Since the movie “The Secret” was released, and its companion book of the same name, I’ve been asked a lot about The Law of Attraction. Bear in mind that I’m a pragmatist so if something is useful, even if I can’t explain it or prove it, I’ll use it.

Before anything else, I do believe in it as, using the above criterion, it’s proven useful to me. It’s not even new, as you likely know if you’ve seen the movie. But it’s been well documented in different names elsewhere. For instance, NLP has for years taught the “As-If Frame,” which utilizes a similar structure to The Law of Attraction. Before anything else on that, let’s explore its history and place in the Self-Help and Personal Achievement fields.

The Law of Attraction has captured the world’s attention, and for people striving to develop, build themselves, and draw greatness into their lives, this phenomenon is enticing. Often described as the idea that like attracts like, this concept suggests that the thoughts and energy you emit into the world ultimately shape your reality.

At its core, the Law of Attraction proposes that the energy you put out into the universe—whether positive or negative—will be returned to you. It operates on the premise that your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions serve as magnets, drawing in experiences and circumstances that align with them. In essence, you become the architect of your own reality through the power of your mind.

While the Law of Attraction gained mainstream attention with the release of Rhonda Byrne’s best-selling book, “The Secret,” its roots can be traced back through centuries of philosophical teachings and spiritual practices. Ancient wisdom traditions, including those of Hinduism and Buddhism, have long espoused similar ideas about the interconnectedness of thoughts, beliefs, and the external world.

But what exactly does it mean to “attract” something into your life? Advocates of the Law of Attraction argue that it goes beyond mere wishful thinking or positive affirmations. Instead, it involves cultivating a deep sense of belief and expectation that what you desire is not only possible but inevitable. By focusing your thoughts and intentions on your goals, you align yourself with the vibrational frequency of those desires, making them more likely to materialize.

Critics, however, often raise objections to the Law of Attraction, dismissing it as little more than pseudoscience or magical thinking. They argue that it oversimplifies the complexities of life and ignores the role of external factors beyond an individual’s control.

Though some have argued that this phenomenon by itself has led to their success, others contend that the Law of Attraction is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to achieving success and fulfillment.

Nevertheless, countless anecdotal accounts and personal testimonies abound, attesting to the transformative power of the Law of Attraction in people’s lives. From manifesting dream jobs and romantic relationships to improving health and financial abundance, proponents of this principle swear by its efficacy in bringing about positive change.

So, how can one harness the power of the Law of Attraction in their own life? While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, there are several key practices that are often recommended:

1. Clarity of Intentions: Get clear on what you truly desire and set specific, achievable goals. The more clarity you have about what you want, the easier it becomes to focus your energy and attention towards manifesting it. This one seems pretty clear, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any success coach in any era contest this. If you don’t know the goal, the target, you’re unlikely to ever reach it.
2. Positive Visualization: Visualize yourself already in possession of your desired outcomes. Engage all your senses and immerse yourself fully in the experience, fostering a deep sense of belief and expectation. A number of things take place here. Not the least of which is our beliefs surrounding this outcome–whether we can or can’t do it–as well as the neurological connections which support our thoughts as we turn them into action and ultimately results–all get engaged. From a Hypnosis perspective, when we already believe we’ve accomplished something, it’s vastly easier to do it “again.”
3. Gratitude Practice: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude for what you already have in your life. By focusing on the abundance that surrounds you, you shift your perspective from lack to abundance, attracting more blessings into your life. There are a number of ways to explore this, but within the LoA philosophy, “like attracts like,” and the good things we feel attract more good things. Whether this is objectively true or not, it can’t hurt, and you can easily imagine that if you grow accustomed to feeling good about the outcomes you’ve experienced, your unconscious mind could scan for new ways to feel good about future outcomes. Besides, a feeling of gratitude confirms that you’re accustomed to favorable outcomes. You could also argue that when you approach the world with gratitude, it makes others feel good, and since many things we’d pursue in life involve others, it may inspire them to assist.
4. Taking Inspired Action: While thoughts and intentions are powerful, they must be accompanied by action. Be proactive in pursuing your goals and seize opportunities as they arise, trusting that the universe will support you along the way. This one has oddly been the subject of controversy. Many LoA proponents claim that taking action only gets in the universe’s way. That this process is mystical or energetic i nature, and that our taking action only impedes, not supports, our results. Nonetheless, many people who’ve embraced some variation of the LoA maintain that the mental and energetic aspects of this process are meant to inspire us toward action. That we’re not spectators in our growth, but partners, dancing with that growth.
5. Letting Go of Attachment: Release any attachment to outcomes and trust in the divine timing of the universe. Surrendering control and allowing things to unfold organically can open the door to unexpected blessings and opportunities. There are a number of practical reasons for this, not the least of which is NLP’s Law of Requisite Variety. The truth is that if you instruct your unconscious mind to pursue a goal, it is likely to figure out more than one path. Your unconscious is capable of assessing multiple pathways, evaluating each step along each path, and coming up with a more efficient or rewarding method than the one you’d had in mind to start with. For one thing, the reason we pursue many of our goals is not for the goals themselves, but for what we believe that will do for us. We often have underlying values we wish to satisfy, even though we may not be conscious each moment of them. But our unconscious minds know all about them and can ensure we satisfy our deepest values while achieving our goals. And again, it may not be in exactly the way we’d initially envisioned. By remaining flexible, not limiting our pathways or routes to what we consider “success”, we increase our ability to reach it, in the way that we ourselves consider the most satisfying.

In essence, the Law of Attraction invites us to become conscious co-creators of our reality, recognizing the profound influence that our thoughts and beliefs have on shaping our experiences. While it may not provide all the answers or guarantee instant results, it offers a compelling framework for cultivating a more empowered and intentional way of living.

Further, whether there is a mystical aspect to it, or whether we are simply engaging our self-hypnosis capabilities to program ourselves and our outcomes, the overall process has worked for many.

Ultimately, whether you choose to embrace the Law of Attraction as a mystical process, a psychological one, or approach the whole thing with skepticism, there’s undeniable wisdom in the age-old adage: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” Perhaps therein lies the essence of this timeless principle—that by aligning our thoughts, beliefs, and actions with our deepest desires, we can unlock the infinite potential that resides within us all. And if it can work for you, why not?

Copyright © 2023 Chris Gingolph