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Note the quotation marks in the title -- the law of attraction isn't something that "works" or "doesn't work." Contrary to what many people think, this isn't some new "technique" you can employ to get stuff. It wasn't a concept that was invented by the people who wrote The Secret. This book just brought the information into the mainstream, and kind of provided the broad strokes, if you will.
The law of attraction is a way of explaining why things happen, both on an individual level and a mass level of humanity as a whole. In a nutshell, like attracts like. It isn't just about getting stuff. The law of attraction is something that will impact every facet of your experience, and by working consciously with your energy (thoughts, feelings and beliefs) you can make that experience more awesome.
What we focus on expands, and by focusing more on what we want, rather than what we don't, we will experience more of the former and less of the latter. No one is perfect at this, so no matter what, you may still experience things you don't like from time to time... just had to throw that in there.
But anyway... there is a massive amount of misunderstanding about what the law of attraction is, and as such, many people find themselves becoming disillusioned with the whole thing quite quickly. Having learned more about what the law of attraction really is allowed me to create changes in my life I never would have thought possible.
And that is why I am so passionate about teaching people about it, and clearing up the confusion. It was the key to unlocking all sorts of awesomeness for me, and I want to help others do the same. And on that note, I want to discuss a few issues that have you lamenting the LOA is a load of crap:
It's Really Not about Your Thoughts
That what we attract is based on our thoughts is not really accurate. It goes a lot deeper than that. Just thinking about something is not going to make it happen for you -- think of all the things you have had happen in your life, good and bad, that you never thought about previously. Law of attraction is not just wishful thinking either.
It is about our energy -- which is a collection of our thoughts, feelings and beliefs. This is also referred to as our "vibration." We will attract things into our experience that will mirror back our predominant beliefs; we will attract things that will feel just like feelings that are predominant in our energy. This holds true whether we want these things or not -- and attracting "bad" things doesn't mean it was your fault or you "had it coming." But I digress.
So, this means that just thinking about what you want can't bring it to you. Visualizing is not manifesting. If you have no genuine positive emotion about what you want to manifest, if your predominant beliefs are still ones that lend themselves to not believing this thing is possible for you, what you want can't come. You're not a match to it.
Setting an intention to manifest something is a great first step, but it doesn't stop there. You have to dig around a bit internally and examine your belief system and see what could be blocking this thing from materializing.
Tools are Just Tools... They Can't Make Anything Happen for You
Since we are very oriented towards action to make things happen, we can become very obsessed with employing various tools in our efforts to manifest, such as visualizing, affirmations, making vision boards or whatever other things you may have read about in a book, or been instructed to do, in some sort of program.
And the tools are integral for sure. We need a way to focus on what we want positively. In the moments we use these tools, we are giving ourselves permission to feel good, and focus on what we want, rather than the undesirable bits of our current reality. These actions help us create the expectation we will get what we want, and that is always a good thing.
But, tools are just tools... they in and of themselves, can't make anything happen for you. Their power is in helping you cultivate the thoughts, beliefs and feelings that are in harmony with what you want. There is a part of your mind that is still operating from the action paradigm, and expecting that because you are taking actions, you should then receive some sort of result.
We intellectualize the process of attraction, not realizing it is something that happens in the realm of emotion. Are you actually feeling good while using your tools or are you just "going through the motions"? Don't make yourself use your "tools" when you're not feeling it. You are better off going to do something else instead that actually makes you feel better.
You're Glossing Over Negativity
Again, the law of attraction isn't just about thinking something and getting it; just wanting something is not enough to bring it to you. You have to be a match to it, and by this I mean, your predominant thoughts, feelings and beliefs must be in harmony with your desire.
You must feel now as if you already had what you wanted -- the law of attraction can't defy your vibration. You can't trick the Universe. The process of attraction is a neutral, mechanical process, and delivers output (experience) based on the input (your vibration). It is not judging, deciding or doing anything humans do. It can't deliver the goods because you are a nice person, you really want something or you are trying really hard to get it.
The whole emphasis on "being positive" can lead people astray and makes them think they are supposed to just stuff down their negative feelings and beliefs. But that isn't what you should be doing. You have to admit your negative feelings and let yourself feel them so you can begin the process of transforming them. You have to be honest about your limiting beliefs, and then work on releasing them.
So you have to ask yourself if your internal world has been changing to any real degree. Are you actually feeling better, like truly better? How much headway have you made in shifting the beliefs that aren't serving you? Be honest with yourself.
Don't be afraid of your negative emotion -- our emotions are valuable messengers and let us know where we are focusing. Dealing with negative emotion that is already there is very different than generating it by choosing to focus on things you know will make you feel badly. Do your best to avoid the latter.
Be sure to show yourself some patience and compassion -- this is a really new way of operating and you won't master it immediately.
The good news is, any shift in your energy changes your point of attraction, which means you don't have to achieve some perfect vibe, where nary a negative thought or belief exists, to start letting in some good stuff. We would all be pretty screwed if that was the case.
Happy Manifesting!
Kelli Cooper is a blogger and coach who specializes in teaching people about the oft-misunderstood law of attraction. Head on over to her blog at Life Made to Order for articles, podcasts and to learn more about her coaching services. You can also check out her LOA ebook series on Amazon.