Are you using “Law of Attraction” and not getting what you want? I discovered what I believe to be one of the primary reasons that we may not be experiencing the results we want in our lives, even when we are thinking positively, and doing all the ‘right’ things.
There are numerous teachings that tell us that what we think or focus upon is what we create in our lives: “To Think is To Create”, “Energy Flows Where Our Attention Goes” and “Like Attracts Like” are a few examples. This principle is the foundation of such books as “Think and Grow Rich”, “The Secret”, “Ask and It Is Given”, ”The Science of Getting Rich” (which is, by the way, 100 years old and still in print!).
As an enthusiastic student and facilitator of this principle of the Law of Attraction, I pay attention as best I can to what I am thinking, and consequently, how my thoughts and focus make me feel.
More recently, I started to pay attention to where my thoughts and focus would wander to when I am not consciously choosing – such as when I am in the shower, washing dishes, taking the trash out etc. And, Surprise! My thoughts were NOT Appreciation, Joy and Well-being – my focus was on my schedule for the day – my deadlines, my “To Do List” – Yikes! The tone (or vibration) of those thoughts were more anxious, with an undercurrent of either a feeling of a lack of time, or a lack of trust that I would remember and get to everything I needed to do. I certainly do not want to create or perpetuate that!
What I have discovered is that there are multiple levels of thought, and, at least for those of us who are multi-taskers (like me!), layers of focus. For example, we may be driving, listening to the radio and on a subtle level noticing the weather (and reacting to it), scanning the traffic in front of us, while keeping an eye out for our next turn (so we feel a certain degree of alertness) and singing (it doesn’t matter how badly J) along with the song on the radio and feeling joyful.
When we have a mix of things going on, like the example above, our “attraction-factor” or vibration, is a complex mix. The most predominant vibration could be one of carefree happiness as we are singing away, diminished slightly by the gray clouds and distracted by the visual scanning for the next turn. This complex mix would be the “tone” or color of our vibration and what we are attracting would match that.
In my workshops and Mastermind groups on Law of Attraction, my students will sometimes express surprise about certain -less than ideal- experiences in their life when they thought they were holding a positive focus. This is where some of the self-proclaimed “experts” on Law of Attraction fall short and often attract criticism. It IS more than just holding positive thoughts – it is about the tone, the feeling, the VIBRATION that we have that is basis of what we attract.
So it is not just about “Thinking Positively” or “Affirmations” or “Vision Boards” although those approaches can be helpful tools if used with clarity and understanding. It is about how we FEEL & REACT to what we give our attention to. This important discernment has been most clearly identified in the work of Esther & Jerry Hicks (www.Abraham-Hicks.com)
Some years ago, I was sitting at my desk writing checks while paying bills, when I noticed a very quiet, subtle ‘mantra’ being repeated in the background of my mind: “I never have enough money, I never have enough money …” This stopped me cold! I had been unaware of that ‘mantra’, yet caught it quietly streaming through my mind – no wonder I was feeling a struggle with my cash flow! I was PROGRAMMING myself to experience “not enough money!”
Since then, I have been much more consciously paying attention to, and choosing what I am thinking. I practice the ‘Art of Appreciation’. For example, when I awake I relax and enjoy doing my Reiki treatment, appreciating that I do not need to start my day in a rush. When I finish a task, or head out to do an errand, I will take a moment to notice what I appreciate so far that day.
I recognize that this focus in my mind is based on old, well practiced habits – the things I focused on for most of my adult life, trying feel like I was “in control” of my life – to be someone who was productive, successful and who kept her word to others. I now know that I can be all those things without living under of a cloud of stress and anxiety, and that living under that kind of stress created more of the same!
So, although I am HUGELY happier and have more inner peace than I had years ago, I still felt the need to take a sabbatical last year, I still recognize that I feel critical of myself at times and now I know why! It is this old habitual thinking that my mind goes to when I am not consciously choosing my focus. I think of this as my ‘default’ focus, or, just as what my computer does when it is inactive for a few minutes, it starts running my Screen-Saver.
What is the Screen Saver of your mind? Where do your thoughts wander to when your mind is not actively engaged? Ideally, our Screen-Saver can be thoughts of those that we love, happy memories, or joyful anticipation of what is to come. I am sure that with a little awareness, I can re-program my Screen-Saver to become habitual thoughts of joy, appreciation and anticipation – and since “Like attracts Like”, I have some wonderful experiences to look forward to. What do you want to be looking forward to?
