The Law of Attraction (The $ecret)

The phrase or term law of attraction has made a sudden but pervasive entry into part of our daily vernacular, so much so that 'The Secret', nowadays a metaphor for the concept popularized by the best-selling book of the same title, is practically not a secret anymore! While relatively simple in concept, the law of attraction is actually a rather profound and insightful principle that derives from scientific, philosophical, and theological origins. For those who appreciate and understand the principle, as opposed to blindly following it, the law of attraction sheds some light about life and its meaning in a most elegant manner.

The law of attraction is a law in the strict sense that it encapsulates an observation/explanation for many of the frequently observed occurrences in life. It is by no means an all-defining principle, as many advertising or marketing executives and book publishers might have you believe. The success of the book has generated a lot of hype that ironically obscures the positive message it tries to convey. Promises of life-changing experiences or health and wealth beyond imagination somewhat complicate the attempts to interpret and understand the principle in an objective manner.

The law of attraction is not an all-encompassing theory, nor does it govern all physical and metaphysical behavior. Similarly, no single theory (although many have been proposed) has been able to explain all scientific, philosophical or religious ideas, let alone the sometimes paradoxical and unpredictable nature of human behavior.

Take away two things, and human nature becomes very predictable (Drag your mouse over to see the answer):

TIME MONEY TIME MONEY TIME MONEY TIME MONEY TIME MONEY TIME MONEY

There are many clear illustrations that as a universal principle or theory, the law of attraction does not provide all the explanation to all the events that govern our world. For example, while it is true that water and oil doesn't mix well together, water-like (hydrophilic) substances can dissolve in water, and oil-like (lipophilic) substances dissolve in oil. On the other hand, opposites also attract each, just as we are familiar with the different poles of a magnet. In religion, different gods and deities appear to share many similarities, yet most religions are completely incompatible with each other because of their inherent monotheist principle.

In fact, some would argue that as a principle, the law of attraction does a better job at explaining how or why things fail to meet our expectations, as opposed to how everything can work out perfectly for everyone (or some people in particular). Perhaps the law is more useful as a tool for us to reflect why we fail to achieve our goals, rather than as the genie that grants us anything that we desire. After all, most of our miseries seems to lie somewhere within a cycle of constantly searching for some sort of meaning and truth to everything that we do, without thinking why it is that we engage in these pursuits in the first place.

So why do some people claim it to be 'The Secret'? We can start to ponder this question with a simple definition. The law of attraction states that for a given thought, when linked with the appropriate and corresponding action, results in the realization of that thought. In other words, a similar thought, when combined with a similar action, results (or 'attracts') a similar result. We were all taught things such as 'like attracts like', and 'good things come in threes', but as much we may all believe we understand this fact, few are able to see how this can be applied to solve any of our daily dilemmas or problems.

There is a reason for this. The law of attraction doesn't solve any equations or problems, just as thought alone, or an action without a plan does achieve any realistic results. In fact, one of the biggest fallacy, or misinterpretation of the law of attraction is that by positively reinforcing the expected outcome on a regular basis (i.e. think very hard about that $10,000 you want every single night), you will get what you asked for. This is no different to a self-fulfilling prophecy, whereby random chance and a dogma combine illogically to falsely guarantee a 'certain' or 'predicted' outcome. Random chance dictates that a certain event may or may not occur with a particular probability, but a dogma doesn't change (at least not easily).

So the tragic consequence of blindly following the law is that you might end up being happy about getting something you don't want (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), or worse still, you can end up being unhappy about getting something you do want (the wealthy person's dilemma).

However, there are at least a few specks of gold behind all that glitter, and it is this: the result of any action is already determined by your thought process before you commit to the action. In other words, before you react to a certain event or outcome, you have already determined how you are going to react to the event! This doesn't involve any form of time traveling, but will involve some tricks that the mind likes to play on you. People subconsciously build up an expectation prior to the knowledge of the outcome, such that when something does eventually happen, you immediately react the way you have subconsciously planned in your mind. You feel like you are reacting to the outcome as it occurs, but in fact your reactions have already been determined.

One classic example is the perpetually pessimistic investor, whose reaction to events on the market is already dictated by his/her own preconceived attitudes. When he/she loses money on the market, the natural reaction, is to sulk and blame their luck; on the other hand, even when he/she does make money, the pessimism is such that they rue how much more money they would have made if they had more luck, or if they had followed their instinct. It is easy to see that regardless of the eventual outcome, their attitude already locked in their response.

Another classic example is the perpetually optimistic gambler, who unlike his/her pessimistic counterpart always reacts with a positive attitude. So regardless whether the pot is increasing or decreasing in value, they always wear a smile on their face. Chances are without much luck (and you don't get much at the casino), they will eventually lose all their money, but because they are blissfully oblivious to their destructive behavior, there is guaranteed to be no happy ending to this story either.

As discussed previously, the expectation that you associate with a particular activity is already determined even before you obtain the result. What is common between the optimist and pessimist is that they both see exactly what they want to see. This is where the law of attraction can help you find what you are looking for, by focusing all your conscious and subconscious efforts into the direction that you want to go. By being able to relate all your activities and thoughts to your goal, you open up possibilities that would have not been possible, simply because you do not normally associate them with your goal. However, as described previously, this can also result in rather destructive behavioural cycles.

Some people are able to put this aspect of the law into practice naturally, and these people are generally referred to as lateral thinkers. What they are able to do is to visualize the problem in their mind, and focus on solving the problem using a multitude of approaches. Unfortunately, this is also quite similar to the effect that addictions have on our mind. Many people have experienced or know of someone who has been in the grip of an addiction, and are well aware of the ways that addicts manage to keep satisfying their addiction through various means. So you can see why the law of attraction is a double-edged sword.

The only way in which the law of attraction can work for you is to help one define and plan a path for their vision, and supply the motivation and willpower to work towards that goal. Even then, there is no guarantee that the law will keep your mind and body focused on the task; you still have to be the one to do all the hard work. This is important, so for your benefit: the law is not a shortcut or a substitute; it is a catalyst and not a means to success.

How do you know if the law will work for you? Can one apply the law of attraction, and see the effect in action? When you can suspend your disbelief, and remove judgments about how you will achieve a task, you instantly open up previously untapped channels in your mind, and an abundance of possibilities that you have never contemplated before. It is a power that everyone can have, if only they are willing and capable of breaking that initial resistance to fall back into their old habits and patterns.

To test the theory out and see how it might work for you, here's a very simple experiment you can try at any time.

To start with, think of an activity that you want to do, and for each side of a coin, assign the options of either carrying out this activity today and leave it for another day. Then just let the coin make the decision for you. If the coin decides that today's not the day, then move on and do something else. However, if the coin decides that you will seize the day, then consider the options of either doing it right away, or wait for a specified period of time (within the same day), and let the coin make the decision for you again. Most people find it difficult to follow through with the exercise initially, because they are not used to unlinking their thoughts and action in such a way as to make new links. The law of attraction aims to build new links and connections between your thoughts and your actions in a way that is not biased or judgmental, which is often the reason why we stop ourselves from being able to achieve things.

Once you've completed the exercise, think back over whether it would have been possible for you to reach the decision independently of the coin. Perhaps this activity was something that you kept putting off, but now you have been able to complete it because you have not personally made any judgments about if or when the activity will be done.

The simple yet thought-provoking coin experiment illustrates two critical components of decision making. First, a decision stems from having the plan or vision that creates choices, followed by overcoming the inhibitions or barriers that prevent you from carrying out your plan or vision. It is also possible then, to categorize people who struggle with finding a sense of accomplishment and meaning in their life as missing either one or both of these components.

Let's focus on the first component, the creative vision or astute planning that helps you to see or visualize your goals. After all, if there is nothing ahead of you to move towards or reach out to, invariably one finds that their life becomes stagnant. Regardless of whether you set your own, or have them imposed upon you by others, goals are the benchmarks against which most people use to measure performance and track their progress in life. This applies with your work, relationships and every aspect of life. However, if one merely thinks of goals as linear paths, then there is a severe limitation on the possibilities of what one is able to accomplishment.

Let's say for example you have to complete some task by a deadline. It often appears as if work shrinks or expands to fill up the allocated time, and not uncommon to see people use up to the last minute complete even simple tasks. Otherwise people would be seen running around the entire time, but achieving nothing. This is symptomatic of people who deny themselves the option for finishing earlier or fail to consider the possibility that the work may not be completed. Someone who plans to complete a task earlier so they can move onto something else don't tie up all their time with one task are better focused and accomplish more. People who give themselves the option of not finishing the task will plan for contingencies, and do not panic when the deadline comes up.

By not limiting your options about the outcome of the task, you rule out letting your emotions and prejudices and preconceptions from pushing you towards a particular direction. Instead, you are guided by your sense of wanting to accomplish the task. Why is this important? If you learn to have better control over your emotions, and can separate the principles of your thoughts and actions from the consequence or outcome of the action, you'll find everything you do in life a memorable and worthwhile accomplishment. I am sure that no one would complain about that.

While the problem of having a plan or goal appears to be more fundamental, it is no point setting goals if you can't keep yourself on track. In fact, it would be much better to not have goals rather than having plenty of them, but not being able to tick off on any of them. The reason is that this builds up a feeling of frustration and feeds into a habit of self-disapproval, so that each time you set yourself a target, you immediately accept the fact that there is every chance for things to fail. As a self-fulfilling prophecy, the inevitability of failure that one instils in oneself seldom fails to come true.

What can one do to strike the balance between having realistic expectations and a positive attitude that is absolutely necessary to appreciate our accomplishments? Remember that the perpetual pessimists will still think themselves having failed regardless of the outcome, because of their negative attitude about their gains and victories feeds negatively into their need to justify these results in line with their philosophy and behavior pattern.

The solution couldn't be any simpler. Make give yourself choices that are personal, but select from those choices in an objective manner. What does this mean? Again let's take the example of working on a task. You can be as personal as you like about how you would like to reward yourself (or punish yourself) for not meeting the deadline, perhaps even reward yourself for not completing the task to create a deeper sense of guilt that you can use as motivation to get things done quickly. The important thing here is to make sure that you are able to be objective about the receiving the consequences. So you might continually reward yourself for not achieving your goals, you then suffer the obvious consequence of being fired or assigned to another task or a nasty lecture from your boss.

What can you learn from this? By separating your personal choices from the objective consequences, you are not inhibiting your natural instincts and feelings. However, you are not removing yourself from the reality of your actions and their effects on you and others around you. Again, this is about removing any judgment that we as humans like to impose on our actions and behavior.

If all of this sounds a bit obscure to you, here is a second chance to put the things we've discussed so far into practice. Instead of a coin now, we are going to expand our options by using a dice. You'll also need a piece of paper and pen for this. Now think of something you wanted to do, but for whatever reason have been putting off for sometime. It can be something fun, it can be a chore, or it could be a life-long dream (if you are game enough).

If it is something you don't want to do, assign three numbers of the dice for continuing to put off this task. On the other hand, if it is something you want to do, make the three numbers a promise that you will do it without any further delay. As for the remaining three numbers, be creative about your options, but don't make yourself complete a fraction of the task. Instead, you should give yourself options to make changes that will influence the way you make these choices the next time. For example, if your task is a household chore, then one of the choices could be to get someone else to do it, so you won't have to contemplate the decision again (anytime soon anyway).

Whatever the task, the important thing is to follow through completely, so be specific about the options in terms of the people, time and place (as they apply). Why am I asking you to do this task? It is no point talking about theories and ideas if they are not in the very least bit practical. If you think this is a concept or idea that will change your life, you will need to validate it to yourself, and if you can't do this, there is little chance that you will convince yourself to commit to it. Don't move on any further until you have completed this task, otherwise you will still be none the wiser about what we've discussed so far.

What if someone was to suggest that the only thing stopping you from achieving happiness and freedom is you? As we go through life, our experiences and interaction with events and people surrounding us help to shape or 'nurture' our inner self, which may or may not be compatible or similar to our intrinsic personality and characteristics. In many ways one of the biggest struggles in life is to find some common point between what we feel in 'our gut' and how we manage to reconcile these beliefs and instincts with what we see and hear around us. Too often people forcibly yield to the world that they perceive rather than the world that they believe (and vice versa), with the inevitable consequence of disappointment or disillusionment.

This is essentially a catch-22. Your beliefs require validation from your experience with the world, just as much as your view of the world is shaped by your beliefs. In the early stages of our lives, we adopt belief systems that are generally indoctrinated into our minds in order to cope with the circumstances of our upbringing. We hold these beliefs to be correct as long as the world appears to obey these principles from our point of view, and it would appear to be a sound basis for how one goes about life in general. However, what if your beliefs were challenged by subsequent experiences in life? How does one determine whether it is the world that is at fault, or whether their fundamental beliefs are flawed?

There is a fundamental difference between those who succeed in changing their lives around and those who never seem to get very far. It is not because they have found some fail-proof system that guarantees success, but because they have found the right trigger and motivation for them to go after what they believe in. The fact is, everyone learns and does things in different ways, and so it is only natural that the key to finding success and achieving your goals is not to follow the latest system that's out there (think about all the 'miracle diets' out there), but rather find something that you understand and can put into practice. All great teachers share among themselves the ability to deliver information and education in more than one form or method, and in the lesson of life it is no different.

The answers are already out there, you just have to find the one that connects with you personally, one that puts things in your perspective, and gives you the motivation to take that leap of faith. We have provided some resources for you to start with. These are by no means the beginning, the solution or the end to any of your problems, but we hope that it will start you on the path of exploring and finding the answers for yourself.

Still looking for more answers? e-booksite.net has a whole range of ebooks for every single occasion and topic, including a broad Self Help section.

Here are a few titles to get you started. GOOD LUCK:

"The Law of Attraction"

"What You Need to Know When Pursuing Wealth"

"The Hidden Powers Of The Universal Laws"

"Creative Visualization: The Key to Getting What You Want in Life"

"Subconcious Programming"

Also, to help you create the vision and goals, and focus on achieving your dreams, you can try the Vision Board software

We would like to hear your feedback and comments on these resources, and any others that you have found helpful in your journey to pursue your goals and dreams. One part of the learning process is the exchange and sharing of ideas and information, and we would like to encourage everyone to do the same.