All that we are is a result of what we have thought. - Gautama Buddha

What does the term ‘Law of Attraction’ mean to you?

If you have read the book The Secret, you might be familiar with this term. If you haven’t, you are in for a treat as I will be discussing this very interesting topic in this article, specially about how you can make your own life attractive through the Law of Attraction. 

Does the law of attraction really work?

First of all, I’d like to set your mind at ease by stating that this law of attraction is not some complicated, magical ritual or some mysterious, ancient secret; it’s actually very simple.

Some of us have misunderstood this concept and tend to believe that the constant visualizing of our positive expectations will lead to those dreams coming true. However, sitting on a chair and visualizing only will not really bring anything straight to our laps. There are some steps we need to follow to make the law of attraction work for us.

I want you to think of this concept as if it is gravity. Gravity is considered an unchanging law of the universe. When I throw something into the air, it will drop to the ground. When you jump off a building, you will hit the ground.

Similarly, if you adhere to the law of attraction, you will be able to enjoy the privileges it offers yet breaking this law will bring negative results. It is a process similar to that of the laws of our society or country. Breaking the law will result in punishment while upholding the law will be advantageous to each of us and to those around us.

To Understand Law of Attraction, you have to keep in mind that you always attract into your life the people, the things, the resources, the ideas etc. that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts.

It means that the people you attract into your life are in harmony with your current experience, knowledge and wisdom. Your life only gets better when you get better.

Popular characters such as Will Smith, Jim Carrey, and Arnold Schwarzenegger among others, have all practiced working with the Law of Attraction and have found great success because of it.

In the same way, if you want to reap the fruits of this concept, the four following steps will definitely help you.

1)    CONFIRMATION BIAS

We human beings seek information that confirms what we already believe. To explain this concept in a simple manner, let me share some of my own experiences with you. You might have undergone something similar at some point in your life.

I remember back then; my first dream vehicle was the Honda Vezel. What was interesting was that ever since this dream vehicle came to my mind, I began to notice this vehicle everywhere I went. I began to see a lot of these vehicles on the road and I was thinking, “wow, so many people drive a Vezel.” But was that the real situation about people’s preferences or was it it simply confirmation bias? Since I began to focus on that car, all of a sudden could I see more of them? Or were they always there, but I just didn’t notice them?

That’s how our brain works.

Social media also makes use of this brain behavior. For example, if we search something or react (like, love, sad etc..) to a post, the same of kind of posts will begin to appear in our wall. Consequently, we will be drawn to reading those posts and pages and to spend more time on Facebook. Thus, if you look for positive information you will be shown similar positive information. On the other hand, if you search or read negative information, you will be shown more negative news.

Not only do confirmation biases impact how we gather information, but they also influence how we interpret and recall information. For instance, people who support or oppose a particular issue will mostly seek information to support their view. Furthermore, they will also interpret the news they receive in a way that upholds their existing ideas. They will also remember details in a way that reinforces these attitudes.

You see, we all have a filter. For every piece of information that goes through and comes through our mind, we have this filter; this is your confirmation bias.

Generally, if something or someone confirms or reaffirms what you already believe, you will take that in. If it doesn’t, you will ignore it or you will fight or argue.

That said, if we know about confirmation bias and accept the fact that it does exist, we can make an effort to recognize it by making an effort to be curious and to learn about opposing views, and to really listen to what others have to say and understand why. Such an approach can help us to see issues and beliefs from another perspective. It will widen our horizons.

Successful people use the confirmation bias to bring good things into their life. First, they develop their beliefs on what they want to achieve. Then they continue to nurture their aspirations by constantly seeking and associating with people and things that are in line with their objectives. They manipulate their confirmation bias in such a way that it drives them to work for the realization of their dreams. They make an asset of this behavior of the human brain.

So if we really make an effort, confirmation bias could attract truly positive things into our lives.

2)    DON’T NOTICE, GIVE ATTENTION

We all look at the sky sometimes. The difference is that one of us might look at the sky and see the artistic beauty of nature while another might see a dark cloud forecasting danger.

If we align this concept to an example from the present situation we are all facing under the pandemic, some organizations seek and find opportunities for growth in spite of the overwhelming darkness. They carefully give attention to the changes in people’s lifestyles and consumer behavior in their immediate business environment and beyond. They do not get emotional or just notice what is happening around them. They give a focused attention to winning over whatever opportunities they can. In contrast, some individuals and organizations keep thinking within the framework of gloom and doom and continue to be controlled by the situation without even trying to turn the tables.

Most people tend to change their lives with information, but without upgrading their filter.

What must be understood is that, it is not what happens to you, but how you think about what happens to you that determines how you react and how you feel. It’s not the world outside of you that dictates your circumstances or your conditions; it is the world inside of you that creates the conditions of your life. So, you yourself are the person who can really decide whether to just notice things or to give careful attention to them.

Another important point is understanding how your actions and thoughts give energy to the positive and negative things that come your way.

Imagine a bad day at work. For instance, if your boss shouts at you for something, that incident will be at the forefront of your mind. You would be frustrated with your job; you might forget your career path and think that your boss doesn’t support you. You would also relate the experience to your co-workers, spouse, friends etc. But through such things, what are you really doing? You are reliving that experience; you’re giving it energy.

However, what if you pay close attention to what happened instead of just reliving the emotional pain you went through? What if you try to think about the incident more objectively keeping aside your feelings? Then you might be able to understand more than you initially did about the incident. You might understand that it was reasonable for your boss to shout at you, you might realize your hand in the matter, you might think about how you’d have reacted in his or her place. Then you will be motivated to take preventive actions and avoid that same mistake again. 

The point here is, whether you like it or not, it has already happened, but you can choose if you want to give it positive or negative energy and that’s how you activate the Law of Attraction. The more you give energy to something, the more you’ll attract those things and circumstances into your life. 

3)    USE THE POWER TO CHOOSE

“You’re not a winner by birth, you’re not a loser by birth, but you’re a chooser by birth.

Most of what we receive in our life are our choices. Everything is the result of something we do or don’t do. If we successfully get through an exam, that’s because we worked for it. If we fail, it is because of not working enough. Therefore, whatever we receive in our life is a result of our actions.

Thus, you’re the referee in the game of your life. You make the decision to win or lose. Everything depends on what you do, what you think.

Let’s consider another example. If you have a garden and you plant roses, what do you get? You get roses, don’t you?

But what happens if you don’t plant anything and completely neglect your garden? Weeds grow.

So, it is not the case that if you don’t plant something, nothing will happen. Things will happen, but out of your control.

So if you don’t plant anything, weeds grow. That how our mind works too. If you do not constantly feed your mind with positive motivation, inspiration, with practical, useful information that moves you towards your goals, weeds will grow in your mind (figuratively of course!).

To again take an example from my own life, I rarely watch the news on local TV. Even when I do, I skip certain news stories. This is mainly because, in my opinion, most news are nothing more than negativity and are just designed to grab your attention. It’s just sensation.

Such news stories don’t actually do much to your life. They don’t add value to your life, they don’t make you a better person. What they successfully do is scare the heck out of you or make you angry. If one watches too much news, one might not even want to go out.

Considering myself, I am careful with my filter when watching news. I’m very careful about how I view the world and how I upgrade my filter.

So you can choose what information you consume every single day. You can choose what you pay attention to, what channel or videos you watch. You have the power to choose. If you are able to wield this power productively, then the law of attraction works for you. 

4)    LIVE IN YOUR DREAMS

We have different ambitions in our lives. One might aspire to be a successful leader of an organization. Another might dream of becoming a successful project manager, and so on.

What we usually think about is living our dreams after they are realized. But the law of attraction tells us otherwise. Before achieving the target, try and step into that role personally and start thinking in that manner.

If we imagine ourselves as being in the desired position, our mindset changes, driving us to achieve this goal. According to the law of attraction, dreaming only is insufficient. In our own way, we should try and live the dream at least a little even before it is realized. 

As the world boxing champion Mohamad Ali said, ‘If you want to become a champion, think like a champion, act like a champion, you will become a champion.’ 

What you say to yourself becomes your self-fulfilling prophecy. This is not an external communication, it is an internal communication, you keep on saying it to yourself and living it all the time in your mind.

You first need to see yourself being that person, before you get the results. The motivation you get when you see yourself doing that, being what you want to be in your mind, before truly physically situating yourself in that position, is immense.

This is how the law of attraction works.

There’s a lot of scientific evidence out there to prove that our thoughts alone have immediate and tangible effects on ourselves and the environment around us. So if you think positive, you will get positive outcomes, and it is the same for negative thinking. It is ultimately synonymous to “you are who you think you are.”