What You Think, You Create: Understanding the Law of Attraction

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Unless you shun all social media, you're likely somewhat familiar with the idea of the "law of attraction" (the Law). It's everywhere. Major celebrities and influencers talk about it; there are scads of inspirational porn and quotes related to the practice. While it may seem like a new fad or wishy-washy nonsense people use to feel better about their lackluster lives, let me hit you with some knowledge.

It works. And the people who use it don't have lackluster lives. These are the wealthiest, happiest, most productive people on the planet. 

What do the successful people have in common? Many of them use the Law. 

What do losers have in common? They don't use the Law. In fact, they're busy practicing anti-Law black magic because they fill their heads up with thoughts that run counter to the things they actually want. 

"I'm stupid."

"I'm a loser."

"Look at me; I'm a goddamn mess. I can't do anything right."

"I wish I was financially secure, but I never will be. I'm not smart or successful enough."

For help on moving past this kind of negative thinking, check out 5 Ways to Get Out of Your Own Way and Pursue Your Dreams.

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What you believe about your reality, you create. If you go through life thinking you're a loser, ugly, stupid, whatever, you're going to create that experience for yourself. Whereas if you go through life expecting the best, being optimistic, refining your negative thoughts, taking risks and opportunities, you'll find that life opens up to you in seriously surprising ways. 

It may seem daunting to change your thought patterns, but you've got everything to lose if you don't even try. 

We live in a world full of "buts." Have you ever tried to talk somebody out of a bad mood or anxiety about something?

You say something like, "You can do this. You just have to keep working at it." 

Whatever you say to someone when they're being a pansy. 

"But," they'll reply, "I've tried that and it never changed anything. I'm in the same place I started."

What probably happened is they made a half-assed attempt at doing something or changing something in their life, but their energy was down and pessimistic because they let doubt and worry peck them to death during the process. So, they never got anywhere. 

I'm willing to bet they never really tried all that hard. If you try your hardest at something, you generally see some kind of a result. It may be a surprising result, but it might be a positive one that leads you down a better, brighter path, i.e. where the universe intended you to go in the first place. Even if you don't necessarily reach whatever goal you had at the beginning of your journey, you may find new opportunities or discover a new passion or meet people who will change your life for the better.

And you have to be careful what you ask for. 

When I worked as a marketing writer, I hated it. Absolutely hated it. I was not in a good place mentally and emotionally. I drank every night. I felt disappointed by the realities of adult life. What a let-down, man. I need money to survive and enjoy life, but I can't find a job that makes enough to achieve either of those things and I hate the actual work, too?! Life is shit!

Bad thinking. 

I'd spend my work commute feeling anxious and nursing dread about the day ahead. I sometimes thought, "Maybe someone will hit my car, just a minor wreck, and I'll get a break from work for a week or two? Just enough time to clear my head and figure out what I really want to do with my life, 'cuz this ain't it."

December 11, 2016. It's a Monday. The annual Christmas party is tomorrow afternoon, and I'm dreading it. I'm on an entryway heading up onto the interstate, but the traffic always clogs around this area because there's another entryway that merges with this one. The car in front of me stops, so I stop. Not unusual at this juncture. I lean forward to stub out a cigarette. 

BAM!

I feel like I'm being crushed like an insect. I hear the crash and scrape of metal. My faithful old Mazda Tribute is crammed up into the car in front of me. I'm in pain, and I don't know if it's serious or not. I don't know much, other than I'm hurt and scared and that I've just been rear-ended by some shit-for-brains kid.

It turned out not to be a kid, but a middle-aged architect who hid in his car until I was taken off in an ambulance. 

But I digress.

Did I cause the accident by the tone of my thoughts? I don't know. I do know that, from that accident, many things have changed in my life. I suffered with a bad chest contusion for weeks. I was scared to drive for a long time, and I still dislike driving on the interstate. I got a decent payout from the insurance company. I quit that job not long after the wreck, and I probably wouldn't have had the wreck not happened. 

We truly shape our lives based on the thoughts we entertain. We program ourselves for success or failure.

Isn't that an exciting thought? What would you like to design for yourself?

Is it more confidence? Start by changing how you think about yourself. Don't think "I have no confidence; I need to be more confident." Tell yourself that you are confident. In fact, write it down. There's a manifestation method often referred to as the "55x5 method." Every day for five days, you write down a statement 55 times.

It could be:

"I'm so happy now that I'm losing weight and feeling confident!"
"I have a million dollars in the bank."
"I am going to meet the love of my life."
"I'm pregnant with my beautiful baby."

Anything you want, write it down, but as if you've already attained it or it's on the way to you. This is a powerful technique for a lot of people. Reddit is full of people boasting about the amazing things they've attracted using this technique.

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Sometimes, however, our feelings don't quite match the level of imagining we're doing. We can use positive affirmations all day, but if we're feeling worried or down about the lack of the things we want, we're not in a vibrational place to attract those things.

So, do what makes you feel good. Go for a run, watch a funny movie, paint a picture, have sex, do your nails, climb a mountain, drink a cappuccino--whatever makes you feel good. Everything should be about making yourself feel as good and as upbeat as possible. Then, you will be in the right vibrational space to attract what you want.

I'm working on the law of attraction in my own life, and it has been a struggle. I've had some setbacks and am working my way through them, but I'm optimistic I'll break through the barriers to create a lovely life for myself. I'm the only one who can do it.

You're the only one who can change your life, too. And good luck to you. I hope the journey is full of fun surprises and limitless growth.