Well, if we were in the movie “Wayne’s World” I guess the appropriate phrase at this point would be… GAME ON!
Now that the Law of Attraction concepts have hit the mainstream, both the believers as well as the non-believers are coming out of the wood work.
A search on Google for the term “law of attraction” brought back well over 7 million results, although it also won’t take you long to find plenty of people who who think it’s all a bunch of nonsense. Check here, here, and here if you would like some examples.
Now, any regular readers of this blog know my views on this whole concept, and this post is not meant to discuss my personal ideals, but rather to plug some of these concepts into a typical life scenario to see if they actually hold water.
To that end, I picked 3 specific practices that are commonly used by the LOA (Law of Attraction) believers, who also call themselves “deliberate creators” since they believe that via these practices they can literally create their existence here on planet Earth.
So, whether you are a believer or a skeptic, if you truly feel that your point of view is the correct one, then you shouldn’t mind a little bit of close scrutiny to see if these concepts are worth considering.
If they are, then here are 3 possible ways to use them. If they are not worth considering, then you now have 3 great examples of the uselessness of these tools that you can use in your on-going crusade to debunk this whole affair. Here we go…
Visualization
One of the primary weapons of mass abundance that the teachers from the movie ‘The Secret’ endorse using in order to invoke the law of attraction is visualization. In fact, Joe Vitale goes even further to say that you should use “holographic visualization” which is basically the art of both mentally and emotionally putting yourself inside your vision of success. You experience those moments so precisely in your mind that it seems that you are actually there.
Proponents – From a believer’s standpoint, this type of visualization will send actual vibrations out from the visualizer into the Universe, and will in turn attract similar vibrations. Done consistently over the course of time with a high level of emotion and belief, and the vibrations will all coalesce into a series of circumstances, people, events, or inspired actions that will eventually lead to the visualizer actually being in the situation that they visualized.
Opponents – People who do not believe in this concept simply say that there is no scientific basis for this idea, and that there is no way to prove that doing this will be anything other than a complete waste of time. They believe that if you want to have an experience in your life, you need to take whatever action is needed in order to marshal the resources that will allow you to have that experience.
The Benefit for Non-Believers – Believers in the LOA do not need any further convincing of the validity of this practice. However, for non-believers, the act of visualizing has one very, very important side effect that has nothing to do with the Law of Attraction, and that benefit is FOCUS.
Even if you do not believe that some magic genie is ripping around town on a magic carpet finding ways to turn your daydreams into reality, any reasonable and logical person will agree that staying focused intensely and consistently over the course of time on any particular goal will bring about positive steps toward that goal.
Those steps may come in the form of financial or career maneuvers that will lead to the goal, or they may come in the form of the simple ability to keep from getting distracted by things that would normally take the person off track. Taking your eyes off the prize runs the risk of delaying or preventing the attainment of whatever it is that is being focused on.
A simple example of this is weight loss. It is a common belief that if you eat a lot of junk food, you will not have a body like a super model. If your goal is to have a body like that, and you consistently visualize yourself having that body, it is going to be very difficult for you to believe that scarfing down an entire pepperoni pizza all by yourself is a good idea.
Will your weight loss be “magic” or will it be a result of you continually taking part in healthy exercise and eating habits as a result of having a super model picture of yourself that is playing over and over again in your head? Well, once you have that super model body, who cares HOW it actually happened?
Affirmations
Affirmations come in many shapes and sizes, but in a nutshell, it is the act of writing down what you want to have in your life, and then repeatedly saying it either out loud or in your head for the purpose of changing your mental point of view regarding those desires.
Proponents – Believers in the power of affirmation basically think that by continually repeating something to oneself, that thing will eventually become a reality. Where the LOA comes into this part of the equation is that the common belief behind conscious creation is that the vibrations that are sent out into the Universe are acted upon in order to bring our goals into existence.
However, as most people carry around years worth of self-limiting beliefs, the only vibrations they are sending out are those of NOT having whatever it is that they want. By consistently practicing affirmations, the vibration is changed to one of confidence and belief, thus attracting the object of desire.
Opponents – Non-believers in affirmations once again cite the fact that there is no evidence to support the belief that anything less than taking action will bring about goal attainment. They may even go so far as to say that by repeatedly talking about something that you don’t have will actually only serve to make you even more convinced that you’ll never have it.
The Benefit for Non-Believers – By repeatedly affirming that you want something, you assign the task of finding a way to bring that thing into your existence to your brain and your subconscious mind. In order to do this, thou
gh, you must ask for solutions, not affirm non-existent realities. For example:
“I am independently wealthy and I never have to work another day in my life.”
vs.
“How can I create a situation that makes me independently wealthy so that I never have to work another day in my life?”
The first example stated something that wasn’t true, and by continually saying that statement over and over again, you may not activate the amazing power of your subconscious mind in order to help find a solution.
However, by continually asking yourself that question over and over again, your mind will be constantly looking for a solution as you go about your day to day business. Eventually – maybe sooner or maybe later – you will get slapped in the face with a great idea or the beginnings of a plan of action that will lead you to that life of riches and relaxation.
Positive attitude
This is probably the oldest and most well-known tool that is in the bag of tricks that believers in the LOA carry around with them. Long before today’s gurus were touting the power of positive thought, yesterdays authors and visionaries were extolling the benefits of this practice.
Proponents – People who believe they can activate the Law of Attraction by living in a constantly positive state of mind will once again point to the power of their vibrations as the catalyst for attaining their desires. By staying in a constant positively-charged state of mind, they also maintain a constant positively-charged emotional state. In so doing, they will only attract vibrations that are in resonance with theirs, thus attracting “fuel” that will drive their machines of success. That fuel may come in the form of intense coincidences that are in line with their desires, or they may take the form of opportunities or circumstances that will eventually bring forth their dreams.
Opponents – Non-believers in the power of positive thinking will say that just thinking about good things will do absolutely nothing to bring those things into your existence. They will point out the fact that everyone wants health, wealth, and happiness, so if just thinking good thoughts about those things was the key to having them, everyone would already be living happily ever after.
The Benefit for Non-Believers – Having a positive mental attitude is something that can – and does – benefit everyone. Even if you don’t believe that your positive state of mind will help you to actually attract good things into your life, at a bare minimum, keeping a good attitude will help you to enjoy life more.
This could fall under the umbrella of what people call “managing their expectations” or it could simply be called being “mentally prepared” for any given situation.
For example, if your job is lame, and you know that it is lame, you can’t simply “think” yourself out of having to go there. However, by setting your mental set point to one of being prepared for the experience, you will help yourself to not be as miserable as you otherwise would be. On the other hand, if you just sit around thinking about how bad your job is, there is no way that you are going to see anything but how bad your job is when you get there.
Another example is finances. You could sit around thinking about how much you don’t enjoy watching prime time on your 19″ television with bad reception because you can’t afford cable and a big flat-screen TV, or you could turn the situation around to actually be glad that you have that opportunity. In order to do so, just consider how bad it would be if you couldn’t even afford your own home or apartment, or if your electricity had been turned off because you couldn’t pay the bill.
You can apply that same formula to any situation in your life in order to receive the benefit of positive thinking. By simply taking on the habits of mentally preparing yourself for a potentially negative situation, or by showing gratitude for the fact that things aren’t worse (and they always could be), you will slowly but surely pick up the habit of being happy about situations that in the past made you miserable.
Now that you have seen some common ways that the LOA is used by people to “magically” manifest the lives that they want, you should also see that there is really no magic to it. The same practices that the believers are using to bring success into their lives will help non-believers to improve their quality of life as well.
Also, there are 3 potential benefits that a non-believer gets from this whole process:
- All of this is completely free of charge. You don’t have to spend a dime to visualize, affirm, or to keep a positive attitude.
- Each of the practices that were discussed will have a positive impact on your life, even if you are just using your copy of ‘The Secret’ as a coaster or a Frisbee
- What if it works? What if the Law of Attraction actually works, and you stumble upon that truth by practicing LOA techniques, even from a non-believers standpoint?
After all, not only are these techniques free, but no one even has to know that you are doing them. How cool would it be to achieve some amazing success in your life without having to admit to anyone – even yourself – that you ever considered whether or not the magic actually works?
Something to think about…
Hey Aaron,
I like your point about gaining focus by practicing LoA. A non-religious person could compare this to the power of prayer. By constantly keeping your goal on your mind, wishing, and yearning for it, your actions, both consciously and subconsciously, will be more likely to yield the results of your desires.
For the greater good of all people, we want desires to becomes realities, so this is another good technique to use, where religion leaves off.
Hi Aaron,
I’m a subscriber of yours and especially love this post. Bookmarked it. Love your newsletters
Priya,
Thanks for the continued reading of my content! Hearing that it is being enjoyed by my readers is the greatest possible motivation for me to keep providing it!
:)
I will likewise be swinging by your blog – great stuff!
Aaron,
Once again, you have thoroughly addressed a clear argument for the reality of the Law of Attraction. Ironic to me the opponents seem to unwillingly support the true Law, simply by demonstrating their unwillingness to test it in their own lives. In an effort to prove the Law invalid, simply by not giving it a chance, they provide greater support for it’s truth.
Kudos for a great article.
Wanda,
Much obliged for the kind words on this post. I hope that people who either don’t believe or are not sure that they believe will read this article and realize that LOA-type practices are beneficial to believers and non-believers alike!
Thank you. It’s great to see it put into words how this information can still benefit those who choose not to accept that it’s possible. I don’t understand the mindset that doesn’t allow someone to even give it an honest try, but since there are so many out there, I appreciate your help in arming myself with the words to say to them!
http://www.manifes-t.com
Law of Attraction T-shirts
eh there,
just thought i would send a link to noah st.johns webpage about afformations. basicly you form the question then in your mind and your mind recieves it and it is created. instead of affirming the idea. interesting i believe it works.
it’s all in your mind.
yes is true about changing you thinking from lack to abundance.
have an awesome day there
Michael,
Thanks for providing that link!
I have heard of afformations before, and the idea definitely has merit. In my opinion, the biggest failing of affirmations is that if you don’t believe in them, all you are doing is reinforcing the LACK of the thing that you are affirming for.
As you said, it’s all about changing your thinking.
Thanks for sharing!
Nice approach – explaining the benefits to believers and non-believers alike. There’s nothing to lose by taking some of these actions. Best regards.
Much obliged for your visit and for your comments, AgentSully!
That was my goal when I wrote this post – to demonstrate that you don’t have to be a believer in the LOA in order to benefit from the methods. There are positive results to be realized for all! 🙂
Thanks again for your comment – feel free to jump in anytime!
Hi there
I like your views on this, very realistic. Kind of brings one back down to earth after having watched ‘the secret’. I must say though that people at all levels seem to be afraid of anything slightly immortal, supernatural and above man kind hence why there is so much criticism on this concept because, let’s face it, it can easily be viewed by some like through this you can have superhero power!
There is nothing new here though. It’s simply being conceptualised and re-birthed via its newly found label (The Secret). What are they telling us when they say “ask, believe, receive”. Does “ask and you shall receive” ring a bell with anyone here? (Uh OH! You’re thinking “bible freak alert”!!) Hear me out 🙂
And exactly what is “the energy” or “the universe” as referenced in this movie. Is it not good old God? Call him what you will, but this is simply a revised biblical concept that any religious, in particular christian, believer will immediately grasp and be able to integrate with their beliefs, because it’s exactly the same with the only difference being that you don’t attract things out of no where, they are given you by an all loving, all caring, all giving higher being we call God.
Ask God, Believe that He will provide, and Receive what He provides. That’s what they’re saying. There is no ‘secret’ here. And the Law of attraction? Well, seeing that the Man upstairs is of a good rather than an evil nature, of course he will allow good things to come flying at you at the speed of light IF YOU FOCUS, HAVE FAITH, STICK WITH RIGHTOUSNESS.
Believe it! But it’s certainly no secret to me.
Thanks to this blog I have the opportunity to voice my thoughts on the matter. Keep it up and have a great day.
Ray,
I appreciate you sharing your views on religion and how it applies to the Law of Attraction.
Everyone has their own way of looking at it, and as long as each of us is true to our own belief systems, than we will find success! 🙂
Aaron,
I know you’ve been getting tagged a lot lately, but I’m hoping you’ll play this game of tag:
http://feelslikemagic.com/how-i-use-my-senses-to-raise-my-vibe/
I think it’s very appropriate for your site!
Hey, Barb!
Thanks for the tag, and yes, I am definitely in. I’ve got some other “core” content that needs to get up first, but then I’ll be putting up a post about raising my vibes! 🙂
I agree that the principles here are beneficial to humanity. I follow a lot of these same principles.
I also agree that actions have consequences, but I have trouble not admitting that all things happen because of our actions. Did none of the 6 million Jews practice ‘The Secret’? None of the 3,000+ people in the New York on September 11th? The baby born with disabilities? The family hit by the drink driver? Do none experts at the secret get cancer, die, get divorced, go bankrupt? Or did they all just apply the principles incorrectly?
If we carry the LOA to its fulfillment, as we continue to master the principles and get better at it, then there would be people that will never have anything bad happen to them, or die for that matter(unless death is a positive). Is this the reality, and my negative vibrations are keeping us from getting there?
PS – I enjoy reading your blog.
Happy Rock,
Thank you so much for sharing your point of view! You bring up a set of questions that has been brought up many times before, and there are some solid answers to questions such as yours from the LOA perspective. They are far too drawn out to get into in a comment thread, but the bottom line is that there IS a reason for everything that happens.
Just because something is perceived as being “negative” at the time when it happens does not necessarily mean that the long-term result of that set of circumstances is negative.
That is a VERY loose answer to a very in-depth question, however, and I encourage you and anyone else who reads this to go check out the “Ask Mike” section of Tut’s Adventure Club. It was founded by Mike Dooley, one of the teachers from ‘The Secret’. He has much more detailed responses to these types of questions, and if you want to take the conversation further, there is also an awesome message board over there for discussing LOA concepts. Here is the URL:
http://www.tut.com/askmike/
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
What a great way to put it. I would have never thought of presenting it this way. It makes so much sense.
Jon,
Glad that you enjoyed the post!
I have found in general – and especially with regard to the Law of Attraction – that someone’s point of view is far more important than any alleged “facts”.
When people realize that the same success concepts can be used whether a belief in the Law of Attraction exists or not, it can open up a lot more avenues for people to get what they want out of life!
Aaron – Its was great to find this article. Participating in discussions on forums like PDP I have come to realise that many take LoA very seriously and decided to try and find out more. I start from a very sceptical point of view – I cannot see how thinking will create any “external vibrations”.
However, as I have argued on my site, I am a great believer in positive thinking and totally agree how using the LoA can bring about results by affecting us internally.
As a health professional I think the discussion is very similar to what is here called Alternative Medicine. There are many who believe in the benefits of thing like Homeopathy, even though the science behind it is total nonsense. But the placebo effect means people probably benefit, despite this.
The difference though between Alternative Medicines and LoA, is that people pay a lot of money for the former. LoA, as you say, is free!
David,
That’s the beauty of it! Even if you don’t believe in the LOA, the practices are definitely going to be beneficial to your life, and if it’s free, what have you got to lose? 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, David!