 | Well, okay, maybe just one rainbow. |
As the "logical half" of Logical Expressions (the company I own with my wife Susan Daffron), I have occasionally been accused of being too analytical and more than a little skeptical when it comes to "woo-woo spirituality." So be forewarned. This note is about my views on the Law of Attraction and how it can be used to help you achieve your goals. I offer no hand-holding, and no butterflies or rainbows.
Although I have learned and practiced the principles of the Law of Attraction (LoA) for many years, I only recently learned to apply the LoA name to them. The creation of our business and our subsequent move to North Idaho came about using what I now see were LoA techniques.
Recently, Susie and I watched the movie The Secret, and that got me intrigued enough to learn more about LoA, in spite of the heavy "woo-woo" element. You know how it is when you encounter a philosophy or idea that strikes a chord: you recognize how it fits your own life experiences, even if the packaging of that idea is a little over-the-top.
In case you need an introduction or refresher in the principles of LoA, here are the basic concepts. The main idea is that you are capable of manifesting anything you desire, if your belief that you can get it is strong enough. The LoA formula goes something like this (thanks to Wikipedia for this summary):
- Know what you want.
- Ask the universe for it.
- Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way.
- Be open to receiving it.
Beyond these principles, you'll find many opinions on exactly how the LoA works. That's where the "woo-woo" element steps in. Some claim that your brain produces energy or vibrations that instruct the universe to attract the object of your desire. The universe will respond to your positive thoughts and your negative thoughts equally, drawing similar energies into your life. Whatever you want will magically appear, without you having to do anything! LoA has attracted many gurus and spiritual leaders who virtually teach it as a form of religion. I'm too big a fan of personal responsibility to buy into the magical element.
The truth is that no one really knows if or how the LoA works. All of the evidence is anecdotal and doesn't hold up well to scrutiny. You either choose to believe it or you don't. I suppose it is like most faith-based systems in that respect.
Fortunately, many practitioners and coaches focus on practical techniques for using the LoA. For example, two of my favorite quotes are from Dr. Wayne Dyer:
"What you think about expands."
"You will see it when you believe it."
We started reading Dr. Dyer's books and listening to his audio programs back in the mid 90's, long before we had ever heard about the Law of Attraction. He provides no-nonsense guidance for taking responsibility for your own life and daring to live your dreams.
I recently learned about Christina Merkley's "Merkley Maps" and her SHIFT-It approach to goal planning and achievement. Her tools offer a great way to apply the LoA visually, and within a structure that helps guide you through the minefield that your mind puts between your reality and your dreams.
I have also had very positive experiences with Robert Middleton's Action Plan Toolkit, which is an intelligent and practical blend of elements from the LoA, Byron Katie's "The Work," and SMART goals. Although the toolkit is specifically geared to work on marketing projects, it functions well for virtually any kind of action plan. My own formula for achievement is closest to Robert's work.
The thing I like best about Robert Middleton's program is that he gives you a tool (The Work) to overcome negative thoughts, rather than just ignore them as many LoA-based "systems" seem to do. He asserts, and I agree, that ignoring the negative thoughts doesn't rob them of their power: you must address them so your positive thoughts become stronger than your negative thoughts.
Even practical LoA coaches often include one "woo-woo" tool in their instruction: thankfulness. The general idea here is that you should spend time thinking about the elements of your life for which you are thankful. Practicing thankfulness is often suggested as an element of quiet meditation time, or prayer if you will. But even this tool has a practical purpose: it helps you break your thoughts away from everyday distractions, and it puts you into a positive frame of mind.
So, after all of my research and experience with different goal achievement systems, I've naturally devised my own 7-step, LoA-influenced "formula" for accomplishing goals:
- Set some quiet time aside to get into a positive mindset about your dreams. Start with being thankful for what you have and what you've already accomplished in your life. A Sheryl Crow lyric comes to mind here: "It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."
- Clearly envision what you want. Make drawings, clip pictures and make a vision board, write journal entries, or do whatever is necessary to clearly define what you want in your life. Part of the envisioning process is to think about how you would feel if you already had the thing you want. Close your eyes and mentally picture a scenario that would occur if you already had what you want. This exercise stirs the emotions associated with your desires. Assess those emotions: Do they make you feel good? If so, you are following "the path with a heart," as Carlos Castaneda would say. If not, consider a different vision!
- Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-specific) goals related to your vision. Don't forget the "T" in SMART: nothing happens without a deadline that you take seriously.
- Apply "The Work" to your doubts about achieving your goals. As soon as you define goals, your mind will start throwing up mental roadblocks. You need to knock those down. The two questions that do the most for me are "is this negative thought any more valid than the opposite positive thought?" and "who would I be without this negative thought?"
- Create specific action plans in a clearly-defined time line. Your action plan is a step-by-step recipe for achieving each of your SMART goals. You need an action plan to battle procrastination and to give you a sense of progress and accomplishment as you cross off steps toward your goal.
- Remain alert to opportunities. Once you plant the seed for what you want and start taking steps to bring it into your life, you will be amazed at how many opportunities open up to you. Many of these opportunities were there all along, you just weren't open to receiving them. Okay, that starts to sound pretty woo-woo, but my practical explanation is that we are beings with limited attention bandwidth. Many things that go on around us do not attract our attention until we are watching for them.
- Take action. Move forward with your action plans, and when opportunities come along take advantage of them!
The main thing in all of this is to believe in yourself. Believe that you are a valid human being with just as much right to your dreams and wishes as the next person. Believe that you can achieve anything as long as you want it strongly enough. You will find a way! And you won't have to wait for the universe to do it for you.
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