left with is #2.
Ok, that was reeeeally bad.
@Everyone –
Wow, my hands are tired from the typing! Thanks for the comments all around!
I am thinking about my most successful clients and friends. They exude confidence and don’t let obstacles stop them. I don’t know if they all went to confidence school but I do know that the are mostly men and women of action.
Lead , follow or get out the way kind of people.
They have a spiritual side too. And I think they would be successful no matter what field they chose.
I like the thought that there is a “vibrational field”, but I think that it has a lot to do with what we put into it. And that requires action. No body is going to draw for me.
These two articles are really very good ones. It would be great to get a univeral assist wouldn’t it? But we have to contribute.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..Week’s End
( universal) oops, did not get one there..hehe
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..Week’s End
As always…I enjoy reading what you have posted here on your blog. I’ve also noticed that on my blog I have similar content to what you have here. I guess that’s why I keep coming back and visiting your blog. Keep up the good word…you’ve made a strong impression on me.
Mental Perception
Hello
I am a composer and I have written a number of music tracks based around positive visualization. I wrote them for myself to change my own life and get myself and my family out of the negative hole we were stuck in.
My visualizations are VERY different from the regular wind chimes and flutes they contain ROCK guitar and dance tracks and they are all short 3 – 6 mins and to the point.
I don’t know about you but I don’t have time to meditate for an hour a day but I can play 3 tracks every morning while I get ready for work. Many of my tracks are great to exercise to with up tempo beats.
Transformation and creation come from quality visualization which in turn comes from repetition. Just like physical exercise reps build muscle in this case reps bring change.
Let’s move the world to the creative paradigm.
Mike
When I first looked at the success of Michael Losier, I thought “wow! LOA really works!” then I read his bio and realized that this man has been pursuing his success for the past decade. His positive outlook on life and his determination to achieve success provided him with the motivation to work those ten years, but success only came because he did work and work hard to achieve it.
Alex Fayle’s last blog post..Watching the Fireworks
FYI, “The Secret” was based on the 1910 book “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles, in which he says:
“A person must not only think, but his personal action must supplement his thought. By thought you can cause the gold in the hearts of the mountains to be impelled toward you, but it will not mine itself, refine itself, coin itself into double eagles, and come rolling along the roads, seeking its way into your pocket…Your pocketbook is not going to be transformed into a Fortunata’s purse, which shall be always full of money without effort on your part. This is the crucial point in the science of getting rich — right here, where thought and personal action must be combined.”
In the modern day adaptation, Rhonda Byrne used many of the same ideas, but she left out the part about taking action.
Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..Good News From The Doctor
That’s a wonderful quotation Hunter. I liked reading it . Wonderful touchstone.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..Chop Wood, Carry Water
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I totally understand everything you said, I can even envision myself doing everything. The problem is, that pesky self-doubt creeps in and screws everything up! I know I can do what you described, I have done it several times in my life, some without even knowing it. But when I think too much about it, that icky monster comes in and takes over. I need to learn how to tell that thing that it doesn’t exist and doesn’t frighten me anymore!
Jenny’s last blog post..Say What You Need To
Woah… how did I miss this in my reader? Excellent, excellent, Dave. I loved the way you revealed the truth by striking out some of the letters!
Another falsehood perpetuated about the so-called LoA is the idea that “like attracts like.” This is demonstrably false. Nature and science show us over and over that opposites attract. Other philosophical and spiritual practices show us this too, in the form of the Yin/Yang symbol. To me, there is no difference between the positive and negative terminal on a car battery and the Yin/Yang. Each is an expression of the other in a basic way.
Choosing to associate with successful people in order to help boost your own success is not an example of “like attracts like.”
LoA thinking reverses cause-and-effect so that it becomes nothing more than magical thinking. Of course it fails, and when it does, the irrational believer blames the self. It is dangerous and cult-like non-thinking.
That’s true, Michael, but be careful here. Opposites attract – but they create chaos. Take relationships for example. The most stable, long-term, mutually beneficial relationships are those of “birds of a feather flock together”. Opposites DO attract – they don’t last.
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Forget the Details and Work On the Big Picture
Great post Dave! I have to whole-heartedly agree with your points.
The great thing about action is that if you do enough of them one after another, you’ll get there. Not all actions will progress you to the point you want to be, but little steps will get you there if you keep making them.
My biggest problem is coming up to a roadblock and turning back. I’m getting better though, learning if you keep going you’ll get there eventually!
Trey Meier’s last blog post..Freedom is a Killer
@Janice -
“I think that it has a lot to do with what we put into it. And that requires action. No body is going to draw for me.”
Dead on, Janice. Action creates confidence.
@Mental Perception -
Glad you liked.
@Mike -
Music is a Good way to fit in some uplifting stuff without a lot of time commitment. I have a “wind me up” playlist myself.
@Alex –
Someone once said “It took me 20 years to become an overnight success.” People see the ‘pop’ but they often miss the pressure buildup that made it happen.
@Hunter –
Thanks for the extra info! Good to see you here.
@Jenny –
Check this one out:
How to Prevent Self-Doubt
@Michael –
Easy fix – move this feed up to the top of the list
@James / Michael –
I think the real take-away here is while it’s tempting to draw analogies between laws of nature and human behavior, metaphors and analogies ultimately break down at some point. Human choice is just too complicated to lock into a single metaphor all the way down the road.
I dunno, Dave. “James is the ultimate King” always sounded like a pretty good lock-down to me…
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Forget the Details and Work On the Big Picture
Yes, James, whatever you need to believe…
Alex Fayle’s last blog post..Pursuing Happiness: Gretchen Rubin Interview
@ Alex – Oh, thank you! Yes, I agree!
James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Forget the Details and Work On the Big Picture
@James –
Yes, King James, take this ring of power! I have 8 more …
@James/Dave – great points. Codifying anything we crazy apes try to do gets us into trouble. I suppose you could say “like associates with like” but that doesn’t have the ring of authority that LoA believers love to hear.
Oh wait, hang on, need to bow to James first
hehehe. I love the cockiness!
Ok, this post reminds me of one day years ago when I was riding in a car talking to a friend about how this guy we knew was always depressed because he couldn’t find a girl.
He said he prayed all the time and though he didn’t use these words, he thought positively that he would one day find a girlfriend (and no, this guy wasn’t me LOL). His problem was, he always stayed home and never went out.
Both my friend and I believe in God, so we believe in prayer, however, we both understand that simply praying isn’t enough. You gotta get out and mingle. You have to be proactive. He had most these things you mentioned in this post except the most important one – acting.
John Hoff – eVentureBiz’s last blog post..The Foundation Of Successful Thinking
I don’t think you believe in what you say about your expectations having no effect on your children enough to put a neg ative report on one of your children in the next teacher’s box, do you? Trust me, it’s a bad idea on the good-bad scale.
Your point is well taken however, on using the word “proof”.
Subsequent to the movie, The Secret, almost every teacher who was in it has complained or taken time to explain that ACTION is necessary. You really do not disagree with any of them based on your re-written principles.
The reason I would like people to attend to the quantum physics part of the movie, is because one can work hard and never get anywhere. So, ACTION by itself is not enough either. Even step 3 and 4 are not going to get you what you expect if you are a negative, critical, self serving, selfish, competitive son of a bitch!
The idea that generosity and gratitude will serve you well is also part of the Law of Attraction, the Kabalah, the Bible, traditional Native American and any spiritual system I can think of.
For any readers who want the whole story and not sound bites coated in melt in your mouth sugar, go to http://www.mindbridge-loa.com/index.html with a willingness to study. There is no pablum at this site. You will need to work a bit, but you will find out how to get what you want.
Thanks for your questioning, and to all your readers as well,
Nancy
hey well the post is really nice but still wat I can tell is that Law of attraction has always been working for me……
MICHAEL’s last blog post..Free Ebook Download Links: Free Self Improvement Books (Getting Rich)
@Michael –
Indeed. “Easy” is a very seductive word …
@John -
What’s the expression … “If you want to walk on water, first you gotta get out of the boat?”
Great post! I’m a big fan of mixing scientific principles with spiritual thought. I enjoyed reading this.
Jen Brister’s last blog post..Do the Math
@Jen –
Glad to have you in the thread, “Green Ninja”
[...] Saved by wikilious on Wed 19-11-2008 Diff Shaft Madness Saved by woodheadp on Sat 15-11-2008 Why The Law Of Attraction Seems To Work … Sometimes Saved by gdrox706 on Wed 12-11-2008 52 Blessings – Week 33 Saved by lukexi on Tue 11-11-2008 [...]
[...] people swear by the “law of attraction,” and others swear at it. The idea is that if you focus on a particular thing, that thing will magically start to fall out [...]
[...] people swear by the “law of attraction,” and others swear at it. The idea is that if you focus on a particular thing, that thing will magically start to fall out [...]
[...] people swear by the “law of attraction,” and others swear at it. The idea is that if you focus on a particular thing, that thing will magically start to fall out [...]
[...] people swear by the “law of attraction,” and others swear at it. The idea is that if you focus on a particular thing, that thing will magically start to fall out [...]
I would say the Law of Attraction and the Manifestation Process are primarily about your EMOTIONS…understanding them, and deliberately guiding them.
What emotions are you feeling when you think about your desires? Does thinking about your desires put you in a good mood, have you feeling excited anticipation? Hopeful, joyous, passionate, grateful and appreciative for all the good that you presently have in your life?
Experiencing these emotions often and intensely is the key to actually speeding up the manifestation process and bringing your desires to you quicker.
weeksgo’s last blog post..What Others Say About the 11 Forgotten Laws
[...] people swear by the “law of attraction,” and others swear at it. The idea is that if you focus on a particular thing, that thing will magically start to fall out [...]
Great post Dave. I also read “The Secret”, and my take was that it’s really just about increasing the priority of something in your life, which causes us (or most of us) to take action and obtain that object, situation, success, etc. Focus on it, and we will find a way to get it.
I was speaking with one of my co-workers the other day about “The Secret” and I mentioned my thoughts above to her. She said that I didn’t really get it, that “The Secret” is really about getting objects without having to do anything except focus on the fact that you want them. I asked her if this was working for her, and she said that she’d had her “wishes” posted on her fridge for 2 years and nothing had happened yet, but she was still focusing on them. I wished her good luck.
Just another HR lady’s last blog post..Miss USA and Same-Sex Marriage…Are Our Countries Really That Different?
A new business strategy called attraction marketing is now becoming more popular. Implementing this authority networker method will allow your customers to get to know and trust you. Not only will attration marketing help you develop ongoing relationships with clients, but these clients will also bring in more business for you via referrals. Attraction marketing is all about making buying interesting, comfortable and engaging the customers.
Authority Networker’s last blog post..By: Marydith
Dave,
Thanks for your straight from the shoulder post. As you so aptly point out, it’s not the Law of Attraction that works, it’s you applying the law of attraction that makes it work.
Dick Ingersoll’s last blog post..Wealth Creation Using the Law of Attraction