What is the law of attraction?
The law of attraction is a self-help concept that argues that positive thoughts and feelings can attract positive experiences and outcomes, while negative thoughts and feelings can attract negative experiences and outcomes. It is often wrongly associated with the idea that people can manifest their desires through the power of their thoughts and beliefs.
What manifestation means here
In the context of the law of attraction, manifestation refers to the act of bringing something into reality through the power of one's thoughts. By focusing on a positive outcome and believing that it is possible to achieve and that you will achieve it, a person can manifest that outcome into reality through the power of the universe or their own subconscious mind. This can include material possessions, financial abundance, personal relationships, or other desires.
Is it legit?
Not so much. The “science” behind the law of attraction is that all atoms are made up of energy, so if everything in the world is made out of energy, then we can generate positive energy and have it come back to us.
Unfortunately, there’s no actual scientific evidence to support the idea that thinking positively can directly bring about specific material wealth or other physical outcomes. You can’t make a Vision board and suddenly life comes easy.
Why not?
Basically, “gurus” have been hocking the idea that you can physically manifest things you desire – a nice car, a hot boyfriend, the dream job – without sharing the reality that if a goal is not strategically sound, it will become almost impossible to obtain. Our biases also tend to confirm that when something good happens, it must be manifestation, and not luck.
The Secret popularized this concept in a book, a movie, and now, “manifestation” influencers are popping up trying to teach a “foolproof” method. The issue with this is 2-fold: one, they gloss over how much work it takes to get the things you desire, especially the farther away from reality they are;
and two, how do you know that’s what you truly want? Do you trust your manifestation guru to be able to help guide you professionally through a deep introspective process to determine your true core values, your direct purpose, and your clear Vision of success at a specific point in the future?
What if it’s not a Maserati? What if it’s a minivan because your true definition of success is growing a joyful, bustling family? How would you know that if all you did was sit down and start with what you want, and never looked at where you are or where you want to go ?
Default optimism
In essence, you get what you give and the golden rule and do unto others and a whole host of other old cliches have become cliches because for the most part they hold true. If we’re a good person, we should generally expect people to be good back to us. Karma is a bitch, or something.
Obviously, if you walk down the street with a smile on your face instead of a scowl and make eye contact and say good morning, you’ll get a lot more friendly good morning’s back. But if you pray to the universe every night before bed for a Maserati, I’m so sorry to tell you this but.. it’s not coming.
Plus, we tend to have a failure hangover when we start out seeking big, quantitative goals, because we start from a failure position of not having it, until we do. What if we never do? Are we always failing?
A Visionary mindset can attract much, much more
This isn’t to say that acting positive doesn’t have an impact on your life - it certainly does. Practicing gratitude has shown to have incredible mental and physical benefits. But there’s a big difference between pinning up a picture of a salt-n-pepper haired Woolrich catalog model and then going about your life… And actually signing up for the next speed dating night in your town. Thinking positive, isn’t the same as acting positive.
With a Vision, you’ll know when an opportunity is worth grabbing onto, and when it’s just a distraction in disguise.
Where did it come from?
The concept of the law of attraction can be traced back to the late 19th century, with the publication of books such as "The Science of Getting Rich" by Wallace D. Wattles and "The Master Key System" by Charles F. Haanel. These books popularized the idea that people could achieve wealth and success by aligning their thoughts and beliefs with the laws of the universe – a bit woowoo for its time.
In the early 20th century, the New Thought movement emerged, which further spread the idea that people could create their own reality through the power of positive thinking. This movement influenced the development of the self-help and personal development industry, which continues to promote the law of attraction and the idea of manifestation as a means to achieve success and happiness.
So what do you do next?
Well, you could waste another day making collages, or you could sit down and do the hard work and start the Visioning process. Once you have clarity, walking down the street with a smile on your face will be the most natural thing you do.