By Leah E. Reinhart
What Is the Law of Attraction?
The law of attraction is a popular concept that claims that you can attract anything you want into your life by focusing your thoughts and emotions on it. According to this idea, the universe responds to your vibration and delivers what you ask for, whether it is good or bad.
The law of attraction is based on the belief that “like attracts like”. This means that whatever you think and feel, you will attract more of the same into your life. For example, if you think positive thoughts and feel happy, you will attract more positive experiences and opportunities. This also applies to negative thoughts. If you focus on a negative outcome or something you don’t want combined with fear energy, you’ll get that, too.
Law of attraction suggests that you can use this principle to manifest anything you want, such as money, love, health, success, etc. All you have to do is to visualize your desired outcome, feel as if you already have it, and let go of any doubts or fears. There’s been a lot of negative buzz on this topic as of late. (I think some people think that the law of attraction supports victim blaming. We don’t want to confuse circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control, such as getting a fatal disease or any tragedy to get tied up in this blog.) Having said that, manifesting through the law of attraction is easier said, than done. Life happens and not every event in life is a good one, which can make it very difficult to believe that the law of attraction can work.
Is There Evidence Supporting the Law of Attraction?
Is there evidence supporting the law of attraction? The short answer is there is no. Yet the law of attraction has been around for centuries and has been influenced by various philosophical, religious, and scientific traditions. However, despite the long history and the diverse influences of the law of attraction, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that supports its validity.
I am fortunate to have a pretty good memory that allows me to look back on my life and recall how the law of attraction has worked in my life. For things I wanted and things I didn’t. For example I dreamed of owning my own horse, but in my dream I stated what I didn’t want in a horse such as a sorrel color, Arab, or gelding. Guess what I got? A gelding Arab, and sorrel color horse. All the thoughts I had regarding my dream horse, showed up.
Was it the law of attraction or coincident? You can decide for yourself. For me, I don’t really need science to validate my views/opinions on the law of attraction, if I can make it work in my life, because this is just one of many examples in my life where I’ve seen this happen.
I Get Why Some Poo-Poo Manifesting
My favorite podcast is Lewis Howes’s School of Greatness and he almost always asks his guests how they feel about manifesting. Mel Robbins gave one of the best answers. She said that she believes in it, but everyone is doing it wrong, at least the mainstream belief (vision boarding) behind manifesting. (I’ve put the Spotify link below to hear her exact wording at the 1:03:19 mark).
Basically she said that vision boarding can be tons of fun, getting together with friends and wine, and creating this beautiful collage, but reality sets in when you’re at home in a tiny apartment or room and you can’t even figure out how your going to pay that unexpected bill. Suddenly your vision board is creating stress by overwhelming you with this big dream you have that seems completely out of reach and touch. The negative thoughts snowball and that’s not the energy or mindset that you want to be manifesting. By the way, Mel doesn’t say not to dream big, at all in her interview.
By all means, nothing should get in the way of dreaming big. Vision boards do work for some people, myself included. There are many motivational speakers for a reason. Some techniques work for some, and not others. You get to choose what works for you.
True picturing the steps on how to get to your desired life and feel the excitement of those dreams coming true. Take action to research people that have what you want and do what they are doing. There is an infinite amount of free content to help you in some way to get started. The trick to get started on your dream is to take some form of action. Studies show more endorphins are release in the process of what could be than the actual result itself.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kj09LLDLUy8ERys16zTtn?si=b6bfb3c7d8614791
The Truth about the Law of Attraction?
The truth about the law of attraction is that it won’t work without some form of action on your part. The Law of Action is the missing link that will change the way you view the law of attraction. Sure I had the dream of owning my horse and it came to fruition, but I had to take steps. I asked my mom if I could get a horse and her answer was, “can you feed it?”, “can you house it?”, “if you can find a way to afford it, then knock yourself out.”
By the age of fourteen, I’d made money watching people’s houses and animals when they were out of town, I babysat, and house cleaned. I didn’t have the money upfront, but I had Bank of Grandma. She loaned me money for the horse and I agreed to pay her a certain amount every month. I found a regular cleaning job. And found a place to house my horse. All of this at fourteen. That’s when I knew the saying “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” was not just a saying.
Some would say I was lucky to have Bank of Grandma, which I was, but there’s more to it. I certainly didn’t know anything about the law of attraction. What did happen was, I had a dream and learned what I needed to support that dream. My dream consisted of things I wanted and didn’t. Then I took the necessary steps to prepare for it to happen. I heard this awesome and profound quote from Alex Hormozi- “Luck favors the prepared.” I don’t necessarily believe in luck the same way I once did.
Actions in the Law of Attraction
Here are some steps that help in manifesting your life and dreams. I know for a fact that this works. I’ve done it with my horse, my husband, money, properties, career, competitions to name a few. It all starts with a thought and a feeling around that thought. But you must take action.
- The goal setting that helps you to define what you want, why you want it, and how you will get it. (All Visualizing and Thinking)
- The action planning (Thoughts Again) that helps you to break down your goals (Actions) into manageable steps and tasks and schedule them accordingly.
- The self-regulation that helps you to monitor your progress (Checking in with your Feelings), evaluate your results, and adjust your strategies if needed. (Action)
- The positive psychology that helps you to cultivate a positive mindset, enhance your strengths, and cope with your challenges. (Thoughts and Feelings)
- The social support that helps you to seek and receive help, feedback, and encouragement from others who share your goals and values. (Pick Carefully, Action and Thoughts)
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
I can see all of the times the law of attraction worked for me and against me. Riding and racing dirt bikes showed me precisely how it worked. Don’t focus on the tree that you don’t want to hit. The more you focus on it, the more likely you’ll hit it. Focus on where you want to be, not where you don’t. Keep your eye on the prize. Your brain will act like a Google search to get you that prize.
I bet anyone reading this blog will recognize where the law of attraction worked, or should I say didn’t, in their life. The good thing is once you know how it works, you will curtail your thoughts on what you want to attract and then act accordingly. I guess the part I like about all this, is that it empowers me to have a choice in what it is I want. Focusing on goals and moving forward gives you control over the things that otherwise would have you riddled with anxiety. It’s all about empowerment here at the Wellness Garden Tool Shed.
We All Don’t Have the Same Advantages
Not everyone gets a strong hand at birth. Many of us have unique challenges whether it’s economical, a funky family, a crazy religion, demographics, race, sex, or some tragic situation. It doesn’t really matter where you come from, but what matters is if you’re interested enough to seek change. Oprah started out with, what many would say, bad luck, and look at her now. She knows how to manifest. Now it’s your turn. Make a list of all the great things that you’ve manifested. Then make a list of what’s next. Start your goal list and see what 2024 will become.
A lot of grace, a lot of blessings, a lot of divine order, but I don’t believe in luck. For me, luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity. There is no luck without you being prepared to handle that moment of opportunity. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for the moment that is to come.” — Oprah
